Saturday, September 11, 2021

Daria (the complete TV series)

I totally get that representation in books, TV Shows, and Movies needs to be Real in order to be taken seriously, but sometimes things beg to be poked fun of. Like High School and, more accurately, high school clichés. 

Lately, I've been revisiting Daria, an hilarious and, often, on-point TV series from the 1990s that was actually a spinoff of a much more well-known and controversial show (Bonus Points if you can name said show without Googling). Daria tastefully pokes fun at all the standard tropes of the High School Movies and TV Shows that were so popular in the last few decades of the twentieth century: Mean Girl Cliques, Dumb Jocks, Flaky Cheerleaders, Nerdy Smart Kids, and don't forget Clueless Parents and Out of Touch Teachers. All of this filtered through the eyes of the show's cheeky, sarcastic heroine. Of course the show has a lot of heart as well, sometimes addressing more serious topics as (freakin') friendships, relationship dynamics, self esteem, and death (but never so seriously things veer into After School Special territory). The show is funny, smart, and, although cliché (purposefully I assure you), holds up today.

If you're looking for a bit of 1990s nostalgia without committing to a full-length movie, an episode or two of Daria is a good place to start. I bet you'll be hooked and end up binging the whole thing! 

--AJB

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