Season 01 Epd 13, of Daria
Daria is positively the best and maybe the only good thing I've seen come out of MTV. It used to be on TV a long time ago and recently I've accquired all 5 seasons of Daria... so I've been watching it for quite a bit. My favourite episode so far is The Misery Chick. Some really insightful stuff. I can totally picture myself in Daria's situation, though I wouldn't quite know what to say to Jane during the "confrontation". Also much like Daria, throughout the episode I was thoroughly baffled at why Jane appeared to be pissed. I've probably lived through this before... -_-
Context
Some jock superstar, an alumni of their high school had just died of some freak accident. Right after he'd been mean to just about everyone, including the girls. Their casual wish for his death comes true immediately. Jane starts acting weird and distances herself from Daria.
DARIA
Are you avoiding me?
JANE
Um... not anymore?
DARIA
What's going on?
JANE
Nothing. I just haven't felt like talking to anybody.
DARIA
I'm not anybody, and I'd like to talk to someone.
JANE
But you've been talking to everyone.
DARIA
No, everyone's been talking to me. There's a difference.
JANE
Well, what do you want to talk about, anyway? You don't care about what happened.
DARIA
How can you say that?
JANE
You've been treating it like, "Oh well, another stupid day. "
The guy died.
DARIA
I know he died! I'm sorry he died!
But I'm not going to pretend that he was some great person when he wasn't.
DARIA
People aren't upset because Tommy Sherman died,
they're upset because they're going to die.
JANE
That's understandable.
DARIA
Okay, but you know what I've been hearing?
"You know how I feel, Daria. You're gloomy.
I knew I can talk to you, Daria.
You're always miserable. "
DARIA
Tragedy hits the school and everyone thinks of me.
A popular guy died, and now I'm popular because I'm the misery chick.
But I'm not miserable. I'm just not like them.
JANE
It really makes you think.
DARIA
Funny. Thanks a lot.
JANE
No! That's why they want to talk to you.
JANE
When they say, "You're always unhappy, Daria," what they mean is, "You think Daria.
I can tell because you don't smile.
Now this guy died and it makes me think and that hurts my little head and makes me stop smiling.
So, tell me how you cope with thinking all the time, Daria,
until I can get back to my normal vegetable state. "
DARIA
Okay.
So why have you been avoiding me?
JANE
Because I've been trying not to think.
About the way we were making jokes about him dying and then, boom, it happened.
DARIA
We didn't have anything to do with the guy dying.
It was a freak accident.
JANE
Yeah, well, I don't like it when I say people should die and then they do.
I don't want that kind of responsibility.
At least not until I've got a job in middle management.
DARIA
You didn't make him die.
JANE
You're not the misery chick.
DARIA
All right, then.
JANE
All right, then.
DARIA
He shouldn't have died.
JANE
No.
DARIA
But he wasn't a nice guy.
JANE
No.
==
Later in English class...
MR. O'NEIL
"It is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all. "
Just what is Lord Tennyson talking about?
MR O'NEIL
Brittany?
BRITTANY
Um, love?
MR O'NEIL
Anyone else? Daria?
DARIA
Well, he's acknowledging that if something makes you feel good, like being in love,
there must be a corresponding painful side, like losing a love,
and that it's just a fact of life.
MR O'NEIL
Sad, but true.
DARIA
And what's intriguing about it
is that no one calls Tennyson a big unhappiness freak just because he understands that.
MR O'NEIL
Is he a big unhappiness freak?
DARIA
No, he's a realist.
He says, "Emotional involvement brings pleasure and extraordinary pain. "
Then he declares that it's better than feeling nothing at all.
Context
Some jock superstar, an alumni of their high school had just died of some freak accident. Right after he'd been mean to just about everyone, including the girls. Their casual wish for his death comes true immediately. Jane starts acting weird and distances herself from Daria.
DARIA
Are you avoiding me?
JANE
Um... not anymore?
DARIA
What's going on?
JANE
Nothing. I just haven't felt like talking to anybody.
DARIA
I'm not anybody, and I'd like to talk to someone.
JANE
But you've been talking to everyone.
DARIA
No, everyone's been talking to me. There's a difference.
JANE
Well, what do you want to talk about, anyway? You don't care about what happened.
DARIA
How can you say that?
JANE
You've been treating it like, "Oh well, another stupid day. "
The guy died.
DARIA
I know he died! I'm sorry he died!
But I'm not going to pretend that he was some great person when he wasn't.
DARIA
People aren't upset because Tommy Sherman died,
they're upset because they're going to die.
JANE
That's understandable.
DARIA
Okay, but you know what I've been hearing?
"You know how I feel, Daria. You're gloomy.
I knew I can talk to you, Daria.
You're always miserable. "
DARIA
Tragedy hits the school and everyone thinks of me.
A popular guy died, and now I'm popular because I'm the misery chick.
But I'm not miserable. I'm just not like them.
JANE
It really makes you think.
DARIA
Funny. Thanks a lot.
JANE
No! That's why they want to talk to you.
JANE
When they say, "You're always unhappy, Daria," what they mean is, "You think Daria.
I can tell because you don't smile.
Now this guy died and it makes me think and that hurts my little head and makes me stop smiling.
So, tell me how you cope with thinking all the time, Daria,
until I can get back to my normal vegetable state. "
DARIA
Okay.
So why have you been avoiding me?
JANE
Because I've been trying not to think.
About the way we were making jokes about him dying and then, boom, it happened.
DARIA
We didn't have anything to do with the guy dying.
It was a freak accident.
JANE
Yeah, well, I don't like it when I say people should die and then they do.
I don't want that kind of responsibility.
At least not until I've got a job in middle management.
DARIA
You didn't make him die.
JANE
You're not the misery chick.
DARIA
All right, then.
JANE
All right, then.
DARIA
He shouldn't have died.
JANE
No.
DARIA
But he wasn't a nice guy.
JANE
No.
==
Later in English class...
MR. O'NEIL
"It is better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all. "
Just what is Lord Tennyson talking about?
MR O'NEIL
Brittany?
BRITTANY
Um, love?
MR O'NEIL
Anyone else? Daria?
DARIA
Well, he's acknowledging that if something makes you feel good, like being in love,
there must be a corresponding painful side, like losing a love,
and that it's just a fact of life.
MR O'NEIL
Sad, but true.
DARIA
And what's intriguing about it
is that no one calls Tennyson a big unhappiness freak just because he understands that.
MR O'NEIL
Is he a big unhappiness freak?
DARIA
No, he's a realist.
He says, "Emotional involvement brings pleasure and extraordinary pain. "
Then he declares that it's better than feeling nothing at all.