Summary: On her first day at Lawndale High, Daria is diagnosed with low self-esteem and is forced to take a special class. There, she meets artist and fellow cynic Jane, and together, they scheme to get out of the class.

Full Synopsis: It's the first day of school for Daria and Quinn, who have just moved with their parents to Lawndale from Highland (the land of Beavis and Butt-head), and it's pretty typical for Daria: she's ignored by the other students, shunned by her sister (who's instantly adopted by the popular crowd and would later claim to be an only child), singled out for humiliation by her psychotic history teacher, and subjected to a ridiculous psychological exam, which she blows off with sarcastic, smart-alec remarks. These remarks come back to haunt her, however, when Helen receives a call from the school: they're concerned that Daria is exhibiting low self-esteem (which she denies), and want her to take a self-esteem class. At this news, Helen and Jake enter "concerned parent" mode, Quinn becomes worried that this would affect her reputation, and Daria just wishes it would all go away. Unfortunately, she has no choice but to take the class, which is run by her wishy-washy, touchy-feely English teacher. When Daria tries to make sense of Mr. O'Neill's psychobabble, she's advised by a fellow student to just "sit back and enjoy the nice man's soothing voice." Walking home after class, Daria discovers that the student, Jane, is something of a kindred spirit: creative, sarcastic, and just as weary of idiots and poseurs as she is. As the days go by and the class drags on, Daria and Jane (who's in several of Daria's other classes) begin forming a friendship, but when Daria reaches the breaking point over her parent's concern for her progress, they hatch a scheme to pass the exit test and get out of the class once and for all. (This is no problem for Jane, who has deliberately taken the class six times and knows the answers by heart.) Unfortunately, it works too well: Mr. O'Neill is so impressed by their "rapid progress" that he wants to publically congratulate them at the next school assembly. Daria and Jane agree to his request, but when the time comes for them to make a speech, they do things their way: Jane causes a scene by faking a "self-esteem relapse" and running off the stage, sobbing, while Daria launches into a cliché-ridden acceptance speech that pointedly thanks "her sister, Quinn." Quinn is humiliated, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, as Daria fulfills her wish of making her family suffer by guilt-tripping them into attending a U.F.O. convention.

Advice Avoidance: Quinn and Daria know their father well enough not to take (or even listen to) his advice in the car on the way to the first day of school. Of course, Jake means well but most of the stuff he was saying was painfully obvious or of no use to either of them. Actually, at first I thought Daria and Quinn just wanted to hear the song, I kind of liked it.

Misadventures in Parenting: When Helen wants to try to help Daria's self esteem she decides to take her out to "do something you want to do." Well, helping Helen try on identical business suits (except for color) is hardly something Daria would want to do (or anyone else, for that matter). The way Helen handles the news of Daria's low self esteem ("can my assistant handle it?") leaves a lot to be desired. She also means well but just doesn't know how to get through.

And the Bitter Teacher of the Year Award goes to... Daria's new history teacher, who has a sadistic streak. Teaching Kevin and Brittany types for any length of time can do that to you. He doesn't seem to mind making life miserable for his students despite the fact that most of them are oblivious.

And the Flaky Teacher of the Year Award goes to... the self-esteem teacher. Speaking of oblivious, he didn't even remember Jane, who had gone through the course six times. He had no idea what he was talking about ("realizing your actuality;" come on!) in teaching. It's almost like he's low man on the totem pole and got stuck teaching self-esteem. C'mon, he thought brake fluid is involved in shifting gears!!!

This episode is a promising start on what looks to be a good series. Daria was witty and perceptive about some of the real-life situations many high school kids go through (especially after a big move). All of the characters are introduced nicely and the plot really relates to how Daria may feel while being thrust into a new environment.

Grade: B+

Copyright © 1998 Mike Quinn [All Rights Reserved]. Used with permission. The views presented here are those of the author, and may or may not necessarily be those of Outpost Daria Reborn.