Presently watching Daria

This isn’t really a review but more of a opinion piece on the animated series ‘Daria’. It ran from from the late 90’s to the early 2000’s and had a big impact and even if some people didn’t necessarily watch it on MTV it was iconic enough for everyone to know it was something good.

‘ Daria’ is a densely packed animated series that followed the daily activities of Daria Morgendorffer an angst filled teenager who likes to read, is sarcastic , realistic and sees through the shallowness and almost vomit inducing, capital driven and moralistic inflation of the suburban American scene.

I only faintly remember watching ‘Daria’ as a kid, so I spent the whole week crash-watching all of the five seasons. And unlike most binge-watch in experiences I don’t regret this one.

The main character Daria is a first child with middle-child syndrome, who lives with her detachment to her superficial , troubled and volatile caricature family and friends. The fun thing about Daria is that even if she is supposed be the voice of reason, she has it without being fake or annoying. The voice actress for Daria even talks like an answering machine, which is kind of symbolic.

I also really like Jane Lane and Trent, because they embody the broke and hot artist and musician. I’m pretty sure anyone can recognize their own artsy friends in them, and Trent looks exactly like the lead from every band at the time. Plus it’s fun how realistically lazy and always working on something at the same time. It inspired me.

Quinn the fashionable, social butterfly who thrives on her popularity is also fun to watch.

I honestly wish we could have a satirical show like this in a Pakistani setting. I know I’d watch it.

And to make things brief ‘Daria’ was and still is a ‘breath of fresh air’ as one critic called it. The writing is great, the characters are cartoony enough to be fun and real enough to be sad, the look is unique and something not overdone to death. The plots go strong and the repeated character tropes don’t lose their charm and overall the series and theme of the holds strong years after it’s release and I’m confident that that’s how it will stay.

The show did great a comic strip like depiction of society at that time and about the fear of what we were going to go down as. The show was a study of probably the last few years during which people were concerned about the lose of innocence and scholary intelligence, which would be and maybe has been lost to shopping,plastic surgery, nerds that are nerds for an image, superficiality for superficiality, reality TV over poetry. The stress, annoying dumbness, lack of depth, the cynicism that intellectual kids feels, and not having any immediate solutions to saving the rain forest or the ozone layer that till now didn’t really catch up to us, really cements the show like a Bible guide to that time of our shared past.

So overall I feel like everyone should consider watching Daria. Because is something almost everyone in our twenties will recognize and probably enjoy and post about as their spirit animal.

And within all the the things ‘Daria’ was right about when it came to human consumer nature and trends in society. The one thing that it maybe wrong was that viral internet videos and not mindless television would make us crazy.

Plus I think season 1 to 3 are the best ones.

And hopefully the reboot won’t destroy my recently developed nostalgia.

To The Golden Girls , Thank you.

Sometime around September 1984, a new tv show was aired, which had some strong and funny leading actresses, who instantly won the hearts and laughs of a dedicated audience. 

That show was The Golden  Girls , with Bea Arthur as the sarcastic Dorothy Zbornak.  Betty White as the simple minded and innocent Rose Nylund , Rue McClanahan as a fiery southern Belle and Estelle Getty in her first tv role and breakthrough act as Sophia Petrillo.

I did not grow up watching this show like a lot of people. I just happened to come across it by chance on the Internet,  and instead watching an episode or some small compilations I found the making of the Golden Girls special. It’s a nice way to be introduced to a series ; having all the writers, directors , actresses and producers remember how they came together to do something and watch it become successful . 

It was very creative; how a small and short stage performance by two senior comedians, later turned into a series that so many people have loved . Especially inspiring is the story and work of the main writer behind the Golden Girls , Susan, who was responsible for writing episodes on women’s issues in the way that really resonated with people. 

Documentaries like that are always entertaining,  but when I actually got to watching episodes I was laughing and loving every second of learning more about the characters despite knowing a lot about them already. I suppose I would have liked the show If I did know about its background, yet it made me appreciate the show more,because I knew about the issues behind its inception .

For one there was a lack of roles and shows which centered older women and talked about their issues and stories, since most prime time television at that time must have dealt with perhaps younger people,  like romantic series , or something like that. And I think that’s what makes The Golden Girls so unique and special – it was something that American television had not tried before. The show follow up basic tv tropes but it does remain relevant for lots of reasons.  But first lets look into the content and plot line .

We have four women sharing a house in Miami, who are very different from eachother . Dorothy our main Golden Girl is perhaps the most realistic but animated  ofcourse, she is intelligent, sarcastic, quick and has some of the best come backs I have heard in a long time , plus she has a  voice that compliments that persona. Blanche is well romantic in a way that is drop to the ground funny,  did she really say that funny , outrageous and probably wrong but grand entertainment funny,  plus the timing and mannerism go all the way to. Rose’s character is one that is funny because she is mostly never in on the joke and she takes grandmother stories to a whole new paradigm of culture and blessings; she’s just wonderful.  Then  ofcourse there is Sophia , Dorothy’s mother , who is blunt funny , and upfront insults you funny , along with old village and historical inaccuracy, funny. 

Basically they are all very distinct and different characters and its the way they interact with eachother that is rather entertaining. They all have something going on so it full of adventure and action , plus life lessons.  With most coming of age series you get invested in the characters because you want to see if they’ll make it , with this show its the same but it gives you insight into what growing old instead of up is like. 

It may have been a comedy show but there was a lot of emotion involved which makes the show so much better. Like when Dorothy confronts her ex husband  on how he made her feel . When Rose tells her daughter the truth about her father’s financial situation and when Blanche dreams about her deceased husband. I think Sophia had the most of these moments and it all gave these ladies depth despite having simple personalities and repetitive behavior. And normally I think tv shows do struggle with balancing between different emotions but it  was written very well and performed well. 

Apart from emotional content The Golden Girls, had many issues  to talk  and deal with to. Which was always good to watch and admire and relate with,  and its very educational and cathartic as well , because it is something many people go through daily. Like when Dorothy confronts her rather cold and insensitive doctor . 

It was also always fun to watch the girls go through relationships especially Blanche,  because it was second nature to her and she really pushed a lot of boundaries . And like I said it was different from other shows where young couples break apart due to their own reasons and here it similar but not the same.

I think it also goes well with how in small ways people can relate to them and ofcourse how over the course of seven seasons you become so emotionally investment,  it  get sad when the show ends . I literally went through the seasons in about a month .

So overall I really liked this show . The end.