"Daria" was a great animated show, with a very intelligent humor, in addition to being one of the rare portraits of an introverted personality, on television, and, judging by the unaired pilot "Sealed With a Kick", almost didn't make it. to the world as we know it. It would be interesting to know the story of how the producers arrived at Daria's peculiar personality.
I see a lot of criticism of Daria as a character on the internet, calling her snobbish, hypocritical and rude, which I think are exaggerated. First, perfect characters who never make mistakes are rarely interesting. Second, it's somewhat unfair, as introverts, by and large, want to keep to themselves and be left alone, not impose themselves on others. But, it seems, we prefer sycophants, manipulators, bullies, or idiots.
The series itself tried to adapt to these criticisms, making Daria increasingly insecure and fragile, but to no avail.
Tom's own introduction seems to have followed this strategy and was a disaster. Yes, Tom ruined the show. His presence as Daria's boyfriend didn't make sense in the plot, because no boyfriend was supposed to be introduced to Daria. Someone as withdrawn as she wouldn't have a boyfriend, except maybe in adulthood. Tom and Daria never made a convincing pair, it was hard to see why one would be attracted to the other. His charm might work for Jane, but not for someone as detached from appearances as Daria. Their relationship felt forced, as if it was really just to meet social expectations, and it felt like a watered-down version of Jane Austen's novels, where the "mature" man treated the woman like a silly child in need of condescension.
And the worst thing is, the producers apparently rooted for the relationship to be accepted and supported by the public. Glenn Eichler, in interviews, explained why Trent and Daria couldn't end up together, and why Jane and Tom wouldn't be together, but never said why Tom and Daria couldn't end up together. He just said how good Tom would be to Daria. But the production didn't realize the inconsistencies it introduced into the show and ruined it. When the romance with Tom ended, thanks to public rejection, it was already too late. At the realistic level the series intended, this relationship would not even have started. At worst, they would have walked away after the events of "It is Fall Yet?".
A Great Show, unfortunately ruined
"Daria" was a great animated show, with a very intelligent humor, in addition to being one of the rare portraits of an introverted personality, on television, and, judging by the unaired pilot "Sealed With a Kick", almost didn't make it. to the world as we know it. It would be interesting to know the story of how the producers arrived at Daria's peculiar personality. I see a lot of criticism of Daria as a character on the internet, calling her snobbish, hypocritical and rude, which I think are exaggerated. First, perfect characters who never make mistakes are rarely interesting. Second, it's somewhat unfair, as introverts, by and large, want to keep to themselves and be left alone, not impose themselves on others. But, it seems, we prefer sycophants, manipulators, bullies, or idiots. The series itself tried to adapt to these criticisms, making Daria increasingly insecure and fragile, but to no avail. Tom's own introduction seems to have followed this strategy and was a disaster. Yes, Tom ruined the show. His presence as Daria's boyfriend didn't make sense in the plot, because no boyfriend was supposed to be introduced to Daria. Someone as withdrawn as she wouldn't have a boyfriend, except maybe in adulthood. Tom and Daria never made a convincing pair, it was hard to see why one would be attracted to the other. His charm might work for Jane, but not for someone as detached from appearances as Daria. Their relationship felt forced, as if it was really just to meet social expectations, and it felt like a watered-down version of Jane Austen's novels, where the "mature" man treated the woman like a silly child in need of condescension. And the worst thing is, the producers apparently rooted for the relationship to be accepted and supported by the public. Glenn Eichler, in interviews, explained why Trent and Daria couldn't end up together, and why Jane and Tom wouldn't be together, but never said why Tom and Daria couldn't end up together. He just said how good Tom would be to Daria. But the production didn't realize the inconsistencies it introduced into the show and ruined it. When the romance with Tom ended, thanks to public rejection, it was already too late. At the realistic level the series intended, this relationship would not even have started. At worst, they would have walked away after the events of "It is Fall Yet?".