Character Studies: Daria (1997-2002)

Spinning off from Beavis and Butthead, Daria is a coming-of-age animated sitcom centered upon its titular protagonist, an intelligent, disaffected, and cynical teenage girl making her way through a school and home environment that doesn't understand her. One of the more popular and well-reviewed programs of its particular era on MTV, the show has had a lasting impact on an audience of American millennials who entered their young adulthood while watching it. Ryan is joined by Sylvan and Cheryl as he deconstructs three key episodes that chart how Daria evolved as a character from the beginning of the program to its conclusion. Discussion topics include how "gifted" children are treated by the system, how the 1990's was cited as "the end of history" at the time, how Daria's circumstances were treated as universal even though they very much weren't, and how Daria's disposition functions as a defense mechanism.