Daria in 'Is It College Yet?'

I have a confession. Even though I am an adult and parent of a teen, I watched all the Daria TV shows and movies when they first aired. Apparently, this show aimed at teens is something I could still enjoy--even though I am an old fuddy-duddy! Recently I bought copies of the two Daria movies. I would have bought the entire show, but so far they have not been released! How MTV could do that or allow the shows to have been rebroadcast a few years ago on Noggin (chopped up in many cases as well as only showing about half the episodes) is beyond me.

Towards the end of the series, MTV released two made for TV movies. The first, IS IT FALL YET? was probably the funniest of the two, while IS IT COLLEGE YET? was much more angst-filled due to the characters on the show's pending graduation. Even the usually self-assured Daria is worried about life after high school--which is ironic, as she hated almost every minute spent at Lawndale High! I also think I liked this movie less because it meant an end to the wonderful series--a show that was far better than the Luke-warm reception it received. I think a lot of this was because Daria was on MTV and because the network moved the show around a lot on the lineup. The reason being on MTV probably hurt the show was because by the late 1990s, MTV was no longer a music video channel, but began producing near-pornographic "reality" shows that frankly were stupid and vacuous--appealing to audiences that probably wouldn't appreciate DARIA (since there was no sex or naked teens "hot tubbing"). People liking Daria were in most cases the type people who would have hated the rest of the MTV lineup.

When you watch IS IT COLLEGE YET? there are a few things you should first know. First, don't watch it for the quality of the animation, since it's terrible. Instead, the show excelled because of the brilliant and insightful writing. Second, unless you have watched the TV show, much of what occurs in this movie probably won't make much sense. Still, if you are a fan, then this is a must-see.

Out of the two Daria movies, I much prefer this one. It has the same characters we all know and love, but now they have a much richer history to draw from. There is plenty of development here that is really engaging to follow as they move onto the next step of their lives.

But unlike most sequels that doesn't make it bad. The series-ending TV Movie is still up to the standards that made Daria the great show that it was. You don't need Daria's I.Q. to realize no TV show lasts forever, but the fact that a sixth season couldn't come before the obviously rushed series finale is still disappointing enough. In any case I'm going to weight the pros and cons now.

The case against "Is It College Yet?"

1)The Fate of Daria and Tom: It was abrupt and disappointing, but fortunately not over-dramatic. Despite the fact that Tom and the Sloanes made every effort to help Daria join him at Bromwell, she ends up having to settle for Raft, and ends her relationship with Tom permanently. What's also disappointing is that she finds out after calling it quits with Tom that he looks up to her. And this after she made comments about feeling like she's too unworthy of the Sloanes and their inner circle. Boy, if she only knew this earlier.

2)Upchuck no longer went out with Stacy: Ever since the episode "Life in the Past Lane" we all were surprised that Stacy would be willing to spend any time with Upchuck. I know he'd have to have a reputation for being an annoying flirt that lasts beyond his magic show, but to still be looking for love after finding someone earlier? Frankly, I expected something better of him.

3)The Quinn-Lindy Subplot: A little too much like an ABC Afterschool Special for many.

4)Too many unanswered questions: The main reason Daria was such a great show was her snide remarks at the people around her. But with a lot of these people, there's more to them than meets the eye. Lots of fans, including myself were looking for more insight into what makes the supporting cast tick. Why is Stacy such an emotional cripple? Why don't we see Jodie's little Sister anywhere else but "The Daria Database?" Is Mack's father really as sports-crazy as Kevin's? And so on, and so forth.

The Case for "Is It College Yet?"

1)Daria and Jane graduate easily. Brittany and the rest of the cheerleaders do to, but I wouldn't let that worry me.

2)Andrew and Michele Landon are finally vindicated as good parents: I could see this already in the episode "Prize Fighters," when some web-fans were still debating the notion that the Landon parents might be abusive to their kids. They actually give in to Jodie's feelings and allow her to go to Turner College.

3)Kevin doesn't graduate: The only bad thing about it is that Mr. DeMartino is going to have to deal with him for at least another year. If he thinks seeing Mrs. Barch and Mr. O'Neill together gave him a good reason to bang his head on the goalposts, a few more senior years with Kevin Thompson will make him take a one-way trip to Chicago so he can jump off the Sears Tower.

4)Daria's graduation speech: Those of us who have been fans of Daria since the days of Beavis and Butt-head know very little could prevent Daria from graduating from High School, but the surprise chance for a speech at her graduation transcends beyond Daria fandom. It rings true for anybody who hated their life in high school. Years ago in my user comment on the regular series I said that the legacy of Daria should last even if the show doesn't, and that speech gives me some confidence that it will. Overall, we'll have no more or less reason to dread the future than we did before.

5)It's Daria -- How can anyone resist?

Glenn Eichler said in an interview that many fans have mistaken Daria for a super-girl, and as we've learned since Season Four, she's anything but perfect and this fact is emphasized here. Still, she says what many if not most fans want to say to their elders and superiors, and that's one of the reasons why we like her. It may not seem socially acceptable to think that a two-dimensional teenage girl could be an outlet for our frustration at the world, but none of us should forget that decades ago a Minnesota man named Charles Schulz proved it was possible with a little boy named Charlie Brown.

We'll miss you, Daria, and all your jabs at the stupidity around you...and around us. Hopefully we won't miss as many of the cast and crew that made your show as good as it was.

The dry, sarcastic humor of Daria was always a breath of fresh air in the stale t&a reality driven universe of MTV. The farewell movie is it college yet? is no exception. All your favorite twisted characters are there and so is Daria's dead pan humor. The movies plot revolves around the Lawndale High gang approaching graduation. The usual ribbing of greed, television, popularity, and success are in full, biting Daria form. Watch this movie and pray MTV has another witty, well written animated series up it's sleeve.

Hard core Daria fans will love the animated cells at the final credits.

This film, with IIFY preceding it, is by far the best made-for-cable movie I've ever seen. It does not help that I'm a devoted Daria junkie either. This piece really does send off the Daria legacy with all the class, humor, intelligence and respect the series always deserved but sometimes never received. I recommend that all Daria fans buy this on VHS or the expanded DVD form.

Final Score: an eternally-sarcastic 8/10.