Top 10 Times Daria's Dark Humor Was on Full Display

Top 10 Times Daria's Dark Humor Was on Full Display

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for some of the best instances of black humor on “Daria.” This is specific to the title character’s own twisted sense of humor, and won’t include any “Sick Sad World” segments or comments from other characters.

#10: One of the Lucky Ones
“I Don’t”

Aunt Amy proves that dark humor runs in the family. At the wedding of Daria’s cousin, Erin, Amy mistakes her sister’s new boyfriend for an old one. When he asked what happened to the late Paul, Quinn claims he “fell onto a cow,” causing Daria to add [“and he was one of the lucky ones”] …to the chagrin of her mother. Amy immediately defends Daria, suggesting that the joke added some much needed levity to the senseless tragedy. Following this interaction, Aunt Amy would become one of Daria’s few adult confidantes, giving the teen advice on everything from contact lenses to how to deal with her mother.

#9: Couldn’t Shoot My Own Mother
“The Daria Hunter”

Daria and her mother don’t always see eye to eye, particularly in the show’s early seasons. In “The Daria Hunter,” Helen even has an argument with Lawndale’s principal, Ms. Li, about whether it’s her daughter’s home or school environment that causes her to have such a perpetually bad attitude. During the school’s outdoor paintball competition, Helen comes across her daughter, who is on the opposing team. She points her paint gun at Daria, who immediately surrenders. Instead of shooting, Helen chastises her daughter for giving up so easily, causing Daria to claim her lack of action was an act of kindness...sort of.

#8: Realistic Fantasies
“College Bored”

Although Daria may not be in a rush to map out her future, that doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it. In “College Bored,” a teacher asks Daria and her classmates to think about what they want out of higher education. Jane dreams about being able to afford a workspace in New York, where her art is praised by critics. Daria is… less idealistic. In her fantasy, the teen imagines a professor asking her to teach at a graduate school in Paris. Although she is initially interested in the offer, it’s quickly tainted by the professor’s admission that he only wants her out so he can use her vacant dorm room to have affairs with other students. Even her subconscious is a cynic!

#7: Campfire Story
“The Teachings of Don Jake”

While camping, the Morgendorffers take turns telling scary stories around the campfire… to varying degrees of success. Helen’s story is a bit too erotically charged for her audience, while Quinn’s lacks any fear factor. Daria’s is naturally the most horrific of the bunch, being a graphic retelling of Hansel & Gretel. It has her family shaking, but we think its delivery is as funny as it is scary. This isn’t the first or last time Daria uses her writing talents to shock those around her. In “Cafe Disaffecto,” she reads a story about a communist-killing spy to a crowd at a local coffee shop, inspiring a riot. And in “The Old and the Beautiful” she shares a similarly violent tale with an elderly deaf woman.

#6: Passive Aggressive Snark
“Jane’s Addition”

In its first three seasons, the kinds of romantic relationships that are so commonplace in other teen shows are largely absent in the world of “Daria.” Sure, Daria has a crush on her best friend’s brother, Trent, but that’s all it is… a crush. It wasn’t until the show’s third season finale that an actual romantic interest was introduced for the show’s misanthropic protagonists. Tom first meets Jane at one of Trent’s gigs and takes her for a ride, leaving Daria alone. Annoyed, Daria rings up her bestie the next morning and opens with this darkly comedic line acknowledging the dangers of running off with a stranger: [“Oh gee, did I wake you? I guess that means you haven’t been murdered. Well, that’s good.”]

#5: It’s Enough to Turn Your Stomach
“This Year’s Model”

Modeling is a decidedly anti-Daria pursuit, a fact she makes clear in this early episode. Daria’s school invites talent scouts to give modeling classes to select students in return for funding. The teen finds the whole situation hypocritical, and cracks a dark joke about it making her nauseated. Whether or not this joke is appropriate, or even “funny,” is up for debate. It is a sensitive topic, after all. But Daria would later prove that her sympathies lie with those suffering from eating disorders by working with Jane on a provocative art piece highlighting the issue.

#4: Daria & Jane’s Accidental Prediction
“The Misery Chick”

For an animated comedy about teenagers, this episode is actually pretty profound. It also has one of the series’ darkest jokes. After seeing celebrated Lawndale alumni, Tommy Sherman, insult or harass everyone he comes across, Daria expresses her frustration with the fact that he’ll be celebrated for the rest of his life. Jane jokes that he might not live that long, to which Daria replies [“Come on, you know wishes don’t come true.”]. Immediately after the exchange, Tommy actually dies. Jane is shocked, and ultimately regrets her joke, but Daria doesn’t feel the same. She acknowledges his death as sad but, if given the chance, it doesn’t seem like she’d take back what she said.

#3: Wisecracks in a Crisis
“Fire!”

Making quips about the world around her is second nature to Daria… so much so that she even finds time to joke when her life is in danger. When her dad’s midnight snack turns into a fiery disaster, Daria is abruptly awoken by his panicked yelling. Instead of reacting with the urgency usually associated with these kinds of emergency situations, she just puts on her glasses and delivers a joke in her usual monotone. Thankfully everyone makes it out of the house unscathed, and only the kitchen suffers major damage, but Daria’s unrelenting dedication to sarcasm in the face of danger is still pretty impressive.

#2: Career Aptitude Test
“It Happened One Nut”

For students like Jane, yearly career aptitude tests are nothing but a welcome time waster. She answers “C” and gets the same result each year - an accountant. Daria, on the other hand, answers sincerely, and is given the role of mortician. Though she seems uncomfortable with her result, that doesn’t stop her from hilariously riffing off of her mother’s questioning about her future. Unfortunately for her, Helen doesn’t find her quips quite as funny as we do. Daria ends up having to get a job at a nut counter in the mall to appease her mom, wearing a squirrel-themed outfit that we’re sure makes her wish she was six feet under.

#1: Praying for the End
“Daria!”

In the midst of a pep rally, the students of Lawndale High are informed that a hurricane is approaching and they’ll need to go home. Some students fear for their lives, while others express concern about the cancellation of the night’s big football game. Daria and Jane do neither. Hiding out on the roof, the two girls learn about the oncoming storm from a newspaper, and are immediately celebratory. Daria likes that the hurricane could inconvenience her sister, Quinn, while Jane happily suggests that it could take out the mall. At one point, the girls even get on their knees and pray for their town to “blow away.” Oh, and did we mention they express all of these dark desires in song?

Do you have a favorite darkly funny “Daria” moment? Let us know in the comments!