Arts 'N Crass is the first episode of Season 2 of Daria and the fourteenth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on MTV on February 16, 1998.
Synopsis[]
Daria and Jane make a poster for an art contest depicting the negative effects of self image and its relation to bulimia, only to have Principal Li demand that they change it. Meanwhile, Jake loses a consulting client.
Summary[]
At Lawndale High, Arts Class is interrupted by Angela Li and Timothy O'Neill, who announce that the school participating in a state-wide art contest with the theme “Student Life At the Dawn of the New Millennium”, with participation voluntary, but encouraged. At the end of the class, Ms. Defoe overrules Jane's reluctance to enter an art contest when she tells the student she is eager to see what the Jane will paint.
That afternoon, while walking home, Jane comments to Daria that the message on the poster does not have to be positive and, after some insistence, is able to recruit Daria's help. At the pizza place later on, the two friends brainstorm ideas for the poster and, many pizzas later, Daria has a revelation based on how sick they feel.
A few days later, at arts class, DeFoe surveys her students' posters: Upchuck has produced an elaborate painting portraying him with a nice a car and two female companions that he refers to as "more of a personal mission statement." Brittany presents a simple poster advising against the use of drugs, which fails to express its message due to it containing nothing symbolizing their danger (Brittany's solution is to draw a big symbol out of pink lipstick over the image).
As to Jane, she presents the painting of a beautiful young woman smiling at a mirror, and a small poem revealing the girl is bulimic ("She knows she's a winner, she couldn't be thinner, now she goes in the bathroom and vomits up dinner"). Defoe is first uneasy about the poster but changes her mind and accepts it when Jane and Daria explain that its purpose is to show that the prettiness of the girl comes at a price.
The two girls, however, are called to the principal's office, where Angela Li and O'Neill state that the poem is too negative and unacceptable, and try to have it changed. Both girls adamantly refuse, stating that changing it would subvert the intended message. Faced with their stubbornness, Li negotiates a one-day wait for all to think and has O'Neill call the girl's parents. Nobody answers from the Lane's, a stressed and busy Helen has the English teacher rush through an explanation, and Jake's eagerness to answer the phone (he thinks it could be a client) scares Mr. O'Neill off.
That night, at dinner, while Jake is serving his penne a la pesto and commenting on the food, Helen tries to convince Daria to have a less cynical and negative attitude, but Daria stands by her convictions and the poster message (with her father supporting her) and only promises to listen to O'Neill's point of view.
The following day, Daria and Jane agree to O'Neill's proposition: he'll change the poem, and, if the girls don't like it, it can revert to the original form. However, they are later disgusted by the teacher's text which emphasizes good nutrition and omits any references to anorexia ("She knows she's a winner, she couldn't be thinner, cause she's careful what she eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Good nutrition rules!") and refuse to accept it. When they try to have the poster back, Mrs. Li says the agreement made by O'Neill has no value and that the poster will enter the contest with the edited text.
While walking home, the two teenagers talk about the injustice of the situation and decide to take action. They go to the school that evening and ruin the painting while it is on display by painting a large red symbol overtop it.
The next day, Daria and Jane are called again to the principal's office for the seemingly act of vandalism. A furious Mrs. Li phones Helen. However, her complaint that the teenagers had defaced the poster hits against Helen's deconstruction of the events and the description of the principal's series of unethical and/or illegal actions regarding the painting and its display in the contest.
Later, at the Pizza Prince, while Daria and Jane comment on the victory and Daria proposes to write a short story based on the past days events, an ecstatic Brittany announces she has won the art contest.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
General[]
- This is the first episode where Geoffrey Arend voices Upchuck.
- Brittany didn't have her lipstick with her to her second poster about Gangs, however in the final show during the act of vandalism of Daria and Jane you can see Brittany's poster has already been by her with pink lipstick, which is the winning poster in the end.
Errors[]
- The poem on the poster is read by Ms. Defoe as "She knows she's a winner, she couldn't be thinner, now she goes in the bathroom and vomits up dinner", but when the poster is zoomed in on that shot, it is clearly read as "She knows she's a winner, she couldn't be thinner, now she goes to the bathroom and vomits up dinner". This is only visible on the remastered DVDs.
- When Mr. O'Neill shows off his new poem for the poster, it is shown when he puts it back down that the text on the poster hasn't actually changed. It is still the original poem.
- When Jane says the line "He didn't preserve it, he perverted it" her eyes are colored black instead of blue.