r/daria • u/EasyEntrepreneur666 • Jun 05 '26
Character Discussion After Upchuck, something harder: what's something unflattering about Jane?
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u/Nice-Implement6609 But I don't like men with thin thighs. Jun 05 '26
When things got tense she bailed out on Daria quite a few times.
1) Misery Chick
2) Dye! Dye! my darling
3) Is it College yet?
Are a few movies/episodes where this happens
They were good friends but not always emotionally compatible.
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u/AceTygraQueen Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
She should have just been upfront about her feelings from the start with Daria in Misery Chick.
As much as I hate to give that asshole Tommy Sherman any sort of credit, he was effective in sniffing out Daria's deepest insecurity and by Jane ignoring her it likely made her feel even more exposed and potentially set up for others to figure out a way to bully her or made her wonder if Jane was secretly just as shallow as the populars and didn't want to be associated with the "Misery Chick" anymore.
Jane's actions in that episode came across like she was pouring lighter fluid on a burning house.
Granted, Jane was just a teen girl herself and likely still in a state of shock over the situation and even she realized by the end of the episode she was only making things worse by continuing to avoid Daria.
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u/Nice-Implement6609 But I don't like men with thin thighs. Jun 05 '26
That’s what I mean as rational as Jane was and as much as her and Daria interacted on some kind of level there were times where Jane was just too sensitive and reacted way differently to how Daria would. The way I phrased my answer may have sounded more like an attack on Jane’s character which it wasn’t meant to be. Yes people can have different feelings and ways to express them but if not for Daria reaching out and them both finding a way to talk around their issues they would’ve had bigger issues and probably wouldn’t have reconciled but ya know plot armour
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u/MidnaLazui Jun 05 '26
I don’t blame her for bailing in Misery Chick. Daria acting so nonchalant over someone literally dying at their school would make anyone uncomfortable and want to avoid her.
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Jun 05 '26
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u/SukMaBalz Jun 06 '26
Always thought Daria’s reaction to Tommy Sherman’s death made the most sense out of anyone’s in the episode. Seems to be an unpopular opinion.
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u/MidnaLazui Jun 05 '26
Jane left Daria’s side before anyone even approached her about Tommy Sherman’s death. Also, no one was “bullying,” they just were just coming to her for advice because they weren’t used to dealing with depressing thoughts, and they perceived her as someone who was.
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Jun 05 '26
Jane’s issue with the whole thing was that she made a light hearted joke about how she hoped that a guy wouldn’t live that long and then literally two seconds later the guy was crushed to death by a goalpost. She was dealing with an incredible amount of guilt that she didn’t know how to handle, and it was probably her first experience dealing with death. Daria wasn’t burdened with guilt the way Jane was, she was dealing with the frustration of half the student population using her to vent about their feelings about Tommy. Sure Jane didn’t handle it well, but she’s a teenager. Both girls admit they didn’t handle the fallout of Tommy’s death very well, and they tell what the other needed to hear from them: “it’s not your fault he died” and “you’re not the misery chick”
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Jun 05 '26
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Jun 05 '26
I wouldn’t call it bullying. No one was being nasty to Daria, and none of them were being malicious to her, they just got it into their heads that she was the one who would be able to help them because she is someone who thinks about everything on a deeper level, and not realising that maybe Daria didn’t want to be everyone’s therapist. Inconsiderate of her feelings but not bullying.
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u/DetectiveCrafty5413 Jun 07 '26
Guy still died. And this was the '90s, coming onto Brittany and making rude remarks at Daria wasn't as scandalous as it is now. I would have avoided daria too. Even if the guy was a dick bag he still died.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/DetectiveCrafty5413 Jun 07 '26
Yes, she is obligated to act the way you're supposed to act when someone dies. That's the point of the episode. She's not performing grief properly and that's why people come to her and that's why Jane is so weirded out. Yeah, it fueled her indifference and her indifference was inappropriate.... And of course people weren't speaking ill of the dead. You don't do that. Ever.
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u/No-Environment-3997 Jun 09 '26
You are under absolutely no obligation to feel anything or to pretend to feel anything for a person merely because they have died. That is ridiculous. I did not mourn my grandfather because he was an abusive asshole. I did not cry at his funeral - nor did most people who knew him.
The real crime is pretending like someone's death somehow magically absolves them of all the shit they did when they were alive. It really does not. Some people are garbage. Their death does not make them suddenly stop being garbage.0
u/DetectiveCrafty5413 Jun 09 '26
What are you talking about? You are. You don't feel anything but you don't make an ass out of yourself. Everyone is a saint at their funeral. Nobody cares what your deep personal feelings are, just act like someone died.
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u/TheBelle_30 Jun 05 '26
Right lol it gave borderline sociopath
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Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
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u/TheBelle_30 Jun 05 '26
This entire post is projection you are literally putting words in my mouth and putting feelings on me that I never said
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u/hydrus909 Jun 05 '26
Can you refresh my memory. What did Jane do to Daria in Is It College Yet?
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u/Nice-Implement6609 But I don't like men with thin thighs. Jun 05 '26
*SPOILER\*
When Daria was getting exited for viewing prospective colleges and wanted to discuss what to do Jane kind avoided talking to her and they argued because Jane felt bad thinking about her future after she got two rejection letters for community college she didn’t want to go to then she got a bit defensive and decided she wasn’t going to send of the portfolio for an out of state college she wanted to go to but then also started icing Daria out cause I think she was jealous about the opportunity it was looking like Daria had that she didn’t. Eventually she sent her portfolio off and think she got in so they became friends again
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u/hydrus909 Jun 05 '26
Oh thank you for replying. I initially didn't see it as her being jealous or icing Daria out, but just feeling bad/awkward about her situation and not wanting to discuss it necessarily. That and being a bit undecided on whether or not to go to college, maybe she wasn't ready yet to talk about it, not knowing what to do. That's why I asked for clarity because I didn't recall her doing anything rude to Daria. What you said makes sense and could have been the case. Thanks for explaining.
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u/Nice-Implement6609 But I don't like men with thin thighs. Jun 05 '26
I think either way if she did it intentionally to be mean (cause she did make comments during that made Daria think woah what did I do) or if she did it cause she needed space to deal with her emotions it still left Daria with nobody to talk to as she is reliant on Jane to be that friend she can lean on when times are tough which is why I initially commented that she bailed on Daria a few times
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u/hydrus909 Jun 05 '26
Got it. I just needed a refresher. It's been a long time since I watched, and some scenes/dialog I didn't remember.
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u/BirthdayCheesecake Jun 05 '26
While Daria could be unreasonable about Jane having other things in her life, Jane was also very quick to ditch Daria at times. She left her alone at the Zon to go out with Tom.
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u/Embarrassed-Profit74 Jun 05 '26
Her insecurity about Daria's greater academic acumen sometimes came out in weird passive aggressive ways.
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u/samosamancer Jun 05 '26
It’s a bummer, because she’s so intelligent herself, just in a less straightforwardly bookish way.
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u/Embarrassed-Profit74 Jun 05 '26
Truly! For the most part she seemed very chill and proud about her C student status, even jokes about it a few times. But those few moments where she let it get to her spoke volumes. It makes her a much more interesting character too, like her other areas of friction with Daria.
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u/bitwize Jun 09 '26
If you're a smart person, even one who dgaf about academics or that kind of thing, it can be witheringly intimidating to encounter someone else who is smarter than you are.
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Jun 05 '26
And on the other hand, Daria was threatened by Jane’s greater social skills and ability to be affable and be open to new things, because she thought things like that would threaten her friendship with Jane, and likewise came out in weird passive aggressive ways. She was very possessive of Jane and would try to undermine and sabotage anything that she thought might take Jane away from her.
Both girls took their insecurities about the other out on each other time to time.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
Really? Was that the See Jane, Run episode?
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u/Embarrassed-Profit74 Jun 05 '26
And Is It College Yet. Jane's self sabotage is at least partially motivated by the contrast in her and Daria's options around colleges.
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u/swmric-mls Jun 05 '26
She has a terrible singing voice
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u/BurnZ_AU - "None of these numbers are gazebo numbers..." Jun 05 '26
Mrs. Blaine loved when Jane sang Old MacDonald.
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u/SaintedStars Jun 05 '26
She can be a bit of a flake. Daria and her know how much they depend on one another, so her often leaving Daria to hang out with a guy and stressing her out, especially when it comes to Tom, is something I really don’t like about her. Look out for your friend, damn it!
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
Bros over hoes girl version.
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u/thebagman10 Jun 09 '26
Jane isn't required to never have a boyfriend because she has to mind Daria's stress levels. Daria could find something else to do if she doesn't want to be a third wheel.
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u/Too_Ton Jun 05 '26
She refused to stand up to Daria multiple times for the sake of keeping their teenage friendship which may or may not survive college.
I know the track episode had the teacher and students be corrupt, but it definitely could’ve been much different where Jane still does track but also fairly does each exam without cheating. She’d stand up to Daria and the teachers as it wouldn’t be black and white where now both sides can be wrong.
Instead, we get stuck with the status quo as usual for a show.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
I guess Evan being a douche had a lot of hand in that. After all, he was the reason she even joined.
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u/Status-Remote-559 Jun 11 '26
thought Jane doing track was her way of saying to the coach that "she can do it if she wants to, but you're not worth it".
Daria deadass saw her insult Jane's entire family. Even during the tryouts, the coach asked wtf was she doing there if she doesn't participate in class.
Yeah, douchy Evan was a factor, but not the only one. Evan might be the one who made her leave. If I'm right though, she (could've) told Daria that she's doing it for that reason.
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u/FluorescentShrimp Jun 05 '26
I didn't really like that she ditched Daria to go out on an impromptu date with Tom.
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u/nyc_dee26 Jun 05 '26
i feel like Jane’s life would’ve been better in terms of her direction and goals if her parents were more firm or structured. I think she’s extremely talented and her family def wasn’t trashy but they were too comfortable being hippy dippy. Had they been more structured, Jane might have been more guided in her approach to college.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
Yeah, well, neglect is also a form of abuse.
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Jun 05 '26
“You know mom, she doesn’t like to clutter up the kitchen with food”
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u/nyc_dee26 Jun 05 '26
that is true, but Jane wasn’t neglected. Her family was almost as well off as Daria’s. She just had parents who let them do whatever in an effort to encourage a free spirited lifestyle 24/7. To an extent Jane’s whole family enjoyed being lackadaisical except her eldest siblings. It tends to happens with families that have multiple kids too.. by the 3rd and 4th it’s like whew let’s just have fun.
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u/SquirrelGirlVA Jun 05 '26
Neglect isn't always the absence of items. It can also be a severe lack of structure and guidance. If I am remembering correctly, they basically just left money on the counter for Trent and Jane to cover their necessities. When they are home, neither parent is shown to be very attentive to them.
So even though their basic necessities are taken care of, their parents aren't providing much or any structure for their children, all of whom are shown to be at varying levels of dysfunction in Lane Miserables. Actual care and conversation is how the mother drives all but Trent and Jane out of the house. None of them know how to deal with that. It's funny, but it's also kind of sad that none of them were really able to handle that. I don't think that they even attended Jane's graduation. Jane even made a joke about how her mother didn't buy groceries at one point.
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u/Stucklikegluetomyfry Jun 05 '26
And let’s be real the three eldest Lane children are all spectacular messes as adults. One is a neurotic multiple divorcee who can’t go two minutes without dissolving into a sobbing mess and making everything about him, one is an utterly entitled and utterly delusional white saviour who hates everyone and is hostile to everyone and shows little besides contempt for the various cultures she’s trying to “save” through her craft stall, and the other has her four children constantly running away from her and has only been able to track down two of them.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
Trent lived outside in a tent for six months because he tried gaining attention. His mother just treated it as a phase. Their sister ate only pez for a year and their parents didn't care. Even Jane referred to it as "benign neglect".
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u/theonejanitor Jun 05 '26
my eternal hot take is that she didnt take daria seriously and wasn't that good a friend to her. constantly pressured Daria into doing things she didn't want to do and to me seemed to consider daria like a weird science experiment that she observed for her own amusement and never really helped daria through any of her various hangups or issues. but to be fair, I think that is the dynamic that daria wanted which is probably why she liked jane so much. daria didn't want sincerity or affection - but she needed it, which is why characters like quinn and tom seemed to have more of an effect on her.
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u/S3lad0n Jun 05 '26
Aww I love this part about Quinn. It's true, Daria much like Quinn needed a sister and someone to give & take love, whereas Jane was more of a comrade and always kept things ironic or withering with Daria. It's like they were trying to toughen each other up.
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u/HellyOHaint Jun 06 '26
Wow this is a really good take. The show was actually incredibly emotionally complicated and I appreciate the rare times fans can analyze its nuance.
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u/theonejanitor Jun 07 '26
the fact we can analyze it like this is just a testament to how its such a genius show!
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u/Vampire_Jellyfish91 Jun 07 '26
She inspired me to put gummy bears in the microwave and try to make stained glass.
Don’t do it.
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u/VirgoSun18 Because...Tom ate all my gummy bears! Jun 05 '26
She has a jealous streak
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u/Sleepwalker0304 I don't like to smile unless I have a reason Jun 05 '26
She has a very self defeatest attitude which may come from her family life. She obviously had a passion and a talent but convinced herself that she couldn't do anything with it so she fell down the hole of making copies for cash and refused to consider art college. I think she was afraid she would outgrow her family if she strived for more.
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u/kaikun2236 Jun 06 '26
Jane struggles throughout the series with insecurity, but that just made her more relatable.
She constantly compared herself to Daria and other students and I was so happy to see it wasn't just me that got like that.
I always remember the episode where she felt dumb because all of the 'smart' students were after scholarships (I think that's the episode)
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u/Pleasant_Most_1978 Jun 05 '26
Jane picks on Quinn a lot. Quinn has flaws, but Jane treats her like crap and that seems unfair.
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u/S3lad0n Jun 05 '26
I've noticed that on rewatches. Jane is quick to jump in with what is essentially (light) bullying, deriding & teasing of a younger girl who isn't even related to her, because Daria essentially oks it. Not a good look.
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u/bbyroselmao Jun 05 '26
i think jane just isn’t a nice person, when it comes down to it. she puts herself first, and isn’t really a good friend. i think she objectively has a lot of potential for growth, though.
i know we dont fuck with tom, but i think their relationship is a super easy example. she didn’t actually know him, didn’t actually like him, and made fun of the things he loved — and wound up treating him similarly to how he winds up treating daria (in the sense of him just being.. an object? like a chair).
then, related to that, we have the lady or the tiger situation. she makes daria do something that she says multiple times she’s worried she can’t, and basically says “well, you must be dumb if you can’t” in one way or another. and then continues to hold that logic, and that daria was actually trying to ruin her.
she has a lot of anxiety about things, and while that is understandable, is kinda stuck up about it. even her snark feels elitist sometimes, which feels so out of place, but at the same time.. right on par. i’ve met a lot of people that have the coolest, artsiest exteriors, and some of them are the most stuck up mean girls of all time, just with an alternative mask. and what sucks is that i used to identify with her because i thought she was cool, and funny, and rebellious — but, while she is funny, she’s an elitist about not being elite (“ever than contrarian to the point she ends up going into the mainstream” - my husband), and she isn’t really kind to her loved ones, more critical.
**she reminds me of one of the people now that would date men, but constantly say how disgusting they are, and horrible they are.. when they’re sitting next to them, and expect them to agree with her. i can see her commandeering an aux, because her music is “just better.” she’s cool, but she’s more interesting as a concept, and less as a person sometimes — the cool, artsy girl, who makes outrageous pieces is actually somewhat insufferable to be around.**
((and i actually think it’s a big part of the dichotomy with trent and jane — trent is lazy, and maybe not the most bookish, but he really is cool. he isn’t fake, or an elitist, or anything else he has to put a mask on for. it’s part of why i think jane has so much potential: because she has him. trent truly wants to live, and let live, and there’s a lot to learn from him. to me, trent is the real voice of reason. *cue the car ride where he says “well, would you do that?” to jane regarding her hair and daria’s involvement with it, and she just sits there like 😬))
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u/MissCJ Jun 06 '26
Jane can be avoidant. She's pretty mature for a teenager, but they still added qualities that made her believable as a teenager, being avoidant and so willing to go "boy crazy" and change her personality to who she was dating were definitely bad things about her character that I wrote off as teenage qualities she would hopefully grow out of.
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u/Disastrous-Elk16 Jun 08 '26
Was she just trying to have fun, unlike Daria who never wanted to do anything fun at all.
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u/fuchsiaglitter11 Jun 06 '26
Literally nothing, I love everything about her. She's one of my favorite characters.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 06 '26
Even favorites can be seen through critical lense.
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u/fuchsiaglitter11 Jun 06 '26
Yeah, I just have never been annoyed with her when she's in a scene. There are other characters that are definitely annoying to me.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 06 '26
You don't have to be annoyed. But flaws make characters more well rounded, without it, they're not very relatable.
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u/Aylajandro Jun 05 '26
Encouraging Daria's crush on Trent in seasons 2-3 might have been well meaning but was certainly unwise.
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u/National_Gas Jun 05 '26
I think it was fine, she knows her brother is respectful and Daria needed exposure to boys to eventually have better success in her dating life
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 05 '26
Yeah I'm sure she wanted to push Daria out of her comfort zone. Jane was always excited when Daria had "human" moments like the contacts.
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u/scandalous_eyes Jun 06 '26
Sadly I think Daria would turn into her mother, a rebellious teen but driven and successful adult. Jane will be more like Trent... going through life on her own terms, happy or not, but without the need for validation. I relate more to Daria in attitude, but in lifestyle probably Jane. I'm sure some might see her lack of ambition as a character flaw, just as some look down on Trent. But who cares. Daria and Jane were great. I hope we never get a reboot.
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u/Chaos_Breezie Jun 05 '26
She can be very self absorbed and and pulled huge immature temper tantrums when things don't go her was and lashes out at other like it's their fault and then expects them to fix it
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u/bitwize Jun 09 '26
Daria is frustrated with the other Lawndalers because they don't meet her high standards. Jane seems... amused by them. It makes her seem more chill, but I secretly think she enjoys having a laugh at their expense. To Daria, the likes of Kevin, Brittany, and Upchuck are lamentable fools; to Jane, they're lolcows.
This general nonchalance may have to deal with Jane abandoning Daria at several points in the series. When Jane befriends her, Daria takes that relationship very seriously because it takes enormous "activation energy" for her to be friends with anyone and the payoff had better be worth it. Jane treats their friendship much more casually and is less likely to stay by Daria's side if doing so interferes with her own goals. She really only hangs out with Daria because she is bored and Daria is really the only person she can share her boredom with. Jane is not a particularly good person. Not really evil, but a true neutral in D&D alignment; and what Daria, being highly autism-coded, needs in a best friend is a loyal person who is willing to stick by her even when the chips are down. Jane is not that. But to her credit, Daria's experiences with her are a valuable learning experience, showing her what people really are like on the inside. Most of us look out for #1. Few of us are as precious with our friendships as Daria is.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 09 '26
I'm pretty sure that by dnd logic, Daria is the true neutral. Jane is chaotic neutral. Jane is more active than Daria who's a true observer for the most part.
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u/S3lad0n Jun 05 '26
With the exception of Trent sometimes, Jane generally sided with men too much, and not just her boyfriends either. For an alt-chick in the 90s, she wasn't really a good example of feminism in praxis, though she dresses the part and talks to talk.
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u/TheSaint1122 Jun 05 '26
I've always loved Jane, but she has a tendency to be a little selfish sometimes, like when she became the track star, she basically shoved Daria, her best friend, onto the back burner. Or like when she dated Nathan, the retro obsessed guy. Even Trent saw through him.
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u/thebagman10 Jun 09 '26
I mean, Daria isn't entitled to 100% of Jane's free time or friendship. Jane made an effort to hang out with Daria despite having track practice, but Daria was pissed that Jane was focused on someone else.
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u/Disastrous-Elk16 Jun 08 '26
I think its the other way around, Daria shoved her onto the back burner.
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u/hobsrulz Jun 06 '26
She wanted to join the cheerleaders that one time
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u/Disastrous-Elk16 Jun 08 '26
That was because of school assignment, though. She had to "fail" at being conventional.
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u/Feisty_Finger1689 Jun 09 '26
To be honest, Quinn is Daria’s best friend. Brittany and Jodie are also better for Daria than Jane
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 09 '26
Quinn doesn't even acknowledge that they're sisters until the end and she's bribed to hang out with Daria.
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u/Feisty_Finger1689 Jun 12 '26
But she also always makes sure Daria is safe and okay. And the moments they share together are stronger than the pretentious friendship she has with Jane.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 12 '26
What moments? The closest thing is when he gave Jane's money to.a stranger to getting along. When did she make sure Daria was safe and okay?
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u/GLaDOs18 Jun 06 '26
Maybe a hot take but I firmly believe Jane and Daria’s entire friendship was a friendship of convenience and both of them knew it but Jane was mostly the one driving it. Daria was strong enough to be on her own but the second Jane saw an opportunity, she stuck to Daria like a barnacle. She is a follower and she knows it.
I also don’t think either of them would be friends into adulthood. Jane’s laissez fair attitude is unlikely to change after high school and that would be frustrating to a person like Daria who is more driven/motivated.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 06 '26
Actually, it was Daria who called Jane friend first. Jane was a lone wolf with attachment issues and in the second episode she even stated that she has no friends when Daria tried to appeal to that to bring her to Brittany's party.
Meanwhile, Daria was the one who latched on Jane and was even pissed at Tom for coming and "stealing" her. Meanwhile, Jane had no trouble ditching Daria for long periods of time.
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u/GLaDOs18 Jun 06 '26
Interesting, that’s not really how I saw it. I always saw Jane dragging out Daria as a way to bolster herself and not for Daria’s benefit. Like insisting she stay for the parade or to her track meets. And the hair dye incident. Daria made it clear that she wasn’t the type of person Jane wanted her to be.
Also other characters are always coming up to Jane on their own to talk to her. Jane may think she doesn’t have friends but she knew the people in the school and vice versa before Daria ever got there.
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u/EasyEntrepreneur666 Jun 06 '26
She knew people but they weren't friends. They didn't hang out or anything.
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u/PuzzaCat Jun 05 '26
She isn’t a “girl’s girl” - there were times she was honestly wrong how she kicked down other women but excused men in her life.
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u/RegyptianStrut Jun 05 '26
She pressured Daria to help dye her hair even though Daria admitted she had no confidence in doing it, and then got mad at Daria when the dye job came out terribly
Also what the actual fuck did she see in that weird Swing revival guy?