Original cynicisms rule 'Daria'

The second season of "Daria," the cartoon show chronicling the adventures of that cynical teenage iconoclast of beauty and popularity, premieres tonight and, hopefully, a lot of people will tune in. But after "Melrose Place" and "Ally McBeal," many television viewers might be feeling a little too guilty to do so.

After all, "Melrose Place" is all about sex, ambition, and hot bods, and "Ally McBeal" undermines itself a tad because all of its female characters are what Daria's popular sister Quinn would call "cute."

REVIEW
	Daria MTV Mondays at 10:30 p.m. 4 stars

Quinn and her fellow members of the Lawndale Fashion Club hold cuteness as the ultimate measure of a person. But if TV, movies, magazines and fashion are any indication, the majority of us feel the same way. In the second episode of the new season, Quinn's friends Sandy and Tiffany deny that looks are important right after Sandy asks if Quinn is was cuter than she.

"Daria" reveals these hypocritical aspects of society, and while the show might seem a bit confrontational to viewers, the effort is worthwhile.

Daria Morgen-dorffer is a smart, sarcastic and unemotional high school student at Lawndale High who basically doesn't care that she is unpopular. "I don't have low self-esteem. I have low esteem for everyone else," she says.

Luckily, Daria has her best friend Jane - also smart and unpopular - an artist who has taken the school's self-esteem class several times. Jane explains somewhat self-mockingly that she likes having low self-esteem because it makes her feel special. She has three sisters -Summer, Wind, Penny - and a brother, Trent. Uncharacteristically, Daria almost has interest in this unemployed, graduated band member, who sleeps when he's not practicing with his band.

In tonight's episode, "Arts N' Crass," Daria's friend Jane is talked into participating in the statewide student art contest. Students are asked to give their vision of high school life, but since it's not specified that the message has to be positive, Jane decides to send a negative one exposing the reality of student life. She asks Daria for help because, as Jane put it to her, "you're the most negative person I know."

After a long brainstorming session, coming up with ideas like naming a hanging roll of fly paper "It's important to be attractive," the duo creates a finished product. But the glory-seeking principal, Ms. Angela Li, and the overly sensitive English teacher, Mr. O'Neil, don't think the message is positive enough. The episode champions artistic integrity as well as the importance of actually saying "don't" in a message meant to discourage.

"Daria"'s only flaw is that the characters are too stereotypical. They can seem sterile and Daria's sarcastic remarks can seem predictable at times.

Still, tonight's episode is fresh and original, and who can honestly say that about "Melrose Place?"

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