Morgendorks: A Daria Podcast

I’ve listened to pretty much all of the show (non-chronologically) and I really do enjoy it a great deal. Rob & Nissa are personable and clever, and I generally appreciate the care and granularity with which they approach their reflections on each episode of the adventures of Daria & her fellow denizens of Lawndale. One thing I do want to say is that I’m honestly surprised, upon reflection, that the hosts had such a strong negative reaction to John Gardner & the philosophy of art he proffers in The Art of Fiction (a book about which I have no strong feelings either way, for the record)—because so many of their own critiques of a given episode seem to have had so much to do with whether or not they liked what characters did, or felt the show was portraying X or Y in a certain light—to an extent that I occasionally felt they were being a bit too harsh on a given character, in particular if that person is a teenager, since we shouldn’t necessarily expect teenagers to make great or morally comfortable decisions! I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with that sort of a critical lens, tbc—it’s just interesting that it doesn’t seem so far afield of Gardner’s perspective, to me anyway. But, like Rob & Nissa themselves, just because I’ve spent so much of my review regarding the podcast with a bit of a gimlet eye doesn’t mean I don’t really love it! It’s a real balm. (It occurs to me that I might as well add that I started listening to this as I was winding down a spur-of-the-moment Daria rewatch via Param**nt +, my first in probably over a decade, since I watched the whole series for the first time on DVDs in 2013. That all being the case, I particularly appreciated the shoutouts to the music that appeared in the original airings, and loved hearing Rob & Nissa's reminiscences about same! ALSO loved hearing about their South Jersey youths, as someone who loves collecting firsthand anthropological information about all corners of the country.)

Daria was my favorite tv show growing up and it’s turned into my favorite comfort show. I absolutely had a blast listening to this podcast. I loved the in depth analysis of the show and the perspective of Rob and Nissa. Both of you were professional throughout. I have the day my favorite mishaps were the sound situations towards the end of the podcast. I actually looked forward to it lol.

I generally enjoy this podcast. The hosts are fun to listen to. But I have to say they take things way too seriously. The musical is just a fun episode nothing more. The insistence that it needs to mean something is what in my opinion is wrong with people nowadays, they can’t just watch things to enjoy them it has to have massive meaning or it’s just plain not worthy of being good.

I really appreciate that this detailed Daria podcast was produced. Thank you!! 🌞