I'll agree that Boxing Daria (the last ep) is fantastic and probably one of my favorites. Not only is Daria at her most human here, we get a peek into her past and see why she is who she is. Plus it sorta brings the series full-circle with the whole "herd of beautiful wild ponies running free across the plains" bit from the very first episode.

(I'll also agree that Depth Takes a Holiday is my least favorite of all the episodes.

)
The characters and situations in this series are excellent, not to mention very relateable. I think the reason that Daria and Jane work as cynics is because they have every right to be cynical about living in a world that rewards looks and stupidity, and perhaps that's something many of the fans can relate to when given their point of view.
Even though it's an entirely different story told from a completely alternate point of view, how many people saw
Mean Girls and thought of
Daria, or more specifically, of the Fashion Club drones? I always found the relationships and hierarchy between girls fascinating, whether we're talking about high school or beyond. How the leaders are quick to find ways to keep their "queen bee" status by putting down and bullying others (Sandi, Regina) and those less confident lose who they are in the struggle to fit in (Stacy, Gretchen). And then there are the dumb ones that achieve a certain status only for their looks and being yes-men (Tiffany, Karen) or those that dumb themselves down in order to fit in (Quinn, Cady). I'm not sure I could really equate Quinn with Cady though while I'm thinking along these lines, as manipulative as both characters ended up being, but they seem to have a lot in common in that they're good people deep down that got caught up in the glamour of popularity. And as long as I'm making comparisons, Jane and Janis have a lot in common, being the dark, artsy type that revels in not fitting in since genuine relationships are more important to them than superficial ones. Interesting how Daria doesn't really have a counterpart . . . unless you count Damien?

Ok, maybe I got a little OT there,

and maybe I'm still a little wrapped-up in my old high school experiences, but it seems those types of relationships never go away throughout your life, whether you're dealing with friends, relatives, co-workers, etc. It's like that High School Never Ends song by Bowling for Soup.
