Lane Miserables

"Lane Miserables" was the eighth episode of the third season of Daria (episode number 308). It first aired on MTV on July 14, 1999.

"Lane Miserables" was written by Anne D. Bernstein.

Summary
Several members of the Lane family simultaneously return home, causing Jane and Trent to eventually seek shelter elsewhere. Vincent, Penny and Wind Lane make their first appearances in this episode, and Amanda Lane is fully revealed (her feet were seen in Arts 'n Crass).

Importance
This is a crucial episode for Jane and Trent: we finally see their immediate family, which had been just mentioned in episodes or in the books. "The Daria Diaries" and "The Daria Database" had already made it clear that Jane & Trent's parents were often absent and negligently so, and this was confirmed on screen. While Jane calls it "benign", it darkened the character's backstories. Trent's mournful memories of being in a tent for six months "waiting for someone to invite me back in" (which his mother remembers as an example of things sorting themselves out and where a young Jane was the one feeding him) shows this upbringing has left some marks.

In a review of the series, Reihan Salam of Slate called this "one of the best episodes". He also points to it as an example of how Jane "clearly needs" the bond she's developed with Daria: running away to the Morgendorffers show "Daria has become Jane's surrogate family".

Timeline headaches
Jake refers to a comic strip having Ash Wednesday, indicating this takes place near the beginning of Lent. The last episode seemed to take place in November, a big gap.

Trivia
The title is a play on Les Misérables, a classic Victor Hugo novel, which had been released as a major motion picture the previous spring.

The names for Adrian & Courtney and Penny Lane's acerbic nature appeared first in "The Daria Diaries" book by Bernstein. This was the first time that off-screen canon material would appear in the show itself.

Jake memorably thinks Quinn's date has arrived, and then discovers it's Monique (here for Trent) at the door - remarking "wow, I really don't know my kids!". He doesn't appear to be distressed or bothered by the idea of one of his daughter's could be a lesbian or bisexual.

Daria's reading material
In the first scene, while Helen is cutting lasagna, Daria reads (and discuss) Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness. Later, when the Morgendorffers are having dinner with Jane (before Trent's arrival) Daria reads another Sartre work, Nausea.

"Lane Miserables" and Fanfic
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On “Lane Miserables” the Episode

 * “Lane Miserables” summary at Outpost Daria
 * “Lane Miserables” transcript at Outpost Daria

Alternate-Universe Versions of “Lane Miserables”
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Alternate Canon Versions of “Lane Miserables”

 * "Trent Miserables," by Medea42