Legends of the Mall

"Legends of the Mall" was the tenth episode of the fourth season of the television series Daria (episode number 410). It first aired on MTV on July 12, 2000.

"Legends of the Mall" was written by Peter Elwell.

Summary
It is late afternoon in Lawndale, and Jake is supposed to pick up Quinn. However, Jake's car won't start, which forces the Fashion Club, loaded from shopping in the mall, to take the bus, to their considerable distress.

Jake, however, determined to keep his word to his wife, Helen, and desperate to cause a good impression, stubbornly decides to pick up Quinn and her friends in time for dinner. Seeing his resolve, Jane offers to let Jake ride in Trent's car to pick them up. Without any other option, Jake agrees, despite the car in question being less than completely reliable.

Meanwhile, the Fashion Club, having taken the bus, end up stranded in a strange and less-than-stellar part of town. The delapidated neighborhood prompts Stacy to tell the Lawndale Legend of the Rattling Girl of Lawndale, a teenage girl that had increased her diet too much, causing her bones to rattle when she moved. As Stacy finishes, Sandi comments that it is nothing more than a fabricated story told by 'unpopular girls'. Despite the four girls acting as if the story meant nothing, they flee in panic when they hear a rattling sound (made by an innocent passing dog).

While this happens, Trent, Jane, Daria and Jake travel around in Trent's car looking for the Fashion Club. Some problems with the car prompt Trent into telling the Lawndale Legend of Metalmouth, a shop teacher whose self-made metal dentures end up driving him insane by picking up radio frequencies. The quartet concludes from the story that it is not a good idea to be left wandering around in the woods.

The Fashion Club, who are still stranded, considers knocking and asking for help at one of the houses where they are, but repeatedly pass house after house due to clear fashion violations in their decor.

Trent's car finnally has to stop to cool down. This happens right in front of a house that causes Jane to recall another Lawndale Legend, that of the Girl in the House of Bad Grades, which she tells despite Daria's active show of disinterest. This girl, in need of silence to concentrate on her college applications, had gone down into their family's fallout shelter, which her family paves over before she could leave. As Jane finishes telling the story, the group is joined by the Fashion Club, which doesn't stop after greeting them. When an ecstatic Jake asks where they are going, it turns out they are all just two blocks away from Schloss Morgendorffer.

Later that evening, Jake serves Quinn and Daria a lasagna dinner just in time for Helen to come back from work. A proud Jake announces her wife that 'he' made sure that both girls were home and prepared dinner. After acknowlegding this, Helen tells of strange encouter: on her way home, while driving through the woods, she had heard strange music and metalic sounds. As she concludes, the camera focuses on her car, showing a familiar (to the viewers) set of steel dentures clamped to the door handle.

Trivia
This is one of the few episodes to retain an original song on the the DVD boxset. As with "One J at a Time", this is because a character (Metalmouth) is singing along to the song. A new recording of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was commissioned for the release.

Helen starts driving a different SUV after this episode. This is the only time a supernatural event would have an impact on future episodes. (In real life this may be a complete coincidence, but on screen...)

70s Upchuck's failed essay
On the DVD, it was found that the exam that 70s Upchuck failed in the "House of Bad Grades" story was legible, reading:

Why did William Jennings Bryan say that "Man should not be crucified on a cross of gold"?

William Jennings Bryan probly [sic] ''didn't like to see people get crucified at all 'cause you know it's very painful what with the nails and the hanging in the saw and stuff and doing it in a cross made of gold only made it worse because what a waste of gold that could be made into chains or other jewelry or something. What time's lunch?''

On a related note, this scene is the only time in the series that Upchuck's mother is seen, though given the situation her depiction is of questionable canon.

Legends of the Mall and Fanfic

 * The Girl Who Walked Home All Alone in the Dark by The Angst Guy: a story done in the style of "Legends", as part of an Iron Chef
 * "Ghost Story" by Smileyfax: Daria's family moved to the House of Bad Grades

On Legends of the Mall

 * "Legends of the Mall" Transcript
 * Episode Analysis of "Legends of the Mall" and Groped by an Angel by WellTemperedClavier

Alternate-Universe Versions of Legends of the Mall
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Alternate Canon Versions of Legends of the Mall
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