The Teachings of Don Jake

“The Teachings of Don Jake” was the twelfth episode of the first season of Daria. It first aired on MTV on July 14, 1997.

"The Teachings of Don Jake" was written by Glenn Eichler.

Summary
This episode consists of the Morgendorfer family seeking to take a long weekend to go camping together in the woods. In the meanwhile, the Lane family is having a family reunion. Trent and Jane's parents, being too smart to attend this occasion themselves, instead send Jane and Trent.

On both fronts, wacky hijinks ensue.

“The Teachings of Don Jake” and Fanfic
This episode is notable because for a short time the lives of the Morgendorffers hang by the barest of threads. The deus ex machina that saves everyone's life lies in Daria's discovery of her mother's cell phone while the rest of her family, hallucinating wildly from eating psychotropic berries, runs off through an uninhabited woodland. Daria's refusal to eat the berries is also a key element. The potential for alternate-universe stories is great, and indeed several AU versions of this tale exist with outcomes ranging from comedy to tragedy.

Stories which are based ot incorporate the events of this episode are:


 * Lessons of Spring by Richard Lobinske, of the John Lane series - this story incorporates events from Road Worrier and this episode: Helen, Jake, Quinn and John all eat the berries...
 * Misery's End, by Richard Lobinske - Helen, Jake and Quinn die poisoned by the berries, resulting in Aunt Amy being nominated Daria's guardian. The story follows the events of second season.
 * It Slipped Through My Hands, Like a Shadow, Like a Dream, by The Angst Guy - factors into the climax of the story.
 * The Teachings of Dona Daria, by Galen Hardesty - Helen's cell phone does not work, so it's up to Daria to rescue her parents and sister.
 * Esteem Roller, by Legendeld - Quinn, being straight-edge, decides not to eat the berries on their trip. However...

Trivia
The title of this episode was derived from the New Age (fiction) story, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Castaneda. In this book, a man is taught by a Native American shaman to see reality in a different way. The consumption of hallucination-inducing mushrooms is involved, hence the connection with the episode.