Mart of Darkness

"Mart of Darkness" was the ninth episode of the fourth season of the Daria TV series (episode number 409). It first aired on MTV on July 5th, 2000. This episode was written by Rachelle Romberg.

Summary
Payday, a new "big box" warehouse store, painfully modeled after Sam's Club or BJ's Wholesale, opens in Lawndale. Due to a bizarre chain of events involving a pre-episode fight between Tom Sloane and Jane, Quinn's theft of Daria's shoelace, and various occurrences at a barbeque at Kevin Thompson's house, almost every single major character winds up shopping there, getting considerably more than they were looking for.

Andrea's outburst
A key moment is Andrea's reaction to Daria and Jane. After spending the whole episode avoiding them, she lashes out: "Now you can make fun of the pathetic goth chick whose parents make her work at a crappy job in a stupid warehouse store. Go on, cut me up like you do everyone else."

While it's clear Andrea is projecting her resentment towards the job onto them, her "cut me up" jab might reflect the attitude that Daria and Jane's fellow students in general have toward them - namely that they expect the pair to cruelly insult and humiliate anyone who crosses their path.

Trivia

 * This is the only episode that does not contain an appearance by Helen and Jake.


 * The title is derived from the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.


 * Tom and Trent actually interact here, and for more than just a few words! Trent seems cool with Tom, but his lazy ways and time-wasting at Payday drive Tom to frustration and despair.


 * We meet Kevin's parents Doug and Charlene, who first appeared in the 1998 book "The Daria Database": the episode uses their look, their age, and Charlene's issues with Brittany. "Database" was written by this season's story editor, Peggy Nicoll.

"Mart of Darkness" and Fanfic

 * "Mart of Darkness" Summary in Outpost-Daria.
 * "Mart of Darkness" Transcript

On “Mart of Darkness” the Episode
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Alternate-Universe Versions of “Mart of Darkness”
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Alternate Canon Versions of “Mart of Darkness”
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