Gifted

“Gifted” was the eighth episode of the second season of Daria (episode number 208). It first aired on MTV on June 29, 1998.

"Gifted" was written by Peggy Nicoll.

Summary
Daria and Jodie spend a weekend with their parents at Grove Hills, a school for gifted and exceptional students. They discover that "gifted" doesn't mean the same thing as "worthwhile knowing." Quinn is left home at Lawndale, and tries to spend the night with various members of the Fashion Club, but either wears out her welcome (Sandi, Tiffany) or flees (Stacy).

Daria's Reading Material

 * In the opening scene, Daria is shown reading an anthology of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories entitled The Telltale Heart and Other Stories, which Brittany mistakes for a romance novel.


 * In the final scene, Daria and Jodie compare reading material: Daria is reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness while Jodie is reading Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Trivia

 * Quinn once held a wild keg party when the rest of the family were out, where Jamie puked in Helen's closet.
 * This was the only episode in which Jodie deliberately insulted Brittany with her "Rent a brain" remark, usually Jodie is much more subtile with her Jabs at Brittany.

“Gifted” and Fanfic
Very little has been made of Grove Hills and its "elite" cadre of students, and few fanfics have explored the alternate-universe possibilities of Daria attending school there. Brother Grimace has used the school twice: in The Trouble with Veronica, a story by that has the fanon third Morgendorffer sister, Evelyn Veronica Morgendorffer ("Evie") electing to attend Grove Hills to avoid conflicts with her sisters. In the Legion of Lawndale Heroes saga, Grove Hills student Graham is revealed to be a member of The Elite, which leads to horrifying consequences for him.

NightGoblyn has also used Grove Hills; in the Evil Daria Vignettes, after time is reset, Quinn and Evie are shown arriving for their first day at the school and being greeted by their 'cousin' Daria and her best friend, Elsie Sloane. They find out that Daria is a very popular girl at Grove Hills, and is dating Jane, whom she met on Dega Street.

Amusingly, in Richard Lobinske's John Lane tales, Daria never goes to visit Grove Hills with Jodie ("Fairly Illuminated").

Other Fanwork
Scissors MacGillicutty made a sound collage of Stacy's line to Quinn, "Don't tell anybody this, but I like you best out of everyone in the Fashion Club," over the beginning of the Concerto for Orchestra by B&eacute;la Bart&oacute;k entitled Stacy/Bartok/Fear. Stacy's voice is digitally slowed down and deepened, and thick reverberation added; his intent was to accentuate the lugubrious, Single White Female-esque implications of the line. However, more than one fan could not recognize the voice as Stacy's, so he considers it a failure.

On “Gifted” the Episode

 * “Gifted” summary at Outpost Daria
 * “Gifted” transcript at Outpost Daria
 * "Intellectually Gifted & Morally Bankrupt," at the Daria Fandom Blog II

Alternate Universe Versions of “Gifted”

 * "The Parent Crap", by Canadibrit: Lynn Cullen and A.P. visit Grove Hills
 * "Eldritch Evolution", by LSauchelli: A super-powered Daria attends Grove Hills.
 * "The Trouble with Veronica", by Brother Grimace: Daria and Quinn's younger sister attends Grove Hills.
 * "Fairly Illuminated", by Richard Lobinske: Jodie visits (and hates) Grove Hills, but not Daria.