Fizz Ed

"Fizz Ed" was the first episode of the fifth and last season of Daria. It first aired on MTV on February 19, 2001.

"Fizz Ed" was written by Glenn Eichler.

Summary
Lawndale High, running a budget deficit, sells soda company Ultra Cola exclusive beverage sales and advertising rights to the school. Daria complains about the commercialization of a school to Jodie and Tom, both of whom respond that she should act rather than just complain. Daria then reluctantly meets with Lawndale School Superintendent Cartwright to voice her concerns. Cartwright dismisses Daria's objections as a ploy to bolster her record of participation in extra-curricular activities. Daria asks Superintendent Cartwright to visit Lawndale High to see the effects of the advertising; the Superintendent is non-committal, and ends the meeting.

Although the school is now flush with cash, the Ultra-Cola representative Leonard Lamm tells Ms. Li that Lawndale High has not met its sales quota, and threatens legal action. Ms Li takes ever more extreme actions, drinking more and more caffeinated Ultra-Cola as she does.

Fan Reaction
Fan reaction to "Fizz Ed" was divided. The episode was similar to a prominent fanfic, which led its author to announce on Outpost Daria that he would be suing the Daria creative team. He later announced this was a hoax. Other fans felt the episode was an inferior copy of the first season episode This Year's Model. In particular, Daria's realistic reaction in "Fizz Ed" to circumstances similar to those in "This Year's Model"  was a point of contention.

It is worth noting that this is the first "normal" episode after a string of Daria/Tom centric episodes: Fire!, Dye! Dye! My Darling, and Is It Fall Yet? so fans at the time of first airing who had been expecting to see more development of that story thread may have felt let down.