The Other Side of the Kiss

The Other Side of the Kiss is an essay by Kara Wild. It was written in January 2003.

Background
Wild credits Daniel Suni's deeply analytical (and, to some, impenetrable) essays for giving her the urge to delve deeply into a subject that she cared about. In this case, the essay formed in her mind as the result of numerous "pro-Tom"/"anti-Tom" debates.

Summary
Wild argues that, contrary to popular belief during and after Season Four, Daria did not secretly long for Tom from "I Loathe a Parade" onward, which meant that when she kissed Tom in his car, she was not releasing pent-up feelings for him.

Taking an in-depth look at the Season Four episodes, Wild explains how she reached this conclusion, and what other motivators might have led Daria to kiss Tom in "Dye! Dye! My Darling."

Episodes examined in-depth

 * 4.01 Partner's Complaint
 * 4.06 I Loathe a Parade
 * 4.12 Fire!
 * 4.13 Dye! Dye! My Darling