That Was Then, This Is Dumb

"That Was Then, This is Dumb" was the fifth episode of the second season of Daria (episode number 205). It first aired on MTV on March 16, 1998.

"That Was Then, This is Dumb" was written by Anne D. Bernstein.

The episode's title is derived from the novel That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton

Summary
This episode portrayed a visit to the Morgendorfer's residence by old friends of Jake and Helen from their counterculture days, Coyote and Willow Yeager. The Yeagers, and their disaffected "slacker" son Ethan, have been attempting to keep the spirit of the 60s alive, driving around in an old Volkswagon van, replacing their dog (named for Timothy Leary) with identical dogs with the same name, refusing to allow their son to participate in athletics, earning a living by selling hemp products, and in general attempting to live in a manner that Daria characterizes as "voluntary simplicity"&mdash;which phrase Trent astutely says "sounds better than broke". Helen and Jake quickly grow morose that they've given up on their youthful ideals, sold out, and become "the Man".

In the course of the episode, Quinn and Daria learn about their parents' stay in jail during the 60s, and the post-hippie family will learn that there is more to like than dislike in modern life (golf and frozen bagels, for example).

Trent/Daria shipping
Anne Bernstein has said that in this episode, "Trent did catch on that Daria had a thing for him (see the open eyes in "That Was Then")". 

Trivia

 * Upchuck is searching for a set of "fast food premiums" (the little toys you get free), something Anne D. Bernstein introduced in "The Daria Diaries".


 * An explicit date is established: Helen and Jake were at Boulder in August 1969, where they spent a night in jail. Willow and Coyote knew them then, so they presumably went to Middleton College too, as the contemporary "The Daria Database" says Jake & Helen are part of the Class of '72. (See Datedness of Daria)


 * Jake, Helen, and the Yeagers once tried to levitate the Pentagon. This is a reference to a real-life "attempt" to do this in October 1967 by Abbie Hoffman and Allen Ginsberg during an anti-war march that was prevented from reaching the building, though the characters aren't part of a larger protest in this flashback. (This is the same march where George Harris famously placed a carnation in a soldier's gun) Whereas Hoffman and Ginsberg were doing guerilla theatre, young Jake actually believes it could be levitated...


 * Jane, in trying to get Jesse's attention, states that on April 1, 2007, the various objects people buy would take over civilization.

“That Was Then, This is Dumb” and Fanfic

 * Untitled fic by Civanfan explaining how Jane knew about the 2007 apocalypse

On “That Was Then, This is Dumb” the Episode

 * Episode Guide at Outpost Daria
 * Transcript at Outpost Daria