The Misery Chick

For other uses of "The Misery Chick", see The Misery Chick (disambiguation).

“The Misery Chick” was the thirteenth and last episode of the first season of Daria. It first aired on MTV on July 21, 1997.

"The Misery Chick" was written by Glenn Eichler.

Summary
Former Lawndale High football star Tommy Sherman, a student who had attended school three years previously, is returning to have a goal post named in his honor. Daria is told of the his athletics exploits, including his tendency to score touchdowns by himself, his habit of crashing into goalposts while waving at the crowd and his induced coma from which he had awaken up to win the state championship years before. This description prompts sarcastic remarks about the student and his expected future life, both to Jane and to Jodie, the latter of whom is angry she has to write an introductory speech for Sherman.

However, Tommy Sherman is shown to be a very unpleasant person, strutting through the school halls, bluntly propositioning Brittany and insulting Kevin and Mack shortly after arriving in Lawndale High.

Daria, who witnesses this behavior, is fed up and verbally belittles Tommy when the later makes some nasty remarks to her and Jane as Daria was just asking him to move (he was leaning on her locker). Tommy, however, doesn’t get mad at the verbal barb and makes one of his own, pointing out HE’S a winner who’s going to be honored, whereas Daria is just a depressed whiner girl, nicknaming her ‘misery chick’. After the exchanged insults, he sets out to the football field for the ceremony. As Daria and Jane talk about his character and Jane wishes him dead, Tommy is crushed by the falling goalpost.

The next days are filled with reactions to his death. Mrs. Li address a student’s assembly, praising Sherman, as with an inconsolable Kevin cries all throughout the ceremony. Daria, on the other hand, Daria finds herself the object of much unwanted attention from other students and even a teacher. They feel either sad or anxious by the situation and consider Daria to be a candidate to understand death related subjects, since she is a thinking person. Despite her unease with her role and label of misery chick, Daria consoles Kevin, Brittany, O’Neill and even Quinn. At the same time, Daria founds herself being avoided by Jane.

Finally fed up with her friend’s absences, she goes meet her at the Lanes. After a brief conversation with Trent, where he reveals Tommy and he had been classmates but hadn’t had much contact, Daria confronts Jane in her room. After and awkarwd beginning, her friend explains the reason the others were coming to her was that they were searching for ways to deal with Sherman and to stop thinking about life and death, thinking Daria would be the best to approach. Jane adds she doesn’t think Daria is a misery chick, and that she had been avoiding Daria because she didn’t want to remember that her comment might had caused the football player’s death, a notion Daria quickly dismisses.

Soon everything is back to normal in Lawndale high, though Daria is still approached a few days later. This time by Sandi, whose cat Fluffy is ill. However, Daria is now ready, demanding a cash payment in advance of delivering a blunt, though effective, advice.

“The Misery Chick” and Fanfic
This events of this episode, or alternate versions thereof, have been used in multiple fanfics, including:


 * John Lane story, Killing a Legend by Richard Lobinske.


 * Misery's End, by Richard Lobinske (briefly).


 * Deus Jane, by The Angst Guy


 * The Antisocial Climber, by The Angst Guy


 * A Life of Bit Parts, by The Angst Guy


 * The Misery Chicks, by Night Goblyn


 * God Save The Esteem fanfic "Misery, Clicked" by Charles RB


 * "Whatever happened to Tommy Sherman?" by Chris Tucker