"Speedtrapped" was the tenth episode of the third season of Daria (episode number 310). It first aired on MTV on July 28, 1999. This episode was written by Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil.

Speedtrapped
Production Number 310
Original Airdate July 28, 1999
Special Guest Voices
Written By Sam Johnson
Chris Marcil
Directed By Joey Ahlbum

Summary

Daria Morgendorffer finally gets her drivers license and must drive to Fremont to bail Jane Lane and Mystik Spiral out of jail, with Quinn tagging along "in case something cool happens."

Trivia

  • Judging from Mike the driving instructor's reaction and Jane having an aging cake waiting for her, Daria's failed the driving test a whole bunch of times (apparently due to parallel parking).
  • This episode is one of only two, "Lucky Strike" being the other, where someone else is reciting Trent's lyrics.
  • Quinn is capable of driving, even though she hasn't taken lessons yet (Daria is surprised that Quinn can drive at all).
  • Quinn says that she learnt how to drive and visited bars during dates. Her blase reaction to Mad Dawg's indicates she's been to some very grotty, blue-collar bars.
  • Jane's temporary tattoo is a homage to Jasper John's "Moratorium", a piece created for a 1969 anti-Vietnam War rally. Jane doesn't mention the politics of the original piece but would logically be aware of it.

"Speedtrapped" and the Location of Lawndale

 
A section of road between Lawndale and Fremont from Speedtrapped. Note the light, sandy soil, lack of vegetation, and pumpjack to the right of the windmill in the background.
 
The change from Lawndale's green vegetation to the desert happens abruptly when Quinn asks Daria to pull over.

Lawndale's actual location has long been an open question in Daria fandom. Glenn Eichler, the definitive source on matters Daria, could only give this equivocal reply:

I thought the Morgendorffers lived in a mid-Atlantic suburb, outside somewhere like Baltimore. They could have lived in Pennsylvania near the Main Line, though.

(Source: Interview at DVDaria.info)

This interview with Eichler dates from 2005-2006, however, and some prominent fanwork had already situated Lawndale in other parts of the United States. Michelle Klein-Hass, for example, wrote a series where Lawndale was in Connecticut, and took its title from that.

Compounding this problem for fans is the landscape of the area surrounding Lawndale shown in "Speedtrapped." Fremont is only one hundred miles from Lawndale, but much of the terrain Daria and Quinn cover on their drive there resembles the arid southwest. What little community there is the landscape is appropriate to it: there is the hitchhiker Travis, a singing cowboy, and Mad Dawg's, a western saloon complete with swinging doors, and finally, the regional accents of the Fremont sheriff's staff and jailhouse regulars (including Stan and Sally).

External Links

On “Speedtrapped” the Episode

Alternate-Universe Versions of “Speedtrapped”

Alternate Canon Versions of “Speedtrapped”

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Preceded by
Jake of Hearts (309)
Daria Episodes
"Speedtrapped," Season 3 Episode 10
(310)
Succeeded by
The Lawndale File