The Big House: Difference between revisions

Both [[Daria Morgendorffer|Daria]] and [[Quinn Morgendorffer|Quinn]] are caught sneaking into thetheir Morgendorffershouse late at night, so [[Helen Morgendorffer|Helen]] and [[Jake Morgendorffer|Jake]] instroduceintroduce a set of rules regarding late nights, dates and curfew. Quinn, while apparantlyapparently accepting the rules, goes on a date that same night (in direct violation of the rules), mascaradingcalling it onas a late-night study session, but is caught lying the next morning. Instead of just punishing for the offenceoffense, Helen and Jake set up an elaborate procedure ofcalled Family Court, whithwith Jake presiding and Helen prosecuting. After some theatrical performances by both parents, Quinn and Daria just plead guilty and are grounded for a month (even though Daria hadn't brokebroken any rules).

At [[Lawndale High]], meanwhile,the amain hockeytopic gameof discussion is beinga organizedhockey game between classic rock DJ's and the teacehers, to the excitment of the studentsteachers. When askingshe inquires why, Daria is told that, the[[Anthony previous year, DeDeMartino|Mr. MartinoDeMartino]] had had a heart attack right during thelast year's game, so every studinetstudent is hoping to see it ithappen repeatedagain, andto the point that there is even a betting pool on when it will happen. Daria, disgruntelydisgustedly, states she can't go because she is grounded, to the great amusement of her fellow colleaguesstudents.

The grounding is trying for all Morgendorffers: Quinn ties up the phone for hours, to the annoyance of her parents. Daria starts to read compulsorycompulsively onin the living room, teasing a bored Quinn to the point where she even asks advice for a book. Daria beats Helen and Jake in scrabbleMonopoly and monopolyScrabble, hintingspelling she"Incarcerate" isduring being emprisoned when composingthe wordslatter. She furthersalso plays the harmonica at night, poetically justifying it when her father asks her to stop.

Daria, however, is so fed up with the situation that she decides to skip her grounding to go to the hockey game. She announces that totells Jane and Jodie, who had visited to make sure she was all right (as a the schoolrumor had a rumourthat she was being experimented with at the Morgendorfferson). Daria's carefullcreates a careful plan of escape, envolvinginvolving harmonicaa recording soundsof her harmonica, leaving bythrough the window and avoindingavoiding the neighborwoodneighborhood vigilance,watch. is rendered supefulousHowever, when both her parents announceleave phone messages stating they have to work late, and so she just leaves the house by the front door.

The hokeyhockey game is going well when Daria arrives to watch, until Rockand[[Rock N' Roll Randy]] provokeshits aMr. foulDeMartino onin DeMartinothe leg, shatteringleaving hishim kneelying. This escalates[[Andrea]] celebrates (apparently having that spot in the pool), only to curse as Mr. DeMartino gets back up. Eventually a brawl erupts between the twoboth teams right inon the court, toincluding the[[Janet greatBarch|Ms. amusementBarch]] ofbeating theup audienceon Randy.

However, this fun outing ends for Daria when she comes home, finding Helen and Jake had arrived earlier and found Daria gone. There is another Family Court session the next day, but nowthis time Daria is ready:, she proposesnegotiating a 'plea bargain' towith her parents,mother (in which she would manage her own times), makingusing theirthe parentscost note thatof further grounding would only result in more(including monopolyMonopoly, scrabbleScrabble and late-night harmonica playing) as leverage. Reluctantly, Helen and Jake accept.

So everything is back to normal, except that [[Kevin Thompson|Kevin]] still believes Daria had been subjected to a strange experience while "grounded". Only someDaria's witty observations from the laterputdown makemakes him realise how foolish the idea is, to the bemusement of Jane and Daria.

The rules presented by Helen and Jake are displayed in a ten-commandment-style cardcardboard boardstablets. AsIn farthe asDVD it could be readrelease, someall of the rulesonscreen text is legible. Some portions are: repeated or don't align with the dialogue, presumably because they were only intended as filler.

While grounded, Daria is shown reading Herman Melville's [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Moby-Dick |''Moby-Dick'']] in the living room. This may be commentary on Helen's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick#Ahab Ahab-like mania] for legal procedure. Later, when Quinn is frustrated with boredom, she breaks down and asks Daria for a book. Daria responds by offering her Homer's ''Iliad'' which provokes this exchange:

It should be noted that ''The Iliad'' does not include the story about the Trojan Horse.; Wethis muststory assumeappears Dariain was''The eitherAeneid''. mistakenSince inDaria's thinkingsupposed soto orhave elseread was''The Iliad'', she's probably having fun at Quinn's expense (and that the writers forgot which play it was).

* [http://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20110519134615/http://outpost-daria.com/fanfic/jl06_morgendorffer_prison_blues.html "Morgendorffer Prison Blues,"] by [[Richard Lobinske]]

{{succession box | title=[[List of Daria episodes|Daria Episodes]]<br/>"The Big House," Season 1, Episode 10 | before=[[Too Cute]] (109) | after=[[Road Worrier]] | year=(110)}}