The Kiss

The Kiss is the pivotal scene in "Dye! Dye! My Darling" when Daria Morgendorffer and Tom Sloane first kiss. This event has generated considerable fan discussion and controversy since it was originally aired (see Thom).

Tom and Daria kiss for the first time.

While it is most often noted that the attraction between Daria and Tom started during "I Loathe a Parade," that is not universally accepted. Complicating the discussion is how little Tom appeared in the intervening episodes. He is mentioned as "bowling with friends" in "Of Human Bonding," has only a brief appearance on JaneCam in "Psycho Therapy," and after eating Jane's gummy bears is seen only with Trent and Jesse in "Mart of Darkness." He doesn't appear at all in "Legends of the Mall" and "Groped by an Angel." After "I Loathe A Parade," Daria and Tom do not appear together on-screen until "Fire!," when the mutual attraction is obvious.

The Kiss in fanfiction

The events of this, alternate universe versions of it, and aversions of it have been rife in Daria fanfiction since 2000. Examples include:

• Iron Chef: Lying about The Kiss: A collection of short stories where Daria lied to Jane about it