Through a Lens Darkly: Difference between revisions
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|writtenby= [[Glenn Eichler]]
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'''"Through a Lens Darkly"''' was the
The title is a play on the phrase "through a glass, darkly", from 1 Corinthians 13:12.
==Summary==
[[Daria Morgendorffer|Daria]] almost hits a dog when practicing her driving, revealing to [[Helen Morgendorffer|Helen]] that she can’t see too well on the side, as her heavy glass frames block the vision. This prompts Helen to insist she try contact lenses, an idea Daria first scorns at, because past chats have taught her her mother thinks "if I get contacts I'll suddenly turn into the homecoming queen". Her mother, however, is able to turn Daria's argument back on her, agreeing people should accept Daria as she is "instead of seeing your glasses and jumping to some moronic conclusion based on ridiculous stereotypes and their own ignorance." ("Good one.")
Daria starts to think about trying contacts, but is worried when an unwitting [[Jane Lane|Jane]] casually remarks how the glasses are part of Daria’s "persona": someone who doesn't care about their looks. That causes Daria to turn to ''[[Quinn Morgendorffer|Quinn]]'' (who has been ''waiting'' for this day): if she does start to show she cares about her looks a little bit, does this make her a hypocrite and invalidate many of her previous stances? This philosophical question causes physical pain for Quinn, so Daria translates it - but her sister,
Finally, Daria phones and gets good advice from her glass-wearing [[Amy Barksdale|aunt Amy]], who points out that using contact lenses is no vanity, only an option to have a slightly different appearance. And it would also "set your parents back a couple hundred bucks". This sets Daria’s mind to visit an ophthalmologist and purchase them.
The next day Daria shows up at the Lane household wearing her lenses. After Jane moans several replies to the idea of leaving the house ("you're not really a morning person are you?"), Daria exposes her heart and says she hopes Jane doesn't think she hasn't sold out or compromised.
The next day, Daria wears her new contact lenses instead of her glasses, and is relieved to find Jane doesn't think she's 'sold out'. She starts to get reactions from colleagues and teachers: Jane thinks she looks cool (but "either [way] works for me"). [[Timothy O'Neill|O’Neill]] and [[Angela Li| Mr. Li]], after first failing to recognize her, are delighted and make enthusiastic comments, because they think she's trying to become more sociable, creating a new identity for herself, and "dropping that standoffish persona". An annoyed Daria protests that she only got them for driving, and is more annoyed when asked "so why are you wearing them now?". Later, [[Kevin Thompson|Kevin]] and [[Brittany Taylor|Brittany]] also compliment Daria’s new look - "you're, like, practically ''normal!''". Daria snarks that she got them because "I wanted to fit in better" and is annoyed when Kevin believes her, so she snarks the glasses were making her too smart.▼
''"No, I don't think anything like that. (peers at Daria again) Where are your glasses?"''
The contact lenses are irritating her eyes, so Daria takes them just as the school day ends, needing help from Jane to walk home as she didn't bring her glasses. On the way home, they run into Trent, who tells Daria "looks good" - causing her to blush That night, Daria has a nightmare in which her reflections are warped as long as she wears glasses - when she wears contacts, she looks normal, but then suddenly turns monstrous and distorted.▼
▲
▲The contact lenses are irritating her eyes, so Daria takes them just as the school day ends, needing help from Jane to walk home as she didn't bring her glasses. On the way home, they run into [[Trent Lane|Trent]], who tells Daria "looks good" - causing her to blush. That night, Daria has a nightmare in which her reflections are warped as long as she wears glasses - when she wears contacts, she looks normal, but then suddenly turns monstrous and distorted.
The next day, with her eyes still sensitive, Daria decides not to put the contacts on... and also not to wear glasses. The resulting lack of vision causes her to keep bumping into colleagues in school. At lunch, a conversation with Kevin, who had decided to start wearing glasses to “be a little smarter” - but to avoid being too smart because "I like having friends", he took the lenses out - makes Jane realize Daria isn't wearing her contacts. She is pleasantly surprised when Daria admits it was out of sheer vanity and starts to tease her, causing Daria flees in self-disgust at being found out.
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==Trivia==
* Trent is listening to the song "[[wikipedia:Them Bones|Them Bones]]" by [[wikipedia:Alice in Chains|Alice in Chains]] in the [[Trentmobile]] as he drives past Daria and Jane (in the original MTV broadcasts and re-runs on The N).
* This episode was voted the best episode of ''Daria'' by fans in the [[Daria Tournament of Champions]] back in 2002-3.
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* Coincidentally, this episode aired during the theatrical run of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She's_All_That ''She's All That'']: a film centred around an unpopular, "unattractive" girl gaining popularity and happiness after having a makeover, including using contacts instead of glasses. (This is a recurring trope in American romantic comedies and teen dramas) Twelve years later, internet review The Nostalgia Chick would [http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/team-nchick/nostalgia-chick/32202-shes-all-that compare the episode with the film], finding both that Daria was a more believable misanthrope than ''All That's'' Laney and that ''Lens'' lacks the film's implications that conformity will lead to happiness.
* The book
===Daria's Reading Material===
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*Daria having issues with her appearance would prove fodder for many a fanfic.
*Several [[alternate universe]] fanfics have done alternate versions of this story, including [[Finn Morgendorffer]].
* And in Wouter's story "[[Growing pains]]" Daria relates Jane's difficulty with a late growth spurt to her contact lens adventure citing that "Accepting vanity required small steps" with Jane going "Yes, yes, I can recall your 'Through a lens darkly' adventure."
==External Links==
===On “Through a Lens Darkly” the Episode===
* [
* [https://archiveofourown.org/works/17623430/chapters/41550524 Episode Analysis] of [[Pierce Me]] and '''"Through A Lens Darkly"''' by [[WellTemperedClavier]]
===Alternate-Universe Versions of “Through a Lens Darkly”===
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