Tommy Sherman

Tommy Sherman, from "The Misery Chick"

Tommy Sherman was a former student of Lawndale High, in Trent Lane's graduating class. He was seen only in the episode "The Misery Chick," but his presence is felt in a later episode, "A Tree Grows in Lawndale."

Tommy in "The Misery Chick"

When he reappeared at Lawndale High, Tommy was tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular. He had light brown hair and had a flattened broken nose. Personality-wise, Tommy can only be described as "a colossal jerk" (Daria's phrasing). He was arrogant and rude to an extreme, having no concern for the feelings or needs of others, and he felt entitled to sex and attention at his every whim. One odd habit he had was referring to himself in the third person as a way of emphasizing his importance. Given some comments he made, it is possible he was a binge drinker.

Tommy Sherman was about the same age as Trent Lane, who was a former classmate. Trent is noted to be 21 during the first season of Daria. Per Richard Lobinske’s chronology of the Daria series, “The Misery Chick” probably took place in the fall of 1997, so the state championship was won in late November or early December 1994. Tommy thus graduated in spring 1995, give or take a year.

When he was a senior at Lawndale High, Tommy was the school's star football player. He was the quarterback of the Lawndale Lions when the team won the state championship. (This was three years before the time of "The Misery Chick.") Tommy was known for wanting to bring in the touchdowns himself, never passing to anyone else. He also had the habit of turning to wave at the crowd as he did so, often running into the goalpost head-first. He broke his nose twice and during the playoffs went into a coma for six days, an injury that nearly caused him to miss the championship game. He recovered without apparent harm to lead the team to victory the next day.

In "The Misery Chick," a break-away goalpost on the Lawndale Lions football field was to be dedicated to him, which set up the major conflict of the episode. While walking onto the football field after a nasty conversation with Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane, Tommy was struck by a large, heavy wooden crate containing the goalpost (which had apparently not yet been assembled and erected) and was killed on the spot. Only Kevin Thompson idolized him, though Angela Li (and perhaps Coach Gibson) appreciated his winning talents if not his personality.

A Closer Look

Certain aspects of Tommy Sherman's life and death are worthy of closer examination and comment. Ignore for a moment the fact that this is a cartoon, and play along.

Was Tommy Sherman Evil?

Though he was a jerk, Tommy was not as bad as some fans (and fanfics) have painted him. True, he viewed women only as potential sex partners and was crudely outspoken about this. He also helped Brittany to her feet, complimented her looks, and did not become angry (much less strike her back) when she slapped him in the face. He took it in stride, called her a bimbo, and moved on. Doubtless the slap was not a unique event. Doubtless, too, his come-ons sometimes worked. There are always more fish in the sea.

Tommy also insulted and belittled every male he met, though with a curious air of political correctness. He made fun of Mack Mackenzie’s name, but he didn’t use racist slurs. Tommy preferred verbal abuse with a personal touch.

What must have been galling to Tommy’s legion of foes is that he was so arrogant as to be practically immune to return fire. View his reaction to Daria’s verbal broadside, just prior to his death.

Daria: I know the whole school's turning itself inside out because of some egotistical football player, and I've seen you insult or proposition just about everyone you come across, so my guess is that you're the football player guy. Congratulations. You must have worked very hard to become such a colossal jerk so quickly.

Tommy: You know what Tommy Sherman's going to do now? He's going to go out onto the field and check out his new goal post. He's going to read the plaque and think of all the people who admire him. But you wouldn't know anything about that. You're one of those misery chicks, always moping about what a cruel world it is, making a big deal about it so people won't notice that you're a loser.

That is one thick rhino hide. A lack of self-esteem wasn’t one of his shortcomings. He was conceited, self-important, egotistical, and boorish; like Quinn Morgendorffer, he esteemed himself more than anyone. (“Do you know who I am? Tommy Sherman?”) Worse, in his retort to Daria Tommy nailed the basics of the issue: Daria was a “misery chick” who externalized her anger at the unfairness of the world. She seemed to revel in her self-imposed unpopularity, but she really was miserable—a “loser” at the popularity game, and she knew it and he knew she knew it.

Even worse, Tommy was completely right that he was widely admired, though perhaps not by people who know him well. He was “unanimously voted most valuable player” by his teammates after the state championship win, and upon his return to Lawndale High was put up in a good hotel at LHS’s expense. A jerk he was, but he played to his strengths and was little hampered by his weaknesses. He was the worst kind of winner, but he was a winner nonetheless, and everyone loves a winner.

Finally, it appears Tommy had no notable criminal record, given the lack of mention of the same. He never physically harmed anyone (except himself, by hitting goalposts). He didn't even lie. As Daria observed, he was not a nice guy, but he did not deserve to die. Was he evil? Only barely. He could have been far, far worse.

The Coma Before the Championship Game

According to a number of medical sources (a good example being this page from the website for the Brain Injury Association of America), a coma that lasts for six days as a result of a head trauma qualifies as a severe brain injury. During the playoffs, Tommy is said to have hit the goalpost so hard that his helmet cracked. Technically speaking, he suffered a closed head injury as his skull was not broken open. (If it had been, he would not have played football for a very long time afterward, if ever.) Interestingly, he recovered and played quite well by all accounts.

Did Tommy suffer long-lasting brain damage as a result of this severe brain injury? Despite the fact that he does not seem very bright or well mannered, he acts normally in all respects in “The Misery Chick.” For all his faults, Tommy is never shown to be impulsive, violent, irrational, or incoherent—all symptoms of certain kinds of brain damage. He was always in control of his emotions and reactions.

This is nothing short of amazing, given the number of times he is said to have knocked himself out against goalposts. Study the information from the Brain Injury Resource Center, or the effects of repetitive head injury (“second-impact”) syndrome as defined on emedicine.com. His ability to withstand repeated brain injuries seems almost superhuman. Why, then, did he succumb to a final goalpost hit in “The Misery Chick”?

Alternate Versions of Tommy Sherman

• In the John Lane fanfic series, Tommy assaulted Daria and John while visiting Lawndale High. This was caught on a security camera, resulting in Tommy's violation of parole (from an earlier offense), arrest, and loss of his football career. It is strongly insinuated that he would be sent to prison.