Why Did It Come To This
Why Did It Come to This? is a 2000 essay by Brian Taylor.
Written after "Is It Fall Yet?", Brian Taylor argues that the general dramatic plot from "Jane's Addition" to IIFY? is forcing the Daria characters down "Dawnson's Creek" style paths they would not naturally go down, damaging their cohesion and leaving them unlikeable. Worse to him, the non-controversial episodes are forgettable outside of subplots and IIFY? is not a cohesive episode.
Unlike contemporary essays about the Tom subplots and S4, Brian Taylor argues Tom is too nice a character and putting up with too much from Daria.