Meet Heather

Buckskin-clad Heather No-Last-Name from "College Bored" is interesting for a number of reasons. She is one of the few characters shown smoking in the series. Her level of cynicism not only matches Daria's but threatens to outdo it. In a way she comes across as a possible future Daria, complaining about the realities of college life and even watching Sick, Sad World on TV. Heather gets other people to write her college papers, but Daria is perfectly willing to "fix" the papers, so neither has the moral upper hand.

The similarities have limits, of course: Daria, a sophomore in high school, is vastly more intelligent and competent than Heather, and she displays a real mercenary streak in rewriting and evaluating papers. The college students who flock to her come across as morons. Still, Heather gives Daria forewarning of the problems inherent in college life, information Daria doubtless files away for future reference.

Heather will certainly remember Daria in a favorable way should they meet each other later in life. The circumstances under which they meet are anyone's guess, more fodder for fanfic writers. Heather might need another favor from that smart girl, or Daria might need a favor from her. In any event, Heather has rarely been seen in fanfic to this point, though she does appear in TLAS.

As a side note, the trip to Middleton was the first time the issue of college was addressed in the series. It returns in "Prize Fighters" and (of course) Is It College Yet? but also shows up in subtler ways. The lyrics to "College Try," Splendora's theme music for IICY?, are written from Daria's viewpoint and reveal a Daria very similar to the one in high school, and in a similar state of self-isolation and stress ("Guess I'm majoring in angst," the lyrics go). And there's the "interview" conducted with Daria on the CBS Early Show in 2002, in which she was asked, "Once you're in college, do you think that you'll find the happiness that has eluded you for, really, all your life?" Daria frowned and replied, "Why do people assume I'm unhappy just because I mope around all the time, saying snide things in a deadpan voice? I find that very judgmental. But in answer to your question: God, I hope so." It is telling that in IICY?, even Quinn has a more optimistic view of college than does Daria, and she tries to cheer up her sister about her college future, saying "You're gonna have friends and everything. I know it sounds hard to believe."

If only there had been another show with Daria at Raft . . . alas.