MTV's Daria was a generation-defining adult animated series that graced screens with its sardonic brand of humor from 1997 to 2002. What's more, its world is one to which viewers will soon return, with the spinoff Jodie set to arrive on Comedy Central, and new seasons of Daria's parent series, Beavis and Butt-Head, also on the way alongside even more spinoffs. However, while Daria has amassed a cult following, the show isn't without its divisive elements, the biggest of which goes by the name Tom Sloane. But was the character's addition really as bad as some fans make it out to be? In short, no. But let's dive a bit deeper.
Tom debuted in "Jane's Addition" -- the final episode of Daria's third season -- beginning a relationship with Jane Lane, much to the chagrin of her best friend, Daria. Tom went on to be a recurring character in Daria Season 4, Jane's romance with him putting a bit of a strain on her friendship with Daria, as Jane was now having to split her time. In a surprising (and controversial) turn of events, Tom ended up catching feelings for Daria as his relationship with Jane fell apart. Daria and Tom shared a kiss in the Season 4 finale, "Dye! Dye! My Darling," while Tom and Jane were technically still an item -- which is still considered the most shocking moment of the entire series.
Following Season 4's cliffhanger ending, the drama was somewhat alleviated in Daria's first television movie, Is It Fall Yet?, in which Daria and Jane mend their friendship and the former makes things official with Tom. This newfound and rather precarious romance would continue through Season 5, before coming to an end alongside the series itself in the second film, Is It College Yet?.
Much of the criticism directed towards Tom came down to perceptions that he was "forced" into the show for no other reason than to create drama and frustrations stemming from the prospect of some guy coming between Daria and Jane (Daria kissing Tom behind Jane's back was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for some), not to mention the subset of fans who would have preferred to see Daria get together with her longtime crush, Trent Lane (Jane's older brother). But while it's true that the character did kind of come out of left field and could have benefited from a few more defining characteristics, Tom's involvement in the saga of Daria Morgendorffer was ultimately necessary.
While Daria simply being her disaffected, misanthropic self certainly worked for the first three seasons, there needed to be some genuine character growth at some point or another. Something or someone had to push Daria out of her comfort zone and make her realize that her fears and social anxieties were causing her to miss out on a lot, and that's exactly what Tom did.
Love triangles are seen as a bit tired these days, but the infamous kiss at the end of Daria Season 4 was a watershed moment for the series, as it signified the fact that the writers were allowing their usually calm and collected main character to be in the wrong, act against her better judgment and make mistakes, then grow and learn from them.
Furthermore, once Daria and Tom actually got together, his presence pushed her to further challenge her own beliefs regarding interpersonal relationships and reach her full potential -- socially, intellectually, and creatively. Daria was afraid of becoming too intimate with another person, lest it makes her vulnerable and susceptible to pain. Tom was the one who made Daria realize that might not be such a bad thing, and as a person, she was better off for it. After all, the whole situation between Daria, Jane, and Tom never would have gotten as messy as it did had Daria simply sat down with her friend and talked openly about how she was feeling, rather than shut her out.
Granted, the show had experimented with Daria questioning her own values before, namely in Season 2's "Pierce Me". But whereas that was more or less an isolated incident, Seasons 4 and 5 made it a consistent through-line, affording viewers a story spanning many episodes (and even two movies), rather than sticking exclusively to the traditional episodic format.
Moreover, while Daria's writers arguably could have done a bit more in the way of giving Tom a fleshed-out personality, they certainly weren't slacking when it came to writing snappy dialogue. Daria's deadpan demeanor and biting sarcasm made it possible for her to have an entertaining conversation with just about anyone. But Tom -- one of the select few characters on Daria's intellectual level -- was really the only one who could consistently match her wit, which made for some of the best verbal exchanges of the series.
Sure, Tom's introduction and a lot of the major plot points involving him felt rather abrupt. However, that's honestly kind of why it works. To borrow from Daria's voice actor Tracy Grandstaff herself: life is messy, complicated, and layered. Oftentimes the people and developments that have a profound effect on who we are come crashing into our lives with little, if any warning. And that unexpected change is precisely what Daria needed to learn how to be her best self -- part of which was the ultimate realization that she and Tom were simply not meant to be.
You could argue that this conflict was "forced," but it's important to remember that at the end of the day, it is fiction, meaning all the conflict is forced. And as far as the Trent thing is concerned, the recurring theme of Daria being smitten with the aspiring musician pretty much ended with Season 3. Besides, as many have pointed out, things between them never really could have worked out anyway, because of, well, to quote Tom from Season 5's penultimate episode, "you know, the age thing."
Finally, we come to Daria and Jane. Though some despised Tom for coming between the two and potentially even ending their friendship, let's be real: that was never going to happen. Their friendship was far from perfect and sometimes seemed more like a lifeline than anything, but at the end of the day, they meant the world to each other -- and it was going to take a lot more than a spat over a prep schoolboy to put an end to that. In fact, their bond was arguably stronger than ever after finally clearing the air in Is It Fall Yet?. (To quote the Mystik Spiral song, they'll always be "freakin' friends.") And if you'll recall, the person Daria most wanted to see after the multi-car pileup in the series finale -- "Boxing Daria" -- was Jane, not Tom.
Were there other ways to take Daria out of her comfort zone and help her grow as a character? Sure, there are almost always multiple routes to the same destination. But did Tom by any means "ruin" the show? Absolutely not. On the contrary, the back half of Daria's run is home to some of the show's funniest episodes (plus the movies). And more importantly, those episodes served to make the show's iconic protagonist more human.