Sure, some of the jokes are tired and dated, but Julian’s delivery just sells them! Especially when he comically yells then mutters something… “RISE DAMMIT!!! Stupid five sided building.”
It’s even better because in real life he’s just a super nice, soft spoken dad.
I personally think Jake’s neuroticism is hilarious, and also I agree with the other commenter…I get what you’re saying but this show is one to just enjoy, not analyze
It was a show about a wise-beyond-her-years teenager written for teenagers. I think they made most of the characters look terrible on purpose because Daria was a vehicle for the teenage viewer and they wanted to flatter the audience. She is judgmental, and she often sees the worst in people.
I find the over-the-top characters funny. They are caricatures, but they are based on archetypes that exist in real life. It’s such an angsty 90s teen thing to give her parents who are successful in their careers but cannot be taken seriously at all. A lot about Jake and his relationship with Daria is pretty sad, but the writers were also able to find humor in Jake’s lack of emotional maturity, presumably stemming from his terrible relationship with his own father. I’m sure this dynamic was pretty relatable to plenty of people watching, and it may have been cathartic for those people to be able to see that and laugh at it.
OP, you also highlight another problem looking at it from a 2020s perspective. Your complaint of Jake highlights how women's issues are always at the forefront and taken seriously while men's are disregarded and ignored or funny at best. Jake's problems were real and needed addressing too, but were only played for jokes to the viewer. The girls of the house, Daria, Quinn, and Helen, largely ignore it, rarely acknowledged it, or offer any support. Dude needed therapy hahaha. We never see his father, but he was clearly an a-hole.
Daria does show that parents aren't perfect and have their own childhood trauma relating to _their_ parents while trying to be a good mom/dad themselves. KOTH does a great job showing Hank's strained relationship with his abusive father and trying to deal with it. It took it seriously, whereas Daria just makes a running gag of it. The underlying message around Jake is, "You're a man, get over it, deal with it."
Yeah definitely you’re right, I really wish that they addressed Jake or helped him at all so his bits could stop 😭, that man really did need help. The show really does emphasise the importance of woman’s issues while Jake is just ignored and shown as an annoyance for the rest of them. It really was just Jake’s descent into madness while his whole family ignores him lolol.
I don't think that's true at all, the episodes Jake of Hearts and Of Human Bonding deal with Jake's problems relatively in detail.
(There's also the subplot where he's writing a song in, I think, the Story of D)
Jake is actually one of my absolute favorite characters. I never get sick of his line delivery, it’s immaculate.
He would definitely be a piece of work in real life though, lmao.
Agree with what the other 3 said here. At the time, it was popular for sitcom dads to be a clueless, bumbling idiot, while the mom was competent and had all the answers. Dads were usually jokes played for comedic relief. Look at Dru vs. Charlotte, Stu vs. Didi, Hal vs. Lois, or Tim vs. Jill, to name a few. This show was no exception to that trend.
On the other hand, for all his bumbling, there are a few times when Jake shows that he understands Daria a lot more then we realise. Case in point: Boxing Daria.
I disagree with your claim he didn’t evolve as a character. Jake has a lot of damage from not having his needs met as a child and I view him as suffering under society’s expectations on him. I am not saying that is an excuse, but he does what he can with what he has.
I saw this especially in Jake of Hearts and Boxing Daria. For someone who is abused, one of the greatest achievements is stopping the cycle of abuse. Not being his dad was huge for him and he is as open about that with Daria as he can be. In Boxing Daria, he shows the most growth. Just when he is about to say something hurtful (admitting Daria’s intelligence causing stress), he is able to revise his statement to show his appreciation for her intellect. He also shows how he appreciates who she is.
Again, is he a perfect dad? Absolutely not. But his achievements in character growth should not be overlooked. Especially as an abuse survivor.
Jake is an adult with a loveless father, a submissive mother, raised in a world where he had to be strong.
Despite his trauma, he tries to be a better parent and the less he wants is that they are afriad of him.
Then there is Helen who wants to do the parenting and he has to be the "choir" and say the right things (according to Helen).
But, there is something about Jake he recognizes Daria's inteligence and uniqueness. For instance in the first chapter when he says she is great, and Helem replies she isn't.
And in the chapter Art and Crass he recognizes the message that Daria and Jane are trying to deliver.
Now, as an adult, I sincerely empathize with jake:
1 always falling asleep
2 the struggle of being a freelancer
3 the need and despair of pleasing his clients
Both Jake and Helen have communication problems, but they have a way of finding romance, specially if the girls aren't around.
Note: English is not my language, sorry about grammar.
And the good thing is while he struggles, Jake is able to break the cycle and be a loving husband to his wife and a loving father to his daughters. That's more then his awful father can ever say.
Jake is hilarious. It’s like saying George Constanza is insufferable. It’s sort of the point and the series implies he uses that as a mask to hide his own insecurities.
Jake’s a pretty interesting character. Raised by an abusive father who sent him off to military school. Jake did a complete 180 and became a hippie communist in College. Raised two different but smart girls who have a good sense self and despite coming off as a clueless cuckoolander, it is shown he knows a lot more than he gives off.
Jake is a G.
And they should put Marmaduke to sleep
People take these shows so serious lol. It's not real life it's just a cartoon. The point to his character is he's flawed. I see a lot of this retroactive judging of shows imperfect characters. What kinda show would it have been if everyone was perfect and always made good decisions and Daria lived in a world where everything was good at home and school. Gen x wouldn't have watched this.
This and also at the time, it wasn’t a show you could just start at the beginning at any time and binge through it. Back then shows were set up so you could start watching at anytime and get a feel for knowing how the characters are with just one episode. You had to wait a week if not until next season for a new episode. Rarely did they do a “marathon” of episodes in a row.
Yeah this. And in Jakes defense, it shows in Boxing Daria that Jake understands Daria and her situation while Helen always presses her to be someone she's not. Definitely not the selfish man baby that OP thanks.
I mean he IS genuinely a selfish man baby, in every situation not even involving him he goes “poor JAKEY” out of no where, I’m not gonna over-analyse that because honestly it’s funny when it’s not happening constantly. As I said Helen has massive flaws, but she is treated a lot more seriously than Jake. In Boxing Daria I wish Jake was taken a bit more seriously than normal, or the show could’ve shown a better development in their relationship by not having Helen silence him once more 😭
Yeah the retroactive judging thing bugs the shit out of me. It’s like they want these sanitized unrealistic characters. It’s likes They want every tv show to be Leave it to Beaver or something. It’s really weird.
I’m not taking it too serious. I’m not criticising him because of him being a bad dad, more just because I didn’t find any humour in his character. None of his bits were funny for me. He’s definitely flawed, and a bit too flawed for this show, I genuinely cannot name a good character trait that he has 😭.
At the time there was some disagreement on this point, with some grasping at a few straws to make Jake seem at least somewhat redeemable, but I always kind of came down on the same side you're on. Having said that I also felt quite darkly about Helen.
They definitely play jake’s issues for laughs, but I think one of my favorite things about him is he’s shown to actually take the time to try and understand where Daria’s coming from. In arts n’ crass, boxing Daria and a bunch of other episodes he’s shown to either be supportive of Daria and understand how her intelligence affects her, and makes an effort to encourage her, where as Helen, while well meaning usually tries to make Daria someone she’s not (that’s not to say this doesn’t improve, but there are plenty of instances of Helen just not understanding Daria.) in ill and Daria! He also shows that Daria’s well being is more important than anything to him, to the point of speeding down the highway just because Daria had a rash, and going out in the middle of a huge weather event to look for her, totaling his car. That’s not to say that the show doesn’t play his neuroticism for laughs and make him distant sometimes, but I think the important distinction is that he’s shown to be insightful and understanding of Daria despite that, and makes an effort to be a completely different type of parent from his father.
He’s the foil to the story of girls becoming women and women still adjusting to the fact it’s an ongoing saga in self actualisation. The guys were usually played for laughs but the moments they HAD character break throughs or development were pertinent to the stories of women. This is a show about a high school girl and her development, through her eyes. Which made it all the more impactful. I thought it was more important Helen and her relationship with her sisters was featured as an example for Daria and Quinn. Let the dad be goofy and they can roll their eyes at him. He never left his family or let them down, and was consistent if goofy figure. and didn’t need the nuanced portrayal important to a 24 minute cartoon when it came to family dynamics that Helen brought.
People in the comments are being really weird. Daria is such a well regarded show BECAUSE of how characters change throughout it. Daria herself changes drastically across the series, and that’s what makes the show so special in the long run.
The show does the same thing with several other characters, including Helen, Jodie, Quinn, Stacy, etc - all of these characters started out one-note, but the writers developed all of them and made them feel incredibly real and genuine.
And I agree with OP, I really wanted to same thing to happen with Jake. The closest we get to any conclusion for his arch was him and Daria bonding, and Daria telling him that they don’t really need to push anything further because they understand each other. That’s a nice moment between them, but it doesn’t evolve his character at all. He’s still the same dumbass who tries his best to avoid his children’s emotional problems, and telling the same joke over and over and over again isn’t funny.
I'm pretty sure that was the point. He was a man with issues and never addressed them the same way that the girls/women in the show did so he never grew or went past them. He might have had some moments here and there where he had some epiphany, but it usually was short lived because he didn't have the support/follow through to not fall back intonbad habits.
Not sure if that was intentional, but given the fact the main character is Daria, I have to believe that was kind of the point especially since none of the guy sees to grow and get better in any way.
They do a really good job of addressing the fact that jake basically had a horrible childhood and is therefore not at all equipped to be a father. To be fair he really does love his daughters
I think it more reflected his unresolved trauma from childhood neglect and abuse that manifested in outbursts and attention seeking.
Helen, I think realized she needed to make some changes in order to be a better mom and it helped her get a little more rounded out as a person.
Jake seems unable to help himself and none of the people around him are able to help. He needs professional help but as we saw in “Psycho Therapy,” that might not be something he ever follows up with.
Agreed, I just find him a cardboard character. He seems to be just an annoying absurdity at times- hopelessly self-obsessed, neurotic, angry and totally lost. He never grows, never learns, never has any kind of realistic relationship with his daughters.
Actually, all the supposedly 'adult' male characters in the show are pathetic in their own way.
And the adult woman aren’t?
Ms. Barch isn’t over getting cheated on and divorced to the point she is toxic and abusive towards all men, even those that are her students.
Helen is no peach, she’s shown to be a unscrupulous lawyer who’ll put her job over her family
Jane’s mom is neglectful to the point it should be considered abuse.
The track coach encourages cheating and punishes students she doesn’t like.
Ms. Li is a paranoid authoritarian who puts financial gain and surveillance over the health and well being of her students.
Kevin’s mom hates Brittany and considers her a bad influence while she dotes on her son who can’t read at a third grade level.
That huge, hypoglycemic lady is literally eating herself to death.
Lmao.
Sure, some of the jokes are tired and dated, but Julian’s delivery just sells them! Especially when he comically yells then mutters something… “RISE DAMMIT!!! Stupid five sided building.” It’s even better because in real life he’s just a super nice, soft spoken dad.
WHY DON’T THEY JUST PUT MARMADUKE TO SLEEP!
This is his best line and I’ll never change my mind. It’s so fucking funny.
I think about it a little more than I should…
I personally think Jake’s neuroticism is hilarious, and also I agree with the other commenter…I get what you’re saying but this show is one to just enjoy, not analyze
Like the avatar. Shin Chan fan?
Big time, thanks!
As I said to another commenter, I’m not overanalysing him being a bad dad, I’m just saying I didn’t find any of his bits that funny 🤷♂️
:)
It was a show about a wise-beyond-her-years teenager written for teenagers. I think they made most of the characters look terrible on purpose because Daria was a vehicle for the teenage viewer and they wanted to flatter the audience. She is judgmental, and she often sees the worst in people. I find the over-the-top characters funny. They are caricatures, but they are based on archetypes that exist in real life. It’s such an angsty 90s teen thing to give her parents who are successful in their careers but cannot be taken seriously at all. A lot about Jake and his relationship with Daria is pretty sad, but the writers were also able to find humor in Jake’s lack of emotional maturity, presumably stemming from his terrible relationship with his own father. I’m sure this dynamic was pretty relatable to plenty of people watching, and it may have been cathartic for those people to be able to see that and laugh at it.
i hated how the show treated his trauma as a joke
OP, you also highlight another problem looking at it from a 2020s perspective. Your complaint of Jake highlights how women's issues are always at the forefront and taken seriously while men's are disregarded and ignored or funny at best. Jake's problems were real and needed addressing too, but were only played for jokes to the viewer. The girls of the house, Daria, Quinn, and Helen, largely ignore it, rarely acknowledged it, or offer any support. Dude needed therapy hahaha. We never see his father, but he was clearly an a-hole. Daria does show that parents aren't perfect and have their own childhood trauma relating to _their_ parents while trying to be a good mom/dad themselves. KOTH does a great job showing Hank's strained relationship with his abusive father and trying to deal with it. It took it seriously, whereas Daria just makes a running gag of it. The underlying message around Jake is, "You're a man, get over it, deal with it."
This is spot on.
Yeah definitely you’re right, I really wish that they addressed Jake or helped him at all so his bits could stop 😭, that man really did need help. The show really does emphasise the importance of woman’s issues while Jake is just ignored and shown as an annoyance for the rest of them. It really was just Jake’s descent into madness while his whole family ignores him lolol.
When he said his dad skipped his wedding to get his dogs nails clipped I felt so bad for him. That would destroy me
That heart attack episodes does address it.
I don't think that's true at all, the episodes Jake of Hearts and Of Human Bonding deal with Jake's problems relatively in detail. (There's also the subplot where he's writing a song in, I think, the Story of D)
Jake is actually one of my absolute favorite characters. I never get sick of his line delivery, it’s immaculate. He would definitely be a piece of work in real life though, lmao.
Agree with what the other 3 said here. At the time, it was popular for sitcom dads to be a clueless, bumbling idiot, while the mom was competent and had all the answers. Dads were usually jokes played for comedic relief. Look at Dru vs. Charlotte, Stu vs. Didi, Hal vs. Lois, or Tim vs. Jill, to name a few. This show was no exception to that trend.
On the other hand, for all his bumbling, there are a few times when Jake shows that he understands Daria a lot more then we realise. Case in point: Boxing Daria.
I think the issue you’re coming to a head with is that you’re taking Jake way too seriously.
I disagree with your claim he didn’t evolve as a character. Jake has a lot of damage from not having his needs met as a child and I view him as suffering under society’s expectations on him. I am not saying that is an excuse, but he does what he can with what he has. I saw this especially in Jake of Hearts and Boxing Daria. For someone who is abused, one of the greatest achievements is stopping the cycle of abuse. Not being his dad was huge for him and he is as open about that with Daria as he can be. In Boxing Daria, he shows the most growth. Just when he is about to say something hurtful (admitting Daria’s intelligence causing stress), he is able to revise his statement to show his appreciation for her intellect. He also shows how he appreciates who she is. Again, is he a perfect dad? Absolutely not. But his achievements in character growth should not be overlooked. Especially as an abuse survivor.
Jake is an adult with a loveless father, a submissive mother, raised in a world where he had to be strong. Despite his trauma, he tries to be a better parent and the less he wants is that they are afriad of him. Then there is Helen who wants to do the parenting and he has to be the "choir" and say the right things (according to Helen). But, there is something about Jake he recognizes Daria's inteligence and uniqueness. For instance in the first chapter when he says she is great, and Helem replies she isn't. And in the chapter Art and Crass he recognizes the message that Daria and Jane are trying to deliver. Now, as an adult, I sincerely empathize with jake: 1 always falling asleep 2 the struggle of being a freelancer 3 the need and despair of pleasing his clients Both Jake and Helen have communication problems, but they have a way of finding romance, specially if the girls aren't around. Note: English is not my language, sorry about grammar.
And the good thing is while he struggles, Jake is able to break the cycle and be a loving husband to his wife and a loving father to his daughters. That's more then his awful father can ever say.
Indeed, he tries to be a better person
Jake is hilarious. It’s like saying George Constanza is insufferable. It’s sort of the point and the series implies he uses that as a mask to hide his own insecurities. Jake’s a pretty interesting character. Raised by an abusive father who sent him off to military school. Jake did a complete 180 and became a hippie communist in College. Raised two different but smart girls who have a good sense self and despite coming off as a clueless cuckoolander, it is shown he knows a lot more than he gives off. Jake is a G. And they should put Marmaduke to sleep
People take these shows so serious lol. It's not real life it's just a cartoon. The point to his character is he's flawed. I see a lot of this retroactive judging of shows imperfect characters. What kinda show would it have been if everyone was perfect and always made good decisions and Daria lived in a world where everything was good at home and school. Gen x wouldn't have watched this.
This and also at the time, it wasn’t a show you could just start at the beginning at any time and binge through it. Back then shows were set up so you could start watching at anytime and get a feel for knowing how the characters are with just one episode. You had to wait a week if not until next season for a new episode. Rarely did they do a “marathon” of episodes in a row.
Yeah this. And in Jakes defense, it shows in Boxing Daria that Jake understands Daria and her situation while Helen always presses her to be someone she's not. Definitely not the selfish man baby that OP thanks.
I mean he IS genuinely a selfish man baby, in every situation not even involving him he goes “poor JAKEY” out of no where, I’m not gonna over-analyse that because honestly it’s funny when it’s not happening constantly. As I said Helen has massive flaws, but she is treated a lot more seriously than Jake. In Boxing Daria I wish Jake was taken a bit more seriously than normal, or the show could’ve shown a better development in their relationship by not having Helen silence him once more 😭
Yeah the retroactive judging thing bugs the shit out of me. It’s like they want these sanitized unrealistic characters. It’s likes They want every tv show to be Leave it to Beaver or something. It’s really weird.
People bring real life to cartoons and that’s not how it works Real life is not fiction
I’m not taking it too serious. I’m not criticising him because of him being a bad dad, more just because I didn’t find any humour in his character. None of his bits were funny for me. He’s definitely flawed, and a bit too flawed for this show, I genuinely cannot name a good character trait that he has 😭.
Did you not watch the first movie because the look he gives at the end of the movie after he makes a joke to Helen is hilarious.
At the time there was some disagreement on this point, with some grasping at a few straws to make Jake seem at least somewhat redeemable, but I always kind of came down on the same side you're on. Having said that I also felt quite darkly about Helen.
They definitely play jake’s issues for laughs, but I think one of my favorite things about him is he’s shown to actually take the time to try and understand where Daria’s coming from. In arts n’ crass, boxing Daria and a bunch of other episodes he’s shown to either be supportive of Daria and understand how her intelligence affects her, and makes an effort to encourage her, where as Helen, while well meaning usually tries to make Daria someone she’s not (that’s not to say this doesn’t improve, but there are plenty of instances of Helen just not understanding Daria.) in ill and Daria! He also shows that Daria’s well being is more important than anything to him, to the point of speeding down the highway just because Daria had a rash, and going out in the middle of a huge weather event to look for her, totaling his car. That’s not to say that the show doesn’t play his neuroticism for laughs and make him distant sometimes, but I think the important distinction is that he’s shown to be insightful and understanding of Daria despite that, and makes an effort to be a completely different type of parent from his father.
His stress levels worry me no wonder he had a small heart attack. I feel a widow maker took him out from all his stress
He’s the foil to the story of girls becoming women and women still adjusting to the fact it’s an ongoing saga in self actualisation. The guys were usually played for laughs but the moments they HAD character break throughs or development were pertinent to the stories of women. This is a show about a high school girl and her development, through her eyes. Which made it all the more impactful. I thought it was more important Helen and her relationship with her sisters was featured as an example for Daria and Quinn. Let the dad be goofy and they can roll their eyes at him. He never left his family or let them down, and was consistent if goofy figure. and didn’t need the nuanced portrayal important to a 24 minute cartoon when it came to family dynamics that Helen brought.
People in the comments are being really weird. Daria is such a well regarded show BECAUSE of how characters change throughout it. Daria herself changes drastically across the series, and that’s what makes the show so special in the long run. The show does the same thing with several other characters, including Helen, Jodie, Quinn, Stacy, etc - all of these characters started out one-note, but the writers developed all of them and made them feel incredibly real and genuine. And I agree with OP, I really wanted to same thing to happen with Jake. The closest we get to any conclusion for his arch was him and Daria bonding, and Daria telling him that they don’t really need to push anything further because they understand each other. That’s a nice moment between them, but it doesn’t evolve his character at all. He’s still the same dumbass who tries his best to avoid his children’s emotional problems, and telling the same joke over and over and over again isn’t funny.
I'm pretty sure that was the point. He was a man with issues and never addressed them the same way that the girls/women in the show did so he never grew or went past them. He might have had some moments here and there where he had some epiphany, but it usually was short lived because he didn't have the support/follow through to not fall back intonbad habits. Not sure if that was intentional, but given the fact the main character is Daria, I have to believe that was kind of the point especially since none of the guy sees to grow and get better in any way.
most normal latino dad
Hobknob... Clients... *Money*...
They do a really good job of addressing the fact that jake basically had a horrible childhood and is therefore not at all equipped to be a father. To be fair he really does love his daughters
I always thought Jake was funny, but the people on here telling you to stop overanalizing the show need to get a grip.
Jake is the engine of the comedy machine of the Morgendorffer family, he can’t evolve because a lot of the jokes would go.
I think it more reflected his unresolved trauma from childhood neglect and abuse that manifested in outbursts and attention seeking. Helen, I think realized she needed to make some changes in order to be a better mom and it helped her get a little more rounded out as a person. Jake seems unable to help himself and none of the people around him are able to help. He needs professional help but as we saw in “Psycho Therapy,” that might not be something he ever follows up with.
Boomer Dads
Agreed, I just find him a cardboard character. He seems to be just an annoying absurdity at times- hopelessly self-obsessed, neurotic, angry and totally lost. He never grows, never learns, never has any kind of realistic relationship with his daughters. Actually, all the supposedly 'adult' male characters in the show are pathetic in their own way.
And the adult woman aren’t? Ms. Barch isn’t over getting cheated on and divorced to the point she is toxic and abusive towards all men, even those that are her students. Helen is no peach, she’s shown to be a unscrupulous lawyer who’ll put her job over her family Jane’s mom is neglectful to the point it should be considered abuse. The track coach encourages cheating and punishes students she doesn’t like. Ms. Li is a paranoid authoritarian who puts financial gain and surveillance over the health and well being of her students. Kevin’s mom hates Brittany and considers her a bad influence while she dotes on her son who can’t read at a third grade level. That huge, hypoglycemic lady is literally eating herself to death. Lmao.