Media favorite Dawson's Creek has been acclaimed and condemned for its portrayal of teen-age life in the 90's. But MTV's animated Daria, which begins it's second season tonight, is still the truest(and funniest) treatment of adolescence on television. It's socially aware without being preachy, and it's tiny truths always resonate. In this episode, Daria and her friend Jane use their entry in a student art contest to make a social statement. "It's supportive of students who don't want to be judged by their looks," Daria declares. "Oh come on," chirps her self-absorbed sister Quinn. "People like that don't exist."

February 16, 1998.