Daria: "Depth Takes A Holiday"

Premiered March 10, 1999

Jane: "The more debased [the holidays] become, the less reason to celebrate them, and the less reason for my family to get together, until presto! I'm finally alone on Thanksgiving with a TV dinner."
Daria: "Sometimes I wonder if you're too cynical, even for me." 
Jane: "Really?  You think?"
Daria: "No, I was being sarcastic."

In this episode from season 3 of the series, Daria (Tracy Grandstaff),  our deadpan heroine,  finds herself face to face with teen personifications of Valentine's Day (an oversized Cupid) and a St. Patrick's Day leprechaun while walking home.

Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day claim that they've come to Lawndale in search of Christmas, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day, who've left their home on Holiday Island to start a band with a hip-hop punk electronica vibe in Daria's hometown.

Daria is unconvinced by this, so the anthropomorphic holiday personifications attempt to convince her using various strategies including breathing green beer fumes in her face ...

Causing her to reveal the name of "that particular someone who makes [her] feel like Queen Cleopatra" ...

and zapping her parents Jake (Julian Rebolledo) and Helen (Wendy Hoopes) with Cupid's love taser!

This is enough to convince Daria that something is up and she heads to see her best friend Jane (Hoopes again!) where she meets the three errant holidays, who've come to jam with Jane's brother/Daria's crush Trent (Alvaro J. Gonzalez).  

Daria offers to take them all out for pizza to talk things over.    Christmas, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day say they don't want to return to Holiday Island (which can be reached via a wormhole behind a Chinese restaurant, naturally) because it sucks.   Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day show up and warn that there could be dire consequences if the three do not return, to wit, their respective holidays will cease to exist.

Daria and Jane aren't convinced this would be the worst thing ever,  so Cupid and St. Patrick's Day take them to the mall to see that Christmas and Halloween sales are dying as are steak and kidney pie sales due to the loss of Guy Fawkes Day (aka Bonfire Night).   Daria and Jane remain unimpressed. but Christmas, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day are proving to be annoying houseguests and an overly amorous set of parents prove to be the last straw.

The gang travels to Holiday Island which turns out to be suspiciously like high school and in the absence of the "cool kids" has been taken over by President's Day.  

Meanwhile, Daria's younger sister Quinn (Hoopes again!!) is concerned about her parents' amorous behavior because she thinks they're planning to have another child and is willing to do anything, including risking being kicked out of the Fashion Club, to stop this horrible up-cutes-manship from taking place.

Will Christmas, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day be cancelled?   Will Daria and Quinn get a new younger sibling?

RigbyMel says:

I am a big fan of Daria generally.  It was regular must-see viewing for me in the 1990s and overall, I find the series holds up very well.  "Depth Takes A Holiday" is an unusual and somewhat surreal episode, though.  The series tended to keep itself on the ridiculous/sarcastic but sort of realistic side of things most of the time and this is a departure into pure fantasy.

There are a lot of folks who really dislike this episode for that reason.    However, if you're willing to go along with the premise, it's quite fun.

Halloween, Christmas and Guy Fawkes Day have a disagreement at band practice

The teen characterizations of the various holidays are amusing.  Cupid is an overgrown frat boy in a diaper who speaks with a Barry White type voice when using his powers.  St. Patrick's Day is a short excitable fellow clad in a green hat and be-shamrocked Hawaiian shirt.

Christmas wears a red shirt, green trousers and a Santa hat and demands sugar cookies.   Halloween is an orange and black clad Goth chick (naturally).    Guy Fawkes Day is portrayed as a Sid Vicious like punk -  which is a bit of an oddity for a UK celebration (also known as Bonfire Night) based on a failed 17th century attempt to blow up Parliament.   Maybe it's meant to be some kind of commentary on what teenagers interpret anarchy to be?

The show's trademark snark is used to good effect -- there are some awesome/depressing comments about similarities between high school and "real" life, as well a one liner from Jane about the consumption of out-of-season nog that never fail to amuse me.

We learn that in the absence of the "cool kids" at Holiday High,  Presidents' Day has staged a bit of a popularity coup and we see them bossing around Memorial Day and Arbor Day, which is a nice touch.

Although "Depth Takes A Holiday" is a bit of an oddity in the Daria-verse, it's still pretty snark-tacular and definitely worth a look if you are a fan of 1990s pop culture and holidays.

RigbyMel's rating:

3 episodes of "Sick, Sad World"

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown

Premiered March 16, 1976.

"What is Arbor Day? Oh, that's simple. That's the day when all the ships come sailing into the arbor!"
-Sally Brown, incorrectly answering Miss Othmar's question.

Sally (Gail Davis) has been assigned by her teacher to write about the history and meaning of Arbor Day.  Linus (Liam Martin) offers to help her and suggests the library will provide them with the needed information.

They learn Arbor Day was created by J. Sterling Morton, an early conservationist.  Linus reads aloud from a book that states "Arbor Day points out to both children and adults the need to protect certain areas of our natural forests and woodlands."  Arbor means tree, and trees are planted in celebration of Arbor Day.

Sally asks Linus if Spring really does turn a young man's fancy to thoughts of love

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown (Dylan Beach) and Peppermint Patty (Stuart Brotman) are sitting under a tree discussing love and baseball.  They're getting ready for the upcoming baseball season.  Peppermint Patty is confident that her team will soundly beat Chuck's team several times.  But she still wishes Chuck and his team good luck in the upcoming season.

Peppermint Patty is very confident her team will win against Chuck's team:
"Our team plays your team twelve times. We slaughter you twice in April, smash you three times in May, ruin you twice in June, murder you three times in July, annihilate you four times in August, and destroy you altogether in September." (Peppermint Patty's math appears to be off, she's actually just listed off fifteen games, not twelve!)

Sally enlists Linus' help to plant trees in honor of Arbor Day.  They run into Lucy (Sarah Beach), who thinks that's a good idea and joins them.  Sally and Lucy decide that Charlie Brown's baseball field is the perfect place to do some planting.  Linus isn't so sure, he thinks they should ask Charlie Brown first.  Lucy dismisses Linus' worries as "nonsense."  She says Chuck will be glad that they are improving his field.

Lucy tells Charlie Brown that they're fixing up the field, without explaining how they are fixing it.  Charlie Brown informs Peppermint Patty that the field will be in good shape for their opening day game.

The rest of the Peanuts gang (except for Chuck) get to work planting trees and other vegetation, including a new sapling right in the middle of Charlie Brown's pitcher's mound.

Linus is concerned about the tree on the mound, but Lucy says it will provide shade.  She adds that they could use "a little class on the pitcher's mound", a (not so subtle) dig at Chuck.

The Peanuts gang hard at work planting ... on the baseball field!

Lucy decides that they need more plants.  They plant rose bushes, daisies, geraniums, a creeping vine behind home plate and a vegetable garden in right field.

Snoopy runs afoul of a newly planted creeping vine behind home plate

In the meantime, Charlie Brown is working on baseball strategies, blissfully unaware of the havoc that is being wreaked upon his beloved baseball diamond.

What will Chuck's reaction be when he sees his new and "improved" baseball field?  Moreover, what will Peppermint Patty think of the field's condition when she arrives with her team?  Will the new field help lead Chuck's team to their first ever victory?   

J.A. Morris says:

I'm pretty sure I caught this special when it was brand new in 1976.  It's a good introduction to conservation for children and it's a solid Peanuts special.

Lucy celebrates her first-ever homerun:"Another victory for Women's Lib!"

There are several moments that still make me laugh:Woodstock's encounter with a sprinkler, Snoopy's wrestling match with a creeping vine and Charlie Brown screaming "quitters" during the rain-out are highlights.

The baseball game is another high point.  Baseball is often referenced in Charlie Brown specials, but we rarely see Chuck and company play a game.  Watching Chuck and Peppermint Patty's teams square off surrounded by cornfields and tomato plants provides us with some very entertaining action.

There are some minor subplots in It's Arbor Day.  The special opens up with a scene with Linus' brother Rerun (Vinny Dow) riding on the back of his mother's bicycle.  Rerun was a recent addition to the Peanuts comic strip and this was his animated debut.

We also get some funny scenes involving Snoopy and Woodstock (both voiced by Bill Melendez) at the library.  Snoopy finds some books about dog obedience that make him laugh loudly in the library, drawing the ire of the librarian.  Woodstock also has an unfortunate encounter with a photocopier.

The only problem I have with this special is Charlie Brown's voice.  Dylan Beach isn't terrible, but there's something not quite right about him.  According to imdb, this is Beach's only screen credit, so perhaps the producers shared my assessment.

On a sad note, this was the last special that featured new music from regular Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi.  He died shortly before this special aired and Charlie Brown specials were never quite the same.  But Guaraldi did some nice work here.  During the baseball game, we get some fun organ-based music that will make you feel like you're watching the game in a stadium.  

A chagrined Charlie Brown tries to explain the "improved" field to Peppermint Patty

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown has a nice story with action and humor.  It's provides a bit of education about Arbor Day and it also celebrates another uniquely American "holiday": opening day of baseball season!
For more information about Arbor Day (and conservation in general), check out the official site of the Arbor Day foundation:

http://www.arborday.org/

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5

3 and a half kite eating trees.

Aaaaaugh!

RigbyMel says: 
This special was seldom aired on TV, so I didn't get around to seeing it until it was released on DVD.   It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown is a very cute and fun special.   I like the educational aspects about Arbor Day and also the fact that Linus and Sally (as well as Snoopy and Woodstock) visit their local public library to do research.

The gang's impulse to plant and beautify is laudable, but one really does feel for Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty's distress at the transformation of the baseball field.

The transformed baseball diamond

There are some wonderful funny details included in this special,  like the use of baseball bats as tomato stakes.

Creative baseball bat useage

And also Snoopy's mirth over the dog obedience training book at the library and inadvertent photocopying of Woodstock are amusing.

Who knew dog obedience training books could be so funny?

I do detect a hint of (perhaps inadvertent) irony in a sequence involving Snoopy and Woodstock using a photocopier (and wasting paper) in a show about trees and conservation.

Age old photocopier silliness

Lucy's "victory for Women's Lib" is pretty funny as well.

My only real complaint would be a desire to see a compromise of some sort allowing the Peanuts gang to keep both the baseball field AND the lovely community garden they plant for Arbor Day!

This is a fun special that has been overlooked.  It's worth checking out on DVD or via Netflix if you've the time or inclination.

RigbyMel's rating:

3 (kite eating?)  trees