Daria travels with Jane, her rocker brother, Trent, and his friend Jesse, to a rock festival, but traffic jams, bee stings, roadside bathroom breaks, broken glasses, and Trent's busted van find the quartet stranded on the side of the road.
This episode provides examples of:
(Jake and Helen bolt to the window to make sure Daria is gone)- Caption Humor: When our heroes get stuck in traffic, Trent mentions the similarity to the video for "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. note which also plays on the episode's original soundtrack in the scene
except they can't read anyone's thoughts. Cut to Daria, with a caption reading "Thank God". - Drives Like Crazy: Trent. Made worse by the fact that Daria and Jane are riding on an old trunk instead of seats with proper belts.
- Brittany, when she takes control of the wheel after Stacy signaled her about an Outlet Mall.
- Future Loser: Trent and Jesse recognize the toll booth employee as one of their old classmates, and they start ranting about not ending up in a low-wage job like him.
- Heroic BSoD: Stacy almost got a panic attack when the Fashion Club was criticizing stretch pants and she was wearing them. Sandi had to snap her out of it by assuring her that she was wearing leggings.
- Humiliation Conga: Daria's day just keeps getting worse and worse.
Jane: Well, you're not your usually sunny self.
Daria: (scowling) I've got a bump on my head, a bug bite on my arm, a sandwich on my ass...
Jane: And all in front of Trent.
Daria: Now turn the knife counterclockwise. I can't go back out there. You go on to Alternapalooza; tomorrow, I'll emerge and begin my new life as a waitress.
- Limited Wardrobe: Unlike Quinn's boundless closet, Daria's only items in her closet, aside from the clothes on her back, are a spare set of her same daily outfit, a black t-shirt, and jeans.
- Literary Allusion Title: The Road Warrior becomes Road Worrier.
- MacGyvering: Jane manages to fix the van with her glue gun. It works like a miracle. Too bad they ended up missing the concert.
- Noodle Incident: Due to an unspecified but vomit-related incident, Trent owes Jesse a shirt.
- Sherlock Scan: The waitress at the road diner has the talent of guessing correctly what everyone is going to order based on their looks. When the Fashion Club and the Three J's arrive at the diner, the waitress sizes them up in about a second and calls their orders out to the back. None of them argue.
"Three cheeseburgers deluxe, four small house salads! [
Beat] With oil and vinegar on the side!"
- Shipper on Deck: The road trip affords Jane a variety of opportunities to encourage interaction between Daria and Trent.
- Unspoken Retort:
- Daria usually has no issue giving voice to her trademark brand of snark at anyone, be it her teachers, her parents, her sister, or on the few occasions where we see her work, her employer. However, due to being smitten with Trent, she keeps all of her snark to herself. Jane notices, and even tells her, "Say it, Daria! Whatever you're thinking, say it! Otherwise, they can go on like this for HOURS!" When Daria still holds her thoughts to herself, Jane chimes in.
Jesse: (about Trent) And this guy's not about selling out.
Jane: Because for that to happen, someone would have to be interested in buying. (everyone looks at her) What? I had to pick up the slack!
- At one point, stuck in traffic, the song "Everybody Hurts" is playing over the scene, note At least in the broadcast version. The song was changed for the DVD release due to copyright and licensing issues, and Trent even lampshades it by saying, "This is just like that R.E.M. video, except that you can't see what everyone is thinking." Cue a caption under Daria saying, "Thank God!"
- World-Weary Waitress: Employeed at a diner called Mom's that the various groups of teens stop at on the way to the concert. She thinks Daria could excel as one, too.
