List of Daria Characters - The Lane Family

The Lane Family

• Jane Lane (first appearance: Episode #1.01, "Esteemsters") — Daria's artistic best friend and fellow outcast, as well as the youngest of the five Lane siblings. While sharing some of Daria's misanthropic views and attitudes, Jane is much more lively and well adjusted than her best friend. In the episode "The F Word", Jane's response to an assignment to try something at which she thought she'd fail was to try to become a popular cheerleader. She did so effortlessly, but quickly became disgusted with the "in crowd" and returned to her old self. Jane also flirts with mainstream acceptance when she joins the track team, but quits after her teammates insult Daria ("See Jane Run"). Living with her older brother Trent (see below), she manages to stay completely functional and content with life despite a complete absence of parental guidance or even presence. Aside from her friendship with Daria, her major defining characteristic is her artistic talent, for which she strives desperately to maintain her integrity, even going so far as to vandalize her art when a caption is changed for a school contest ("Arts N Crass") and to quit making replicas for money after realizing the negative impact upon her creativity ("Art Burn"). Jane is voiced by Wendy Hoopes. Jane likes to make postmodern art, and Jane and Daria's favorite TV show is "Sick, Sad World." Anita Gates of The New York Times says that Jane "knows all of Daria's peculiarities and still loves her" and that "the absolute proof that Jane is a good friend is that she knows how Daria feels about Trent and will never, ever tell."
• Trent Lane (first appearance: Episode #1.02, "The Invitation") — Jane's older brother by five years, the second youngest child in the family, and the only other Lane still permanently residing in the Lane household. He wears spiky hair and plays in a band called Mystik Spiral. A laid-back slacker, designed to be the stereotypical Generation X slacker of the 1990s, he's not sure whether or not he graduated from high school, and he drives the 'Trentmobile', a rickety 1973 Plymouth Satellite coupe. He sings and plays lead guitar in the garage band Mystik Spiral, though they're thinking of changing the name. He was also Daria's romantic interest for the first three seasons and, although he was aware of her feelings, it was never made clear whether he reciprocated them to any degree. They had a sort of non-break-up break-up in the Season Three finale "Jane's Addition", when they discuss a class project where Trent failed to assist Daria and Jane, and it became an implicit acknowledgment that it wouldn't work out if they ever dated. Compared with sister Jane, he seems to have had a harder time adjusting to the lack of parental support in his life. There have been a few occasions where Trent has helped mend fences between Daria and Jane, and it's strongly implied he knew what he was doing when he accomplished this. Trent's perpetual laziness is presented in almost every aspect of his personality, down to the tenor of his voice, which is provided by theatre actor Alvaro J. Gonzalez. Gates said that Daria's "silent intense crush" on Trent is her "only discernible weakness."

Other members of the Lane family made only occasional appearances.

• Vincent Lane (first appearance: Episode #3.08, "Lane Miserables") — Jane's father. Like her mother Amanda, Vincent is rarely seen, frequently taking long trips to foreign countries for artistic purposes. Scarcely a father figure and with no apparent occupation, Vincent seems to take little to no interest in his family, and how he and his wife manage to afford the house Jane and Trent live in is never explained. Vincent also appeared in Episode #507 ("Art Burn").
• Amanda Lane (first appearance, non-speaking: Episode #201, "Arts N Crass") — Jane's mother. Rarely present at the Lane household and consequently rarely featured on the series, Amanda is an unconventional artist and very laid back about the raising of her children. She lets them do whatever they want and takes absolutely no role in their guidance. Her one rule is "Don't start fires in rooms without fireplaces." Amanda also appeared in episodes #308 ("Lane Miserables") and #507 ("Art Burn"). It's implied in the former episode that she and Helen Morgendorffer are friends (or at least acquainted through their daughters), because Amanda goes to Helen for help with her fractured family and they talk to each other with familiarity, and Amanda uses Helen's advice (have a family dinner and encourage conversation) to get her family to mercifully all part ways again.
• Wind Lane (first appearance: Episode #3.08, "Lane Miserables") — Jane's eldest brother. Wind had been married and divorced three times (and, according to Jane in "The Teachings of Don Jake", is soon to be remarried for a fourth time after trying to find out whether or not his three previous divorces were legalized in the U.S.), lived away from home and could well be the show's most emotionally damaged character. Seemingly unable to control his emotions, he was prone to crying at even the slightest provocation, particularly when the topic of his romantic life arose. Wind also appeared in Episode #507 ("Art Burn").
• Summer Lane (first appearance: Episode #3.08, "Lane Miserables") — Jane and Trent's older sister, and seemingly the eldest child of Amanda and Vincent. Summer was first mentioned in "Pinch Sitter" when Jane helped Daria baby-sit for the first time, saying she used to help out with her sister's children until they were old enough to run away. She was mentioned again in "The Teachings of Don Jake" when Jane said that the private detectives found three of Summer's four children, and appeared in the show once, in "Lane Miserables". Of her four children, two appeared in the series (see Courtney and Adrian Lane, below). Little of her personality was revealed, save for her apparent exhaustion from parenting four kids.
• Penny Lane (first appearance: Episode #308, "Lane Miserables") — Jane and Trent's older sister, and presumed middle child of the Lane family, her name is a reference to the famous Beatles song. She appeared in the show only once, where she is revealed to have spent most of her time in recent years backpacking across Latin America with her pet parrot Chiquito. It was known since Episode #211 ("See Jane Run") that she had attended the same high school as Daria and Jane and "spent the last ten years out of the country", often taking jobs in Central American countries (in "The Teachings of Don Jake" Jane mentions that Penny moved to Nicaragua after failing to find work in Mexico).
• Courtney Lane (first appearance: Episode #3.08, "Lane Miserables") — Summer's runaway daughter.
• Adrian Lane (first appearance: Episode #3.08, "Lane Miserables") — Summer's runaway son.

Other insignificant members of the Lane extended family that are seen in Episode #112 ("The Teachings of Don Jake") include Aunt Bernice, Uncle Max (who is constantly drunk and likes Trent for being a loser), and a verbally abusive, unnamed grandmother in a wheelchair.