Regarding Alex, though -- remember how we reacted *at the time*? I didn't know you personally then, but I remember my reaction being pretty much in tune with the rest of the fandom. We hated her. We thought she was too perfect, she had no reason for being there, and that the main characters became BFFs with her way, way too quickly. I'm not parroting your arguments against Keller; these are arguments that I remember myself and other fans making against Alex at the time! Also, I couldn't stand her eyebrows for some reason. ^^;; But I remember in particular one scene at the end of maybe her 2nd or 3rd episode where she walks off arm-in-arm with the boys and that just made me livid at the time; I felt like TPTB were trying to force Alex down our throats and making the boys like her for no reason.
Looking back on it NOW, after six(?) years, I really can't remember why I disliked her so much. I strongly suspect that if I watched the show now, I wouldn't dislike her at all. But I remember how I felt about her then, and I'm seeing a lot of the same arguments in people's reactions to Keller. I wouldn't be at all surprised if, 10 years from now, none of us can figure out why anyone used to hate her. What you said about the characters questioning/mocking Alex -- I specifically remember NOT getting that from the show at the time; I felt like everyone on the show loved her and she could do no wrong.
Which is not to say that I think you're wrong or being overly emotional/irrational about Keller. I just think we might all be too close to the show right now, with emotions running too high over the cancellation, for this kind of commentary to avoid becoming a partisan battleground. I honestly don't think you're *wrong* to have posted it (and I'm sorry for getting so argumentative in your post) but I do think that the whole situation on the show might look a little more positive if we all stepped back a bit and took a deep breath ...
Re: second part
Looking back on it NOW, after six(?) years, I really can't remember why I disliked her so much. I strongly suspect that if I watched the show now, I wouldn't dislike her at all. But I remember how I felt about her then, and I'm seeing a lot of the same arguments in people's reactions to Keller. I wouldn't be at all surprised if, 10 years from now, none of us can figure out why anyone used to hate her. What you said about the characters questioning/mocking Alex -- I specifically remember NOT getting that from the show at the time; I felt like everyone on the show loved her and she could do no wrong.
Which is not to say that I think you're wrong or being overly emotional/irrational about Keller. I just think we might all be too close to the show right now, with emotions running too high over the cancellation, for this kind of commentary to avoid becoming a partisan battleground. I honestly don't think you're *wrong* to have posted it (and I'm sorry for getting so argumentative in your post) but I do think that the whole situation on the show might look a little more positive if we all stepped back a bit and took a deep breath ...