A not-all-inclusive Keller poll

[xparrot]

Yup, I've got better things I ought to be doing - but I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm not doing them. So here, have a poll!

I'm seeing a lot of divergent opinions around about Dr. Jennifer Keller 'round SGA fandom these days, and I'm terribly curious about the stats (my apologies to everyone who's heartily sick of this.) As is apparent to anyone who reads my lj regularly, I'm not exactly unbiased about this, but I've tried to make this poll as neutral as possible; please speak up if you think it fails in that.


[Poll #1312661]

Comments

[liviapenn.livejournal.com]

I haven't been watching much of this season, but what annoyed me about Keller in S4 was that her characterization seemed very variable-- like it changed in every episode. What annoys me *now* is that they basically could have done every Keller episode with Katie Brown instead. What was the point in having Rodney break up with Katie Brown if they were just going to have Keller be the exact same type of character, in the exact same type of relationship with Rodney?

Also, if they'd kept Katie around, there wouldn't have been a reason for them to *focus episodes on her*-- and I can't imagine how annoying it is to have multiple episodes in this season focused on a brand new character, when people also know these are the last episodes we're ever gonna get.

And also, w/out Keller, it wouldn't have been so disappointing for the Ronon fans, who got led on thinking that there might be Ronon/Keller, and were really hoping to see Ronon get focused on in that type of storyline, instead of the kind he usually gets.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Apparently a lot of people like Rodney/Keller because it's so different from Rodney/Katie. I admit to not seeing that; Keller is different from Katie (more critical, less eager to please him), but the way Rodney acts around her seems exactly the same to me.

Yeah, I was hoping for some romantic Ronon, shame that didn't work out. I get the feeling most of the writers have Ronon-phobia; they don't know how to handle him...

[busaikko]

I keep making two mental comparisons re characters and relationships:

1. Keller vs Amanda. Amanda's new, right? She's serious, competent, kickboxes, and half of her dialogue is 'yes, sir.' But the way she's been introduced to us is very show-don't-tell, and I find myself liking her (and her little bun!) a lot. Keller, on the other hand, I liked S4, but S5 I feel as if I'm being *told* how great and lovable she is, with no evidence. Gr.

2. McKay/Keller vs McKay/Sheppard. I'm a geek-girl. Keller, as of S3, was written as a geek-girl. So why, for goodness' sake, are they trying to give us dozen-roses, party-dress, girlie romance Keller -- and remaking McKay into someone who digs that? I would totally buy McKeller if we saw Rodney and Jennifer racing cars, or playing video games, or trash-talking DC Comics. If we saw that they could be themselves together, the way McKay is with Sheppard. So (re question 4) I'd be totally behind having more major romance on SGA, if it was the kind of romance I can see the characters having, based on their personalities.

I *swear* sometimes I think one of the writers is in a bitter divorce or a midlife crisis or something ('Torture is nothing compared to marriage!' quoth Sheppard *headdesk*)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(Your icon = AHAHAHAHA SCARY!)

Yeah, I have this feeling with Amelia that if they'd focused on her much more, I wouldn't like her as much...I really quite like her now, when we've been given a little bit to go on and can extrapolate the rest. With Keller, they're not giving us space for extrapolation, but they're not giving us enough else to like her for, either.

And seriously - as much as I'm a McShepper, if they'd given us geek-girl!Keller playing with Rodney, I might've betrayed my OTP for it. (Heck, if a Sam Carter from another universe turned up wanting to get hot & heavy w/ Rodney, I'd be on that 'ship with bells on; I frickin' loved them together, loved how Rodney could obnoxiously, unabashedly, be himself around Sam.)

The SG-writers' view on romance is downright creepy sometimes. (Really, I'm glad the show won't actually go slash; I have a bad feeling these writers would've ruined McKay/Sheppard for me, if they'd made it canonical...)

(ETA because I think we mean Amelia, not Amanda!)

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

I disliked Carson (no particular reason, just didn't like him) and loved Jewel on Firefly and was thrilled to see her come to SGA.

You think I would have learned from Ben Browder and Claudia Black, but noooooo.

Julia, alas.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I know - I was so excited to have Jewel on! (And I actually liked Farscape:SG-1, even...) Now I kind of feel sorry for her, she deserves better material than this...

[ezazahaz.livejournal.com]

More detail, even though I totally have other things I need to be doing... :)

On Keller vs Carson:
I liked Carson, but not Carson-centric episodes; I didn't really find this a problem until he came back. I liked Keller okay when she was first introduced, but not once she became more of a main character and there became more Keller-centric (and Rodney/Keller-centric) episodes. Plus, I have a hard time separating my opinion of her from my opinion of Rodney/Keller. (I think mostly I need doctor-types for my h/c, but want them to stay in the infirmary and stop getting entangled in plots and relationships...)

On Rodney/Keller:
I did at one point think it might work, but changed my mind; it's still better in theory than in practice, but now I don't like it in theory either.

On Miscellaneous opinions:
-I loved Jewel Staite, and it makes me sad that Keller is making me not like her much anymore. :(
-My reason for disliking romantic relationships in shows is more that they don't do the pairings I like. I think I could have actually liked Ronon/Keller, if they'd kept with that. (And McShep, as if that would ever happen. :) )
-This season has been a roller coaster of lousy and awesome.
-I'm curious if anyone besides me ticks both the Sad and Relieved options about this being the last season...

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of doctor-types as main characters, I prefer them as background h/c supporters myself. (I've got some theories why this is so - their compassion being part of their job makes it hard to tell how close friends they really are with other characters - but it could just be the way SG writes them...)

I honestly am happy the show never would do canon McShep, I've got a terrible feeling they'd spoil it for me! XP

I ticked both sad & relived myself! It's how I feel...

[wintercreek]

On Rodney/Keller: I liked the way it started - I liked seeing the little hints of their interest for each other and the things they had in common. The writers lost me at The Shrine, though. As someone, somewhere in fandom said: The SGA writers don't understand the advice to "show, not tell" - they're TELLING us that Rodney loves Jennifer, but that episode was all about SHOWING us that Rodney loves John. I'm not a mutually exclusive 'shipper, and I could have dealt with the slow build toward a Rodney/Jennifer canon while maintaining my McShep happy place ... but this business of hamhandedly shoving Rodney/Jennifer at the audience doesn't work for me.

Also, I'm sad for Ronon. He's been flirty (arguably and depending on whether one watches the show with slash goggles) with Elizabeth, Teyla, John, Jennifer, and no one has worked out for him. How about some Ronon lovin'?

To ezazahaz: I ticked both Sad and Relieved. Closed canon is more comfortable for me, especially when the writing can be erratic like it is on this show.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the lack of "show, not tell" seems to be killer for a lot of fans. And poor Ronon! How can a guy that gorgeous not get the girl (guy) at least once?!

[eleveninches.livejournal.com]

In full disclosure: I don't watch either Stargate show for the romance, so I'm not 100% happy with having romantic relationships in the eps. That said, I like Keller, and Rodney/Keller is cute, so, you know, whatever. I'm a slasher; I don't particularly need (or necessarily desire!) my pairings to be canon. So as long as a canon pairing isn't the entire focus of the show, I'm cool with it.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh - I'm a slasher but not really a 'shipper; I'm just as happy without any canon pairings. Happier, really, because I only like 'ships if they go the way *I* want them to go, and that happens, like, almost never (except in my shmoopy shoujo manga, I tend to love those romances, but hell if I know why!) Besides, I got enough issues with how these writers handle romance that I think I'm just as glad they won't go canon with the slash, they'd probably screw it up for me XP

Keller

[hawtboyluvin.livejournal.com]

I loath Keller!
I don't hate her case she replaced Carson
She is in my opinion a bad doctor!

Rodney is an amazing person who SHOULD NOT be changed or told what to do by this person!
Rodney has more Chemistry with a shoe..than he does with Keller!

Keller is loved by TPTB so much that the other characters have suffered in light of TPTB infatuation of Staite/Keller.. including Rodney who was unceremoniously paired up with Keller!

These are my opinions of course..not to be changed! For this is how I feel!

Re: Keller

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee - at least you know what you want! Even if the show is disappointing you...

[ivadel.livejournal.com]

My only problem with Keller is that I don't believe her. I don't believe her as the head of medicine - I don't believe her as a surgeon. She is just too young - physically and mentally.

[yellowvalley.livejournal.com]

WORD on this. Exactly.

[gblvr.livejournal.com]

I thought the first go 'round with McKay and Keller, in 'The Last Man', was handled well -- there was a build-up to their relationship, and it didn't feel forced.

This time, though, it was less show and more 'let's cram it down people's throats', which I hate under any circumstances...I'm not even sure why we're supposed to believe they even like each other, let alone the basis of their love.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yes! I actually loved "The Last Man," and liked the Rodney/Keller there - but it didn't come across as romantic to me; it was more tragic, an illustration of how much they'd lost, that they only had each other to cling to.

Now, though...I don't know why they're clinging to each other, I don't understand what's between them, except the writers' desperate urge to pair characters off before the show's end...

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

I honestly may just dislike doctor characters, since I disliked Carson Beckett too, and if I stretch to consider SG-1 too, I'm not too fond of Lam. - If they were going to bring someone back from the dead couldn't it have been Janet instead?

I like Jewel Staite, I liked Kaylee, I just don't like the Keller character, and so I can't like her with Rodney. Yes, I like McShep, but I could have enjoyed Elizabeth and Rodney together (she knew exactly who and what he was and appreciated the good with the bad, she didn't try to change him, and she could manage him), Sam and Rodney (again, she sees him clearly and could stand up to him without needing to change him), or to get vaguely crossover-ish and strange Kaylee and Rodney (anyone who could work on a ship with Mal and Jayne could deal with Rodney and she'd have appreciated his brilliance under pressure).

So, it's Keller, the character, I dislike. And that makes me dislike McKay/Keller, because you never want to see someone you like with someone you think doesn't deserve them.


And I answered that I was sad to see the end of the show (I am, even when it makes me mad or disappoints me or goes another direction than what I like, I'll still miss seeing new episodes), but at the same time, I do feel a little that if it's going to be the McKay Keller show, well, I won't miss that so much. I'd rather it end before the disappointments turn to dislike.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I mentioned this above, that I don't really care for doctors myself - I think it might be that being compassionate is their job, so it doesn't mean as much when they show their caring; you never can quite tell if they're really friends, or just doing their duty. Or something... (that being said, I liked Lam myself - but probably wouldn't have as much if she'd been made a major character, considering that I liked Carson fine when he stayed in the background but don't like it when he gets the limelight.)

Yes! I'm a McShep OTPer, I'll admit it, but I secretly 'ship Sam/Rodney anyway (she could totally handle him, and I absolutely believe he loves - or at least wholeheartedly lusts - for her, body & mind), and I liked Elizabeth best when she was with Rodney. (And Rodney/Kaylee would work! Though my true crossover OTP is Rodney/Donna Noble, I must admit...) But Keller, I don't like her, and I don't see how she fits with Rodney, and, yes, I don't think she deserves Rodney, damn it! And Rodney deserves better than her XP

[gaffsie.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind Keller when she was first introduced. I really hated Carson's guts (and he is still my least favourite SGA character) and thought that she was a decent replacement, thinking that she would be a supporting character, like Carson should have been. It was when the focus of the show suddenly shifted to her that I started disliking her. Part of it is resentment for stealing the spotlight from characters I actually care about, part of it is the way all the other characters are fawning over her, but I also do find her genuinely annoying. She is just so whiny, and Rodney and her brings out the worst in each other.

And then there's the romance. Why don't you just gag me with a spoon. If I wanted to watch shoddily written romance, I'd be subscribing to the Lifetime channel.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Most of the times I've genuinely liked Keller (mostly last season) were when she was a supporting character - she's just boring as a lead, and nonsensical; I just don't get why we're supposed to care about her more than our leads. Thus far, not a single person answering this poll has called her one of their favorite characters - so how come she's gotten more episodes this season than any other character?

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the idea of Rodney and Keller coming, so I can't say (a la the poll question) that I liked the idea or disliked the idea before it happened, because I just wasn't there. In principle, I don't hate the idea at all, but I do feel (as others have said) that I needed more groundwork to embrace them as folks in love - the great 'show, not tell.'

Here's where I stand on the whole shebang. There is much in canon SGA that I do not like: Carson; Elizabeth spending most of her Atlantis life standing on the control-room balcony; the whole end of season two / beginning of season three arc; the race issues; the gender issues; the sexuality issues (despite my read of everyone as potentially gay, the whole thing is very hetero-normative, even in terms of the planets they visit); the terrible episode with the war crimes trial; the inconsistent characterization; the sense that the writers are often making things up as they go.

Yet equally, there is so much that I love - the idea of big damn heroes; the banter; the Team love; the whales; the crazy last minute fixes; the fact that no one's left behind; the way Sam looked in leather pants; the remote-controlled car races; Michael; Todd; the very idea of Atlantis and Pegasus and all that could be out there; the Jumpers; the ATA gene; the way that John is 12.

And so I take what I love and I write solutions to what I don't, and I think of Keller in the same way. I loved her in S4, like her less in S5, and I want better for her than she's getting. I want better for them *all* than they're getting, for the Team, for the secondary characters, and perhaps most of all for the Pegasans who are usually medieval backdrop instead of primary, world-building superstars. I want Rodney to go back to earth and sneer at Bill Nye; I want John to laugh until his belly hurts; I want Teyla and Kanaan to find enormous happiness; I want Ronon to get laid, geez, it's been ten years! I want all of them to be as intelligent and flawed and curious as they can be, and for Jennifer to embrace living in a whole other galaxy, however stressful the responsibility that comes with that. I want every one of them to be loved and to give love, and to use their big old brains and their skills and their tactical know how, and for not one of them to walk onto a degrading Hive ship and forget that it's made of organic material so huh, how about that?

Half the fun of being in fandom is in filling in the blanks and imagining more than it's possible to imagine for a show constrained by censors, studios, 42 minutes of run time, and a set budget. I think Keller's getting the short end of the stick, just as so much else does on our show, and I can't wait to write it different. Annnnnd . . . here endeth my moment on the soapbox :D

[gnine.livejournal.com]

...I think I love you a little LOT!

You put it so beautifully, the good and the bad and I'm so very VERY happy this fandom has you writing for it! *glomp*

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I never cared much for Beckett, I liked him but he wasn't my favorite person ever and I didn't mind when they killed him off. But compared to Jennifer, he had personality. He was a Scotsman, he talked with an accent, he hated Ancient technology, he loved fishing... Jennifer is, I don't know, either she's bland or a total Mary Sue, there's no consistency. And sorry, I just don't see her as the medical chief of Atlantis, she's too "/o\, what do I doooooooo?" to be that.

And her relationship with Rodney? Uh, it feels like incest since they are more like brother and sister, I don't see any sparks there. He's also too old for her, or at least it feels that way with him being all acerbic and her all shy and inexperienced, so whenever I see them together, it's like craddle-robbing. And when did they actually fall in love? There was like one scene with them, then nothing, then one scene again and suddenly it's a big epic love. It feels... weird, as if their romance was cut down to a reader's digest's version.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yes, I didn't really care about Beckett one way or another, but they didn't try to make him as major a character as Keller, so I didn't mind. If they'd tried to pair him off with Rodney (if slash would actually be canon) - I'd probably have been just as annoyed with it, really...!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'm never a big fan of canon romance anyway, especially not at the end of the show...but this particular romance has been so very poorly handled. I want to sit the writers down and make them watch Big Bang Theory - geek/blonde girl romance done right, with sympathetic portrayals of both characters and realistic emotions - in a sitcom, no less!

[dragonladyk.livejournal.com]

You forgot the "She's the Devil! The Devil, I say! Douse her in gasoliine and light her on fire, the diabolical Mary Sue object of TPTB's fratboy lust! The foul Bella Swan of Science fiction!" option, because that's closer to what I actually feel about her.

Why am I releived this is the last season? No more Magical Mystery Mary Keller with her half-assed written whining and sucking up screentime that could be better spent on anything else, including Teyla standing alone in a dark room reading the collected works of Athosian wisdom.

Brain Storm was only saved from the rubbish bin by the unfathomable awesomeness of Bill Nye the Science Guy. He was so awesome that I still loved the ep even with the McKeller bullshit and Keller acting like she was Rodney's goddamned mother.

With the sole exception of Bella Swan in "Twilight," I have never hated a fictional person as much as I hate Keller.

This is very sad, since I liked her better than Carson in "Adrift," "Lifeline," and "Doppleganger." Then they WRECKED HER, and SMASHED HER AWESOMENESS INTO TINY, TINY MISOGYINISTIC PIECES.

DragonLady

[gnine.livejournal.com]

You forgot the "She's the Devil! The Devil, I say! Douse her in gasoliine and light her on fire, the diabolical Mary Sue object of TPTB's fratboy lust! The foul Bella Swan of Science fiction!" option, because that's closer to what I actually feel about her.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA *gasps* *wipes tears from eyes* Too...perfect! *still snickering*

[splitbeak.livejournal.com]

As for question 2, I don't mind Keller as a person (would probably like her more even if the show wasn't shoving her down my throat), I don't mind her as a doctor, but I don't think she is the absolute #1 hands down best doctor on the planet. Think about it, Atlantis is the best and the brightest, of which she's in charge. She doesn't have the confidence or experience to pull it off yet - and I say yet because maybe in 10 years she'll be great, but someone like her should have learned on Earth first. She's so unsure of herself that she plays things too carefully - as seen in The Shrine - which just doesn't work in Pegasus. If she were just another doctor on Atlantis, I'd be cool with that. But I can't believe there was no one else out there who was more qualified. I wish we could see more of her interactions with fellow doctors on Atlantis. Do they respect her - either as a person, doctor or boss?

On the flip side, I think some of that is Jewel's fault. Please don't flame me, I loved her in Firefly, but she's not working it on SGA. The acting style is different between the two shows, but she didn't seem to transition. I wish I could explain that specifically, but I can't so anyone can mark that down to personal taste. I know Joss Whedon leaves absolutely no room for improv in his scripts, so maybe it feels like she's always expecting someone to give her more direction that just never comes? I don't know. But more importantly, any time she says something medical, I get the feeling she doesn't know what the words mean. It's too obvious that she's *playing* doctor. Now, I'm not expecting her to go to med school to play the part, but she needs to fake it better.

Overall, I don't hate her as much as it sounds like, I'm just annoyed that she's getting more screen time than Beckett ever seemed to get.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

What really baffles me about Keller being the head of Atlantis medicine is that she's also, apparently, head of medical research - she claims she's a "regular doctor" in her first ep, but then they have her working with Michael and Carson's research. Those are two vastly different disciplines - it juuuuuust made sense with Carson (they sent limited numbers through on the first expedition, so sending a doctor with geneticist skills was logical, and Carson was old enough it was vaguely believable he'd gotten two degrees) but Keller's that much younger, less experienced, and she always acts unsure around the science - why the heck do they have her doing it, then; why can't they just hire an actual geneticist to specialize? (I know the out-show reason is that the writers want to give the character more to do, but I want the in-show reason!)

I think Jewel is a fine actor, but I'm ambivalent about her performance on SGA...she does come across as too uncertain. But she was believably confident and knowledgeable as Kaylee, so I'm not sure if the problem is in the acting, or the writing or the directing - maybe she's not faking it well because the creators think she's cute when she's unsure, and ask her to play it that way? I have no idea...!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

I can't help comparing Beckett and Keller, and the thing is that I like Carson a lot as a person but have serious issues with his ethics and tendency towards mad science that never ends well. I think that Keller is a good replacement in theory because her work experience before Atlantis was in an emergency capacity, not a lab. I like that her character becomes more confident with time, but I wince at her inept bedside manner (and her nasal voice). My biggest issue with Keller is that the writers don't seem to be keeping her consistent, and so things she tells or shows different people about herself contradict and thus I spent some time thinking she was a liar and expecting her to be a bad guy. It's hard to get attached to a character under those circumstances.

As for the McKay/Keller thing... well, I guess it's nice that Rodney finally gets the girl. I just wish it wasn't her, mainly because she -- like Katie -- tries to change him. I dislike that in anyone in a relationship on general principle.

[fawkesielady-ed.livejournal.com]

My feelings on Keller are confusing!
I used to like the character and was really happy when Jewel came to the show. I was extremely pleased with the way they portrayed her at first, she seemed like a really compitant doctor, one that was almost good enough to fill Carson's shoes, although NO ONE would be that good...

But here recently, they have been making her out to be the "dumb blonde" of the show!
First, in the shrine she was so "taken with the new Rodney" that she let that cloud her judgement that there was OBVIOUSLY something wrong with him. Rodney being that nice would have sent up red flags right away with Carson! He would have been like, whoa, something is not right here. And he'd have found the thing before it started making Rodney lose his mind!

Then, she goes to the shrine planet with practically no tools! Regardless of whether or not the shrine would have worked, she should have been prepared for it to work and to be able to do something with the bug thing!
But, and I'm not sure if this is worse or not... she takes Rodney over to the mouth of the cave just to test a friggin theory. which was... that the parasite expanding rapidly back into the brain is what kills the people with it... okay, well lets do that then... see if it kills him!

Then in Brain storm, she tried to change Rodney! She had fallen in love with the super nice SICK Rodney and that was who she was trying to make him into! She tried to squash him and stuff him in a shoe box to be her pet. You DO NOT try to change Rodney!
Then she used his words from the shrine to tell him she loved him. *gag* When Rodney said them it was cute and adoreable because he was sick and knew he had to tell her or die with the secret.
She vomited his words back into his face! If you love me... use your own words to tell me!
Then when he stood up to her and said this is how I am, take it or leave it... she went straight to sex.

Then in Infection... which I thought was great on the whole... except for Keller's own private pity party!
I did this, it's my fault, everyone feel sorry for me.
She was fishing and Rodney totally bit! Come on dude, compliment someone when they do something good, not when they ask for it.

As for relationships, I think Joe said it right when he said it's a mistake to put relationships in the show because fans don't actually want the relationship, they want the tension and stuff. I agree with him!

I know this is REALLY long, but I'll end by saying that I hate not liking Keller because I adore Jewel! I loved her as Kaylee in Firefly and I'd have liked to see Keller be more than they've made her out to be!

Okay, I'm done now!

[wneleh.livejournal.com]

McKeller activates my older-prof/bright-young-thing squick like whoa, even though the usual power issues are absent (or are they?).

I can't say that there's NO way I'd have enjoyed the relationship, though.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I actually don't find it hitting that squick so much, because Rodney's so unsure of himself (though it does raise the question of why Rodney's never been party to such a relationship before. Seriously, a man of his genius, in a position of authority, would be hit on. I find it incredible to believe that no one except Katie Brown and Keller have ever asked him out - you'd think he'd be getting offers all the time from admiring scientists, I mean, the man is brilliant! That turns people on!)

I probably wouldn't have loved McKeller any way, but there are plenty of ways they could've written it such that I'd accept it. They just haven't. Which grates on me. Grrr!

[ariadne83]

OK, here's the thing: I wasn't that fond of Carson originally (although I was sad when he died) and I had no problem with Keller as they first presented her... but they didn't even see fit to give her an arc of her own. It bugs me that they've tied her so closely with the Hoffan virus because that's Carson's mistake so it should be his to correct. She carries no moral weight, for me, when she shoulders his burdens without so much as saying "Yeah, the last guy screwed up; sucks to be me" because the writers don't want to alienate Carson fans. I *like* that he has something to be sorry for, even moreso given how determined he is not to lose a single life. I can imagine it eating him up inside, and making him do crazy things, and that goes double for clone!Carson, who made the same mistake *again* and it almost cost them Teyla's life.

What is Keller's motivation? Why is she here? What drives her? Who is she? These shouldn't be things we're still asking after two years.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't get Keller's motivations, either. Even with Rodney, I don't know why she likes him, what she sees in him that she doesn't see in anyone else. And I don't know why she's on Atlantis to begin with. I have trouble getting inside her head or imagining her as a real person, because she doesn't make sense to me!

[calime]

At this point, my ire/dislike/whatever is mostly directed at the SGA screenwriters. And, well, radio buttons really cannot properly express my stance :)
Thing is, I had no strong feelings for Beckett either way - he was nice, but what I found in this show and what I stayed for was (cheesy, ambiguous-morals) sci-fi and TEAM (as in loyalty, belonging, friendship, bonds and connections). I was actually really yay! when Jewel Staite joined the cast - I fell madly in love with Kaylee in Firefly and Jewel is cute as cute can be and...
I did mind the inconsistent characterisation a bit, and I had to stretch my suspenders of disbelief about her age and her professional career fitting, but that was not hard - I can take a lot of belief-suspending in my escapism:)
I liked it when on season 4 it seemed as if she might become a kind of semi-recurring addition to the TEAM - there was eating together and interacting with team memebrs and... I foresaw the sailing of many many fanfic ships (I had a sekrit yearning for Jennifer/Teyla, and for OT4 post-apocalyptic scenarios turning into OT5 and...) If it had continued in that vein, I doubt I'd have minded the canon Rodney/Jennifer.
Now, I do mind. I mind because the screenwriters seem to proscribe to the idea that romance means losing the preexisting friendship connections or at least by default trumps them. I hate that (yes, yes, I know in RL it happens rather frequently - and that is why I hate it. I have silly notions of wanting friendship first and foremost and personally cannot fathom a 'romantic' relationship to have long-term potential unless participants are also friends. I hate with burning passion the belief that people 'in relationship' must aim to break down the partners' preexisting friendships or feel threatened by them.) I disliked the way Ronon-Rodney 'competiton' was written - on several levels. I disliked the recent drift towards epis that feature a couple of chars, not the team, the breaking up of the web. I'd loved to see more about Teyla/Kanaan relationship, but either way, it never broke the team dynamic. Actually, in rather the same vein, Katie Brown/Rodney was similar. Rodney/Keller has been made into a kind of more central storyline, yet it is IMO written too poorly to carry that out, and in the way that does both characters disservice. And probably a big part of it is that perhaps the screenwriters simply are bad at writing female chars in relationship so that it'd be likeable and believable for a lot of the (female) audience, I dunno. Personally, several things in Brain Storm made me hate the scriptwriter for making the Keller I like in my head (and whom I would actually love to date myself *g*) into someone I did not like.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I want friendship before (and after) romance pretty much always; 'ships bore me otherwise. And yeah, that the Rodney/Keller seems to be pushing out the Team dynamic is a big chunk of my antipathy for it - and it isn't necessary, they could've brought Keller into the team more, and I don't know why they haven't. (And I wanted more Teyla/Keller myself, dangit! The show is sadly lacking in the f-f relationships...)

Heh - hating the scriptwriters is the way to go! (and don't hate Keller for "Brain Storm" - that episode practically made me hate Rodney, and he's one of my favorite characters ever. Better to just forget it, and keep the Keller in your head, because she sounds pretty awesome! ^^)

[deaka.livejournal.com]

I'm really a bit conflicted about Keller and the Keller/Rodney thing. Last Man didn't sell me on the relationship to begin with, and I don't really trust Stargate writers with romance in general, but I did get the sense that there could be potential with the two characters... but the way it's panned out has left me pretty dissatisfied. Rodney just felt OOC in Infection, and the romance stuff was so poorly wedged in.

Keller herself I always wanted to like, but I find myself struggling as her characterisation fails to show any sign of stabilising, and as she continues to have random moments of vocal self-doubt in the middle of crises. What was a mild annoyance earlier is by this point seriously undermining the character. (And I do doubt that they would create a male character and make him so ineffectual, playing it as sympathetic. Every male character who struggles or complains - Beckett, McKay - gets told to get on with it, and yet Keller gets patted on the shoulder? And we're supposed to relate to her for it, apparently...)

I don't dislike the character, though, just wish she could have been handled better. The level of feeling against her in fandom... shouldn't surprise me at all, but some of the things said in criticism of her do nonplus me. I think all the Keller-centric episodes are possibly the worst thing the writers could have done, because it makes it feel like she's being forced on the audience and definitely doesn't work in her favour. (Team, where?)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I actually liked the Rodney/Keller of "The Last Man" - it jsust didn't read as romantic to me, more sad. So building a romance based on that just doesn't work for me.

And I do doubt that they would create a male character and make him so ineffectual, playing it as sympathetic. Every male character who struggles or complains - Beckett, McKay - gets told to get on with it, and yet Keller gets patted on the shoulder? And we're supposed to relate to her for it, apparently...

Yes, this bothers me. A lot. It's not that she wavers - it's that her unconfidence isn't presented as an actual flaw, it's not something she's struggling to get over, it's not something that bothers the people around her. It's just a "cute" trait of hers, apparently, and one she's not going to overcome - why would she, when this way she gets plenty of attention and reassurances from everyone?

[carina79.livejournal.com]

I like Rodney and Jennifer, but mostly because Rodney gets some looove. He could have ended up with another woman for all I care. I like romance in the show as long it's not the major storyline.

[darsynia.livejournal.com]

I'd like to qualify this with, these are the opinions I hold after seeing almost the entire *sniff* series. I used to love Beckett, but clone!Beckett gets on my nerves like crazy :( I also find it kind of hard to believe they had these all written out (with the rushing and the 'relationship setup? what relationship setup?' way they've been going about that one) before they knew the show was ending! Hadn't they filmed nearly everything but Vegas and the last ep when they found out for sure?

ps. thanks for wording these the way you have :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes...I liked Beckett a lot more before he came back from the dead. And I don't know for sure when they found out they were canceled - they were mostly done filming when the official announcement came out, but they might have guessed before. I wonder...

And no problem about the wording, I was hoping to get honest responses from all sides, so tried to make it as balanced as possible! I want to know what people actually think, not just what I'm hoping they think ^^

[gritkitty.livejournal.com]

More Keller = less Zelenka. A *lot* less Zelenka.

Hmph.

[sandyurbahns.livejournal.com]

So very true! AND SO SAD!!!