I didn't love Keiko, but I always understood where she was coming from.
I did too, and while she wasn't necessarily my favorite, I did appreciate what she brought to the show in terms of a heavy dose of realism. To me, she was one of the first signs that DS9 wasn't going to be squeaky clean, everyone-gets-along kind of Trek, and I liked that the showrunners had the balls to show us a less than perfect marriage in the oh-so-perfect Trek universe.
Besides, in addition to being a messily real human, she was also someone I could recognize. Anyone who's ever been around married couples who get moved around constantly by the government, be they military, federal law enforcement, or some other org/agency, knows a "Keiko." She is the spouse who didn't really understand what he or she was getting into when he or she married the active duty member and now finds that they have little recourse save to whine about it to anyone who'll listen. They're the ones who didn't realize that sometimes you end up moving to a place that doesn't offer much, and that you have to find some way to make your time there worthwhile while the spouse goes off to work. They're also the ones who don't take it well when you say, "You've got two choices: adapt or file for divorce. Either way, shut up. I'm trying to drink over here," during the weekly "The Spouses are Arresting People; Let's Drink" night," and make you want to beat them to death with a blunt object before the night is over.
*sigh*
(I'm saying "he or she" here because I've known male spouses who've reacted the same way as Keiko. I have quite clear memories of actually wanting to smack one husband in the head with a cowboy boot, especially after he convinced his incredibly talented agent wife to leave for another less-rewarding law enforcement career. What an asshole!)
I did like the fact that she tried to adapt though. Opening the school was a nice idea, even if that storyline did eventually go the way of the Dodo. It made her somewhat redeemable to me and ensured that I wouldn't gag every time she walked across the screen.
no subject
I did too, and while she wasn't necessarily my favorite, I did appreciate what she brought to the show in terms of a heavy dose of realism. To me, she was one of the first signs that DS9 wasn't going to be squeaky clean, everyone-gets-along kind of Trek, and I liked that the showrunners had the balls to show us a less than perfect marriage in the oh-so-perfect Trek universe.
Besides, in addition to being a messily real human, she was also someone I could recognize. Anyone who's ever been around married couples who get moved around constantly by the government, be they military, federal law enforcement, or some other org/agency, knows a "Keiko." She is the spouse who didn't really understand what he or she was getting into when he or she married the active duty member and now finds that they have little recourse save to whine about it to anyone who'll listen. They're the ones who didn't realize that sometimes you end up moving to a place that doesn't offer much, and that you have to find some way to make your time there worthwhile while the spouse goes off to work. They're also the ones who don't take it well when you say, "You've got two choices: adapt or file for divorce. Either way, shut up. I'm trying to drink over here," during the weekly "The Spouses are Arresting People; Let's Drink" night," and make you want to beat them to death with a blunt object before the night is over.
*sigh*
(I'm saying "he or she" here because I've known male spouses who've reacted the same way as Keiko. I have quite clear memories of actually wanting to smack one husband in the head with a cowboy boot, especially after he convinced his incredibly talented agent wife to leave for another less-rewarding law enforcement career. What an asshole!)
I did like the fact that she tried to adapt though. Opening the school was a nice idea, even if that storyline did eventually go the way of the Dodo. It made her somewhat redeemable to me and ensured that I wouldn't gag every time she walked across the screen.