Sort of like Switzerland, only not.

I can just tell that Irene Adler is going to be a wank source for the Sherlock fandom. Fandom might surprise me, but... You know how it goes. While I have certain expectations of how she'll be portrayed due to Moffatization (dear God, please don't let her say "sweetie"), I can't say that I'm preemptively hating her. Nor am I preemptively loving her to try and counteract any negative fannish sentiment.

I've been on both sides of the fence before. I've hated a character before they've made an appearance, but I've also decided to love and defend a character before they've made an appearance, just because of fandom shenanigans.

Sorry, I'm not doing either. The first option is just plain silly - I probably haven't done the blind hate thing for...10 years or so? The second option is just too much damn work. You get invested in waving a character's flag, and feel obligated to keep fangirling them even if they're not all that wonderful when they finally show up. (Because it's the principle, dammit!)

So I'll watch and then decide. And if my opinion happens to align with some fannish subset, so be it. Fandom politics? Meh.