Ellen Reed is Alex P. Keaton's love interest during the fourth season.
Background[]
Ellen comes from a wealthy background. She had a difficult relationship with her father, Franklin Reed, who alternately criticized and ignored her. Desperate for attention, Ellen acted out by pointlessly arguing with Franklin and even running away. She excelled at sports as a child. She only wanted to play, but Franklin pressured her into competing. Franklin thinks she was good enough at horseback riding to be in the Olympics, but she voluntarily stopped competing. Ellen and Franklin have barely talked since Ellen was thirteen or fourteen. Her mother is dead.[1]
On the series[]
Ellen is an art[2] or dance[3] major at Leland University who draws both abstract and representational art. Her roommate is Tricia Armstrong. At the time Ellen starts attending Leland, she's in a long-distance relationship with her "old friend" Dennis, a senior at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania who's majoring in psychology. Alex and Ellen meet when Alex looks in the freshman directory for a new girlfriend, decides on Tricia, and goes to the girls' dorm room, pretending to be a member of the Leland welcoming committee. Alex immediately clashes with Ellen, and the two get in an argument in which she calls him insecure and he calls her unfriendly and self-righteous. Despite their differences, Alex becomes fascinated with her. Dennis calls Ellen and proposes to her. An hour later, Ellen goes to the Theta Pi Sigma Sorority fall pledge dance, where she's been hired to work at the refreshment table. Alex and Tricia go to the dance, where Alex and Ellen share a kiss. A few minutes later, Tricia tells Alex that Ellen is engaged. After a week of moping and avoiding both girls, Alex asks Ellen when the wedding will be. She says she's taking a train to Lancaster to marry him this weekend. Alex drives her to the train station, where he unsuccessfully tries to talk her out of marrying Dennis and accuses her of only accepting his proposal because she's away from home for the first time and wants something to cling to. Ellen gets on the train anyway, but during the ride she realizes Alex is right. She decides that if Alex is at the train station in Lancaster, she'll call off the engagement. When Ellen reaches the station it's almost deserted, but Alex arrives five minutes later, having driven from Columbus. Alex and Ellen both admit that they love each other.
Ellen continues to date Alex throughout Season 4. She also joins an improvisational dance group.[4] She takes an economics class taught by Alex, which causes difficulty in their relationship, as Ellen feels like Alex is being too hard on her to prove he isn't biased.
After the fourth season, Ellen wins a dance scholarship and goes to Paris. She and Alex agree that they should see other people, although Alex writes her at least one letter after they break up.[5]