Blaine Anderson

Blaine Devon Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series ''Glee''. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the show's primary musical group. Blaine initially served as a mentor for New Directions member Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer). Chemistry between the two, combined with fan support for the couple, led series co-creator Ryan Murphy to pair them romantically. Their relationship has been well received by critics, and they have been named "the most beloved TV couples of the millennium" by Jarett Wieselman of the ''New York Post''. At the beginning of the third season, Blaine transfers to McKinley High and joins New Directions; concurrently, Criss was promoted from recurring guest star to the show's main cast.

Criss auditioned for ''Glee'' several times before being cast as Blaine, including for the lead role of Finn Hudson. He believed he would be ill-suited to that character, but identifies with Blaine, having been raised among the "gay community". He plays Blaine as charismatic and confident, and finds his youthful self-acceptance a fitting counterpoint to common media portrayals of gay characters.

As the Warblers' lead vocalist and subsequent New Directions member, Blaine has performed a number of songs on the television series. His first, a cover version of " Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, became the fastest-selling ''Glee'' single, reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was certified gold in the U.S. Tracks by the Warblers have sold over 1.3 million copies. The songs became popular enough to warrant a Warbler soundtrack album, '' Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers''. Blaine has received mostly positive reviews from critics; Criss has been awarded a Rising Star accolade from the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association for his portrayal. While the Blaine–Kurt ("Klaine") relationship has been met with acclaim, an episode storyline in which Blaine questioned his sexuality attracted negative reviews for undermining his previous characterization as a confident gay teenager.

Storylines

Season 2

Blaine Anderson is introduced in the episode "Never Been Kissed" as the lead soloist of the Dalton Academy Warblers a cappella musical group. He meets Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), a member of the rival glee club New Directions. When Kurt asks if Blaine is gay, Blaine matter-of-factly says he is; Kurt tells Blaine that he is being bullied at school for being gay, and Blaine reveals that he too was harassed at his old school, so he transferred to Dalton Academy, which enforces a no-bullying policy. Blaine befriends Kurt, and helps him stand up to his tormentor, Dave Karofsky ( Max Adler). When the threats and violence against Kurt reach a dangerous level, he transfers to Dalton Academy. He falls in love with Blaine, who is initially oblivious to Kurt's feelings even as their friendship grows. Blaine enlists Kurt's help to serenade his crush Jeremiah (Alexander Nifong), the assistant manager at a local Gap store. Jeremiah is subsequently fired and rebuffs Blaine. Kurt confesses his feelings, and Blaine tells Kurt that he cares for him, but is terrible at romance and does not want to risk damaging their friendship.

Kurt and Blaine attend a party hosted by New Directions co-captain Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). The attendees play spin the bottle, which results in Rachel and Blaine kissing. In the aftermath, Blaine wonders whether he might be bisexual, and goes on a date with Rachel. When she kisses him again while they are both sober, he concludes that he is indeed gay, which relieves Kurt.

After learning of Kurt’s ignorance of sexual matters, Blaine visits Kurt's father, Burt (Mike O'Malley), and prompts him to give Kurt " the talk" about sex. As the Warblers prepare to perform at the Regional show choir competition, Kurt admits that he is jealous of how many solos Blaine gets. At a subsequent group meeting, Kurt arrives late and announces that the group's mascot canary is dead; he sings " Blackbird" in honor of the bird. While Kurt is singing, Blaine has a revelation, and later tells Kurt that he reciprocates his feelings and kisses him. At Regionals, the two sing a duet of "Candles" by Hey Monday. The Warblers lose to New Directions, but while Kurt is very disappointed, Blaine tells him that even though they lost, in reality, they won each other which makes losing Regionals worth it. After Kurt transfers back to McKinley, he invites Blaine to be his date at his junior prom in "Prom Queen"; both are shocked when Kurt wins Prom Queen due to having received an overwhelming number of unwanted write-in votes in the secret balloting. Karofsky, the Prom King, leaves to avoid dancing with a guy in the traditional dance between King and Queen, and Kurt dances with Blaine instead. After Kurt returns from Nationals in New York, he and Blaine admit their love for one another.

Season 3

In the first episode of the third season, "The Purple Piano Project", Blaine transfers to McKinley High at the beginning of his junior year to be closer to Kurt, who is a senior, and joins New Directions. He later auditions for the role of Bernardo in the school musical ''West Side Story'', so as not to compete against Kurt who wants to play the male lead, Tony, but is cast as Tony himself. In the episode " The First Time", Blaine is pursued by Sebastian Smythe (Grant Gustin), a new Dalton Academy Warbler. Kurt and Blaine meet up with Sebastian at a gay bar, Blaine gets drunk, and afterward tries to get Kurt to have sex with him in the car. Kurt refuses, they have a fight, and Blaine decides to walk home. After the ''West Side Story'' opening night, they apologize to each other, and decide to go to Blaine's house. They are later shown in bed together, apparently having just had sex for the first time. When New Directions and the Warblers informally compete in "Michael" to determine which club can perform Michael Jackson's music at the upcoming show choir Regionals, Sebastian throws a slushie containing rock salt at Kurt, but Blaine interposes himself and is hit in the eye; his cornea is badly scratched and requires surgery. His eye heals, and he is back in time for New Directions to defeat the Warblers at Regionals. Blaine's older brother Cooper (Matt Bomer), a successful actor in commercials, visits Ohio, and the two achieve a rapprochement. Blaine's relationship with Kurt is later strained when Kurt text-flirts with a boy he met while preparing for his NYADA audition, and by Kurt's eagerness to leave for New York after graduation, which would separate the two at least until Blaine graduated the following year. The two patch things up, the glee club wins at Nationals, and the pair is still a couple at the end of the school year, though Blaine is still uneasy about the prolonged physical separation facing them.

Season 4

In the first episode of the fourth season, "The New Rachel", Blaine becomes the lead singer of New Directions and successfully prompts Kurt to follow his New York City dreams. In addition, Blaine successfully runs for senior class president with Sam (Chord Overstreet), and the two subsequently develop a friendship. Kurt inadvertently pulls away from Blaine due to his Vogue.com internship; distraught and feeling isolated from his friends, Blaine cheats on Kurt. After confessing to Kurt of his infidelity, Kurt severs all ties. New Directions' Nationals trophy is stolen by Hunter Clarington (Nolan Gerard Funk), the new captain of the Dalton Academy Warblers. When Blaine goes to Dalton Academy to retrieve it, Hunter and Sebastian attempt to seduce Blaine into returning to the Warblers. Blaine becomes conflicted, believing that he does not belong in New Directions. Sam ultimately convinces him that, despite having done a bad thing to Kurt, Blaine is still a good person and an important member of New Directions.

Kurt begins to mend their relationship in "Thanksgiving", just before New Directions loses at Sectionals to the Warblers, and they spend Christmas together in New York City. Though he and Kurt continue to be on good terms, Blaine finds himself developing a crush on his best friend, Sam, which he knows will come to nothing as he knows Sam is not gay; the two of them team up to find evidence that the Warblers cheated at Sectionals, which means New Directions will be competing at Regionals. He ends up going to the Sadie Hawkins dance with Tina Cohen-Chang ( Jenna Ushkowitz), who has developed a crush on him, but as friends only. When Kurt comes to Lima for the wedding of glee club director Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays)—which Emma flees—he and Blaine make out beforehand, and sleep together afterward, though they do not resume a permanent relationship.

Blaine had briefly joined the Cheerios when it looked like New Directions would be disbanding after their Sectionals loss, and cheerleading coach Sue (Jane Lynch) blackmails Blaine into rejoining; Blaine and Sam hatch up a plan to bring Sue down from the inside. Blaine eventually confesses to Sam that he has feelings for him, to which Sam assures him that he is somewhat flattered by Blaine's honesty and attraction, and that it would not change the fact that Blaine is still Sam's best friend. Blaine still loves Kurt and asks Burt for his permission to propose to Kurt, but Burt tells him they're too young to marry, and advises him to wait. Blaine remains determined, however, and while shopping for a ring, he meets Jan (Patty Duke), a lesbian jeweler who has been with her partner Liz (Meredith Baxter) for over thirty years. Jan offers to be a mentor to him, and Blaine and Kurt later have dinner with Jan and Liz, where Jan and Liz explain how their relationship evolved over the years and their experience with the growing mainstream acceptance of gay people. New Directions wins at Regionals, and Will and Emma get married immediately afterward, with the glee club, plus some graduates including Kurt, in attendance. Blaine is shown, after the ceremony is over, holding a jewelry box behind his back.

Season 5

In the season premiere, " Love Love Love", Blaine and Kurt agree to be boyfriends again. Blaine still wants to marry Kurt, and stages an elaborate and successful marriage proposal at Dalton Academy where he and Kurt first met, accompanied by New Directions, and all their rival show choir groups, including the Warblers. He auditions for NYADA and is accepted. New Directions comes in second at Nationals, and is disbanded by Sue for not being champions. Blaine graduates as class valedictorian, and then moves to New York to be with Kurt. They start off living together, but though they remain engaged, Blaine ultimately moves out because the two of them realize they still need their own space. The relationship between them goes through rocky patches, including Blaine's insecurity when Kurt becomes popular at school, and when an influential socialite and NYADA supporter hears Blaine perform and takes an interest in his future career, though she is not impressed by Kurt and ultimately tries to break them up, though she fails and ultimately supports them both. Their engagement is strengthened by having weathered these storms, and Blaine moves back in with Kurt.

Season 6

Blaine returns to Lima after Kurt ended their engagement, having become so despondent that his schoolwork suffered and he was cut by NYADA. He becomes the coach of the Dalton Academy Warblers, and begins dating Dave Karofsky after a chance encounter at the local gay bar. Kurt, having realized he still loves Blaine and regretting that he ended the engagement, arranges for his NYADA off-campus semester to be in Lima, helping Rachel to coach a reinstated New Directions—Will had left McKinley High to coach Vocal Adrenaline. Unfortunately, by the time he arrives, Blaine and Karofsky are already a couple, and there is further strain between Kurt and Blaine as coaches of rival show choirs. In "The Hurt Locker, Part Two", Sue, who "ships Klaine" and is desperate for Kurt and Blaine to reunite, locks them both in a fake elevator and refuses to let them leave until they kiss. After resisting for a great many hours, Blaine and Kurt share a passionate kiss, but do not reunite afterward. In " Transitioning", Blaine sings a duet with Kurt, "Somebody Loves You", and afterward, kisses Kurt. The following day, Blaine, knowing that he is still in love with Kurt, breaks up with Karofsky; however, Kurt is still seeing an older man, Walter. In " A Wedding", Kurt tells Walter that he is going to Brittany and Santana's wedding with Blaine, not him, and on Walter's advice, returns to Blaine; the two again become a couple. At the wedding, Brittany insists that Kurt and Blaine get married alongside her and Santana. Though skeptical at first, Kurt and Blaine agree and get married, with Burt officiating the joint ceremony. Dalton Academy burns down in "The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester", and the Warblers who transfer to McKinley are accepted into New Directions, with Blaine joining Rachel and Kurt as the coaches of the combined glee club. In the series finale, " Dreams Come True", after New Directions wins Nationals, Blaine and Kurt leave for New York, with Blaine attending NYU and Kurt returning to NYADA along with a reinstated Rachel. The episode jumps ahead to 2020, and Blaine and Kurt are shown to be actors and a celebrity married couple; they also visit schools to entertain and talk about acceptance. Rachel, who is married to Jesse, is pregnant with Blaine and Kurt's child.

Development

Casting and creation

Blaine is portrayed by actor Darren Criss, who had auditioned for ''Glee'' several times for several roles before the character Blaine was created. He originally auditioned to play Finn Hudson. Criss made several audition videos for ''Glee'', of which he posted only one to the social networking website MySpace where he sang a cover of Bill Withers' song " Lean on Me". Although the series writers have seen them, he considers them supplemental to his main audition, which was for series creator Ryan Murphy. Murphy had not seen any of Criss's previous auditions, but knew he was the right actor for Blaine as soon as he saw this one. The actor cut his long hair before auditioning, to suit the "serious and preppy" role.

Prior to the production of season two, rumors circulated that upcoming episodes would feature a love interest for Kurt. Initial fan and media speculation suggested that Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) was created to fill this role; however, according to Overstreet, Sam's storyline quickly paired him with Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) as a result of the chemistry the producers detected between him and Agron. In September 2010, it was confirmed that Criss would join the show in a "much-talked-about new gay role". Media speculation suggested that Blaine would be Kurt's new love interest. His original character description was: "a cute and charismatic gay student from a rival Glee club named the Dalton Academy Warblers—will maintain a strictly platonic friendship with McKinley High's most out and proud pupil. But could that change as the season progresses? Yes, it could." Murphy stated that Blaine's arc would be a significant one. He explained, "He sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love ..Kurt really admires him and respects him."

Following his first few appearances, it was reported that Criss had been confirmed as a series regular for the remainder of season two and for season three of ''Glee''. This was based on comments by Murphy, who said: "Darren has become such a sensation in one week, which I love. I think there's a hunger for him and a positive relationship role model. He’ll definitely continue through the year and longer." However, the actor later denied that his role had been upgraded and said: "It's never really been officially confirmed to me. I think the option is there and that they want to keep Blaine around." Murphy revealed that Blaine may join New Directions during the third season. Criss hoped that this would not come to pass, as he enjoys being at Dalton Academy, but conceded: "it's not my call. I'm happy to serve whatever story they want." For the third season of ''Glee'', Criss was promoted to a series regular, and Blaine did join New Directions when he transferred to McKinley High to be with Kurt.

Characterization

Upon Blaine's first appearance, Criss described his character as being a "very charismatic, put-together, composed guy." He stated that although Blaine is gay, he is not "overly queeny, and not too butch either," and that while his sexuality is a "huge part of who he is", it is not a major facet of how he wishes to be perceived. Due to similarities which stem from their shared sexuality, Blaine "sees a lot of himself in Kurt, in terms of experiences and the way they feel about the world around them. He feels the need to impart his knowledge, be a source of strength for him, and really help him through what he's going through." Initially, Criss felt that the most important element of his character was to give Kurt "someone he can relate to", and demonstrate that Kurt could have "a young out male friend, a support system".

Criss discussed his personal connection with Blaine in an interview with '' Vanity Fair''. He explained that he grew up among the "gay community", being with theater performers, so was raised without a concept of sexuality being an issue. Criss stated that, although he identifies as straight, "it really doesn't come into play with me in this role. As an actor, your objective is always to play the scene. And this in case, he happens to be a gay teen." Talk show host and media personality Ellen DeGeneres deemed Blaine "a very confident gay teen, which is something you don't see much on television." However, Amy Reiter of the ''Los Angeles Times'' assessed that "despite the image he projects, he, too, is just a kid trying to figure things out as he goes along." Criss feels that Blaine's confidence is an important aspect of his character, as it is rare for gay teenagers on television to be so "sure of themselves." He hopes that "all the kids struggling with this issue can look to a guy like Blaine and feel nspiredby his confidence."

Relationships

The Kurt–Blaine relationship, sometimes referred to by the portmanteau

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