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. 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 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, 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. 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, 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. 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, 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 asks Blaine to be his date at his junior prom in "Prom Queen"; though Blaine is initially hesitant, remembering how he was bullied at prom at his old school, he agrees. 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 boy 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, who has developed a crush on him, but as friends only. When Kurt comes to Lima for the wedding of glee club director Will and Emma —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 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, a lesbian jeweler who has been with her partner Liz 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.