Blaine Anderson - Reception

Reception

Blaine has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. DeGeneres praised Criss's portrayal, and described him as one of Glee's breakout stars. Entertainment Weekly named him one of the breakout stars of 2010, with the comment: "It took about 2 minutes and 11 seconds on Glee for Darren Criss to turn into a bona fide Gleek phenomenon. And it doesn't hurt that his character Blaine's warm relationship with the show's other openly gay character, Chris Colfer's Kurt, continues to resonate with fans." In November 2010, the publication also named Criss the series' best guest-star to date, and praised him for "seamlessly entering the fold with his charm and great voice." Ronayne deemed him "a much better addition to the show than Chord Overstreet". Following his Glee debut, Criss won the We're Wilde About You Rising Star Award at the 2011 Dorian Awards, presented by the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. He also won the 2011 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star.

Indecision over his sexuality in the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol" drew some negative reviews of Blaine. Reiter noted that, "So much of Blaine's charm has been his certainty about who he is." Though she found his subplot with Rachel "fun", she commented: "Blaine's overwrought speech in the coffee shop after Rachel asks him out just felt off-key. Saying 'bye' to the Blaine sexual-confusion storyline wouldn't make us angry at all." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club also criticised the storyline, which, he wrote, "seemed like it might be an interesting, complicated look at teenage sexuality and how it can seem formed but might be more fluid than most teens would give it credit for, then lost its nerve and took the easy way out." AfterElton.com's Chris O'Guinn felt that the only aspect of the storyline handled acceptably was Blaine questioning whether he was bisexual, rather than outright straight. He criticized the shallow examination of his feelings, and wrote: "Bisexuality is such a contentious issue that it should not be fumbled this way. For a character to say 'maybe I'm bi' in one scene and then the next say, 'nope, definitely gay' is almost cruel in how dismissive it is toward bisexuals by trivializing the intense confusion that many bisexual people feel in coming to terms with their orientation." In a more positive review, Canning opined that Blaine and Kurt's conversation about sexuality was "great". He was "glad it wasn't an easy talk for either of them" and said that it "felt very real for kids in this situation."

Blaine and Kurt's relationship has been generally well received. They were named Favorite TV Couple at the 2010 AfterElton.com Visibility Awards, and have been lauded for "leading the way" in representing gay teenagers on television by Entertainment Weekly. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post referred to them as "one of the most beloved TV couples of the millennium". When they "finally solidified what their relationship actually is" in the episode "Silly Love Songs", IGN's Robert Canning noted that his opinion of Blaine improved. He commented: "I love that the blew up in Blaine's face. The character has always come off to me as annoyingly arrogant, but "Silly Love Songs" humanized the guy. Guess I may have to like him now." Their first kiss, in the episode "Original Song", was met with critical acclaim. Mark Perigard of The Boston Herald wrote, "It was utterly, sweetly romantic, and Criss sold the hell out of the moment. It's long overdue and it will silence the growing legion of critics out there who were unhappy with the pace of this story." Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly was so impressed with the scene that she was initially concerned it may be a dream sequence, "because we don't get romantic, unapologetic first kisses like that between young gay characters on network TV." She wrote, "Relationships aren't easy. They’ll make mistakes. But if they stay true to themselves, and continue to be as open and honest with each other, we're in for something special." Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic thought the kiss was "sweet", and stated that he was pleased that it attracted no controversy whatsoever. Aly Semigran of MTV praised the interaction between Blaine and Kurt. She called the kiss scene a "sweet, real and, shockingly, un-hyped moment", and praised Criss and Colfer for "handl it with dignity and honesty".

While Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter was pleased Blaine's season three transfer to McKinley in the first episode increased Criss' screen time with Colfer and the New Directions cast, she stated that the move "screams of co-dependency." In contrast, Entertainment Weekly's Abby West found it romantic, and noted: "Blaine and Kurt, with their budding love and witty, pseudo-urbane ways, are my favorite couple to watch. ... I look forward to hearing sing more, watching him bump up against the insular Glee clubbers, and seeing him show off his non-uniform attire. Several reviewers were unhappy with the second episode's revelation that Blaine was a junior, not a senior like Kurt, as had been implied in the previous season. VanDerWerff wrote that Blaine "seems to have simultaneously gotten younger and had a complete personality transplant over the summer", Billboard's Rae Votta noted "the continuity-bending plot point that he's somehow a Junior and not a Senior like his boyfriend", and Samantha Urban of The Dallas Morning News allowed her exasperation to show: "Oh really, Glee? Blaine's a junior? Blaine's younger than Kurt? Fine. FINE."

Kurt and Blaine make the decision to have sex for the first time in "The First Time" episode; many critics were enthusiastic about the fact that a gay couple was being given such a storyline. Canning said that Kurt and Blaine's "attempts to get a little wild", and "trying to grow up faster than they should", were "the better parts of the episode as they felt the most realistic". Futterman praised their departure from the bar as a "very faithful and honest scene". VanDerWerff and BuddyTV contributor John Kubicek both had issues with Blaine's characterization. The latter asserted that he "just behaves however the writers need him to behave in order for the scene to work", while the former said that Blaine's season three storyline "hasn’t been bad by any means, but it does feel like Darren Criss is playing someone who’s quite a bit different from the guy he was playing last season". Bell was impressed by the way the characters' relationship "inspires gay youth in a way that we haven't seen on network television yet" and called them "amazing role models for all teens", and The Atlantic writer Kevin Fallon said it was "remarkable" and a "milestone" that "the decision by gay teen characters to lose their virginities is given equal weight to that of a straight couple".

Discussing public response to his character, Criss stated that he particularly enjoyed comments from "people from parts of the world who are maybe not as exposed to certain ideologies", but had reconsidered their stance on relationships and human rights as a result of the Blaine–Kurt storyline. He called this response "phenomenal", and said: "I was a straight kid growing up in a very gay community and it's something that I've had to watch so many friends have to struggle with and have no place to go to identify in kind of a grander media culture. To be a small piece of that machine is incredibly wonderful."