So we can all agree he’s just smashing right? Right so, on to what he’s saying.
So, Blaine and Kurt have no other options. I hope that is just defensive flippancy. He does seem a bit overwhelmed by the Klaine fandom. I mean, this is the same line he used before when I pointed out that he totally ignores the possibility of Kurtofsky (or Andersofsky for that matter). Anyway, I just really hope they’re not playing the couple as being together by default, because that’s really not the couple we saw in Season 2. And, really, they’ve been played as having other options. Jeremiah exists… so there must be others!
And fashion vs performing? Thoughts? I think the New York episode was definitely pushing him in that direction. And, of course, the possible spin-off depends, really, on his studying performance, doesn’t it?
Deconstructing Glee 
He has said before that he thought Kurt would go to NYC to pursue fashion, take an internship at Vogue or what-have-you.
I think in terms of having things to write about, pursuing performing arts is much meatier: there is the conflict of his not fitting into “male leads” and his voice being so atypical, etc. In fashion, he’s a done deal. No one looks askew at an openly gay man seeking a place in the fashion world.
Lima isn’t on an island surrounded by shark-infested waters: there are other gay men to be found, if Kurt or Blaine were interested in looking about them. There are big cities and college towns within driving distance, for example (and not all 19yos would show the same hesitation to date a hot 17yo that Jeremiah showed!).
I don’t think pointing out that they don’t have a lot of other options is necessarily the same as saying they’re *only together* because they don’t have other options. Acknowledging that relationships are based on factors like proximity and scarcity as well as on love isn’t particularly romantic, but, well, it’s a reality in every relationship—your dating pool largely consists of people within easy driving distance who want to date you. That pool is bigger for some people, and smaller for others. In general, it’s smaller for gay people than it is for straight people. And that “who want to date you” is pretty important–not dating is, of course, also an option. Maybe a shitty one, but not necessarily a worse one than dating somebody just because they’re the only one who’ll have you. Everything after Silly Love Songs made it pretty clear that Blaine saw not dating anyone as a valid option up until he fell for Kurt, and Kurt’s continuing feelings for and friendship with Blaine even after it seemed increasingly likely that Blaine was not going to date him (turning him down in SLS, dating Rachel, telling Kurt that he wasn’t sexy) make it pretty clear that his feelings were genuine and not just desire for a boyfriend, any boyfriend. It’s possible that in a bigger city with more options they wouldn’t be dating, but it’s also possible that my soulmate lives in another city and I’ll never meet her or him. The fact that my relationships are based on circumstances as well as love doesn’t make the love less important.
Also, while I agree with your and dontturnitoff’s point that it would be realistic for other gay people to exist, but unless the writers write them, they effectively don’t. For all that Dalton was welcoming to gay teens, those gay teens appeared to consist of Kurt and Blaine—no mention of any of the Warblers being gay, Kurt meeting any other gay kids besides Blaine in class or on campus or even off-campus through friends, a GSA, nothing. Before Kurt transferred back to McKinley, my friend and I used to joke about how Ohio must have a two gays per school policy, and how Kurt was only allowed to transfer to Dalton because their other gay guy had graduated. So yeah: other options would exist for them if the writers were interested in writing them, but thus far they actually don’t. The only other gay men in Lima are Karofsky, Jeremiah, and Rachel’s dads, all of whom aren’t options for various reasons.
Karofsky isn’t out. I wouldn’t consider him an option either unless that actually happened.
I think, in part, that this is Chris’ weird humour coming through (and his nervous!Kurt laugh I think a little bit confirms what you said about him being defensive, because God, I would be scared of the Klaine fandom if it were me… what am I saying, I *am* scared of the Klaine fandom). So I don’t think he’s necessarily implying Klaine are only together because there’s no one else, I think he’s just being Awkward CC.
Also, with regards to Karofsky, Chris has outright said before that he would not want to see Kurtofsky happen because he doesn’t think it would send the right message. So I guess that’s probably the reason it’s “not an option”.
But OH MY GOD, so excited for performer!Kurt. 😀
Seeing as, so far, none of the kids have dated anyone outside their circle, I don’t see a problem with his statement. The writers have kept a relatively tight focus on who we meet–and we already have a HUGE ensemble cast.
Yes, obviously, the writers could write another gay character to provide another option. I rather suspect they’re juggling enough right now though.
I sort of can’t believe how much that remark (“lack of other options”) is getting analyzed. A huge part of the plot structure on Glee is about cheating. We have a couple that for various other narrative reasons, will probably not have that particular relationship conflict (although the expectation of it was raised from their peers in the plotline about Sam and the motel) and will need to have different ones instead. I see Tumblr all filled with “Oh my god, he doesn’t support Klaine,” and I just can’t even. He’s an actor who supports good storytelling for a character he spends more time with than any of us.
My instinct wasn’t so much “he doesn’t support Klaine” as it was that he, as an actor, is sort of overwhelmed by the interest in Klaine, and likes to counter the intensity. I can understand that.
But I really would hate to see any kind of suggestion that the two gay kids are dating each other by default.
Thank you.
About Klaine, I think he partly has a bit of fatigue of being asked about it. His goal for Kurt is to tell the story of a person, an individual, growing and coming into their own – /not/ the story of a relationship. Especially given all he’s said in relation to the themes of ‘Struck by Lightning’, Chris seems to value standing on one’s own far more than being part of a relationship.
Fashion vs performing: What’s happening here is that Glee is not written as a typical “musical” format, where the songs come organically out of the actual plot to advance the storyline. With Glee, instead, the songs (with a few exceptions) are actual performed songs in the context of the show, /not/ part of the story. (Exceptions include Rose’s Turn, As If We Never Said Goodbye – Kurt’s greatest moments.) I think the writers, for whatever reason, want to rely on the “show within a show” narration style, where the songs are literal performed songs, and in order to do that, Kurt needs a /reason/ to be singing.
There /is/ an upside to this storytelling format. It means the range of songs can be much more broad and random, and the “roles” played by the characters much more varied.
Hm — just realised that the NYADA “Anything Goes” bit has possibly introduced some other young gay men into the Glee verse. Not saying that Gavroche is Kurt’s type…