- Artie Abrams
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Artie Abrams Glee character
Kevin McHale as Artie Abrams performing "Don't Stop Believin'" in June 2011 during Glee Live! In Concert!First appearance "Pilot" Created by Ryan Murphy
Brad Falchuk
Ian BrennanPortrayed by Kevin McHale Information Occupation High school student Significant other(s) Brittany Pierce
Tina Cohen-ChangArtie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. He is a guitarist and paraplegic manual wheelchair user, who is a member of the glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set.
Contents
Storylines
Season 1
Artie is introduced in "Pilot" as a guitar-playing member of the William McKinley High School glee club. He uses a wheelchair, and is constantly bullied by members of the school football team.[1] He is also in the school's jazz ensemble, and it is later revealed that he is in the A.V. Club and a member of the Academic Decathlon team as well.[2][3] During preparations for the Sectionals round of show choir competition, Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) decrees that there is no money in the school budget to hire a handicap-accessible bus to transport the glee club. Artie's first solo song is in that episode, "Wheels", where he performs a routine in his wheelchair to "Dancing With Myself". The other students hold a fund-raising bake sale, but although they make enough money to hire a bus, Artie requests that they donate it to the school to pay for more wheelchair ramps in order to benefit future students. He goes on a date with club member Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), who stutters, and explains that he was left paralyzed following a car crash when he was eight years old. The two share a kiss, but Artie is hurt when Tina confesses she has been faking her speech impediment since the sixth grade.[4] He later forgives Tina, but makes sexist remarks about her fashion sense, demanding that she begin wearing skimpier clothes if she wants to be with him. Tina publicly confronts him for this behavior, and Artie apologizes; they kiss and become a couple.[2] In an attempt to earn bad reputations to improve their popularity at school, Artie and Tina, along with fellow club members Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) perform an impromptu rendition of "U Can't Touch This" in the school library, a plan which fails when the librarian, instead of punishing them, asks them to perform for her church group.[5]
When Tina learns that Artie's dream is to become a dancer, she asks him to perform in a tap dancing routine with her despite his paralysis, but their attempt fails miserably, and Artie asks Tina to leave. She later presents him with research on the progress of spinal cord injury treatments, raising Artie's hopes that he may soon be able to walk again, but guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) reminds him that testing for these treatments will take many years. Artie comes to accept that he may never be a dancer, and tells Tina to choose another dance partner; he leads the glee club in a rendition of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" as Tina dances with Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.).[6] Artie is dismayed when New Directions lose at Regionals, but thankful for having been a member of the glee club, admitting that Tina was his first kiss.[7]
Season 2
In the summer break between the episodes "Journey to Regionals" and "Audition", Tina dumps Artie for Mike Chang, blaming Artie for ignoring her and crediting Mike's abs. Artie, upset, gets Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) to help him try out for the football team to win her back, but new football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) denies him a tryout and kicks Finn off the team for putting her in the position of having to dash Artie's hopes. Later, Artie has a vision of playing in a football game with Finn, and when he asks Coach Beiste again, she adds them both to the team. Artie plays running back where he scores a touchdown in the first game in "Grilled Cheesus". When glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) announces a duets competition for the students in "Duets", Brittany recruits Artie as her partner—after her first choice Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) refuses to sing with her—saying that Artie can tell people that they are dating. When they rehearse, Artie is still regretting losing Tina, and Brittany offers to help him get over her by sleeping with him; Artie loses his virginity to her. Santana later tells Artie that Brittany was using him because of his great voice, and he withdraws from the competition and breaks up with Brittany; she is distressed by this, and he later realizes he wants her back.
In the episode "Never Been Kissed", Puck (Mark Salling) helps Artie get another date with Brittany, and as of "Furt", she and Artie are a couple. In "A Very Glee Christmas", Brittany's one wish to Santa—she still believes in him—is that he make Artie be able to walk again; they ultimately find a ReWalk that can help Artie to walk some of the time next to Brittany's Christmas tree. It is later implied that Coach Beiste put it there. In "Silly Love Songs", Artie sings "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" to Brittany. In the episode "Rumours", Artie confronts Brittany over her relationship with Santana, and Brittany defends her, saying that what they do isn't cheating. Artie, frustrated that Brittany does not see how Santana is working to sabotage their own relationship, calls Brittany stupid, and she runs off in tears, effectively ending them as a couple. Though Artie deeply regrets the rupture and tries to repair it in "Prom Queen", asking her to the prom by singing to her, she refuses to be his date.
Season 3
Artie reveals in the The Purple Piano Project that he and Tina are Juniors. In the episode, I Am Unicorn Artie is assigned by Will Schuester to direct the school musical, West Side Story. In the episode, The First Time Artie is assailed by self-doubt, but he is thanked by the cast, and he thanks them for trusting him.
Development
McHale auditioned for Glee coming from a boy–band background, having previously been part of the group Not Like Them.[8] He found it challenging to adapt to using a wheelchair, having to overcome the instinctive urge to dance along or tap his foot during musical performances.[9] He finds it difficult to watch his colleagues dancing while he uses a wheelchair,[10] but still learns the same dance routines as the other cast members, and is able to stand in the event of absences.[11] McHale took part in the 2010 Glee Live! In Concert! tour, performing in character as Artie and remaining in a wheelchair during live performances.[12] He also performed in a wheelchair when the Glee cast were invited to perform at the White House for the Obama family and guests in April 2010.[13] McHale was able to utilize his dancing background in the episode "Dream On", in which Artie dances in a shopping mall during a fantasy flash mob sequence.[14] He enjoyed the performance, but took time to pick up the choreography having spent so long working in a wheelchair.[15] Although McHale prefers contact lenses, he auditioned for the part wearing glasses to enhance the "nerd" element of Artie's personality, and thick glasses are now a part of his costume.[14]
McHale describes Artie as a "nerd" who loves the glee club whole–heartedly and uses it as a form of escapism.[9] He believes that Artie has more confidence than he himself possesses, explaining: "I think he knows who he is and he doesn't care what anyone thinks."[16] McHale is close to his co–star Jenna Ushkowitz, and the two of them are in support of the relationship between their characters, referred to by the portmanteau "Artina", for Artie and Tina.[17] McHale described Artie and Tina's relationship as being similar to the one between Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) in the ABC comedy–drama Boy Meets World, and believes they will always be together.[15]
Artie, like a number of the students at McKinley High, is the "namesake" of one of Brad Falchuk's high school friends at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He was named for Arthur Stroyman, who helped Falchuk make horror films when they were teens. Stroyman wasn't much like Artie, however: he was a jock who "never fully understood the artsy kids" in high school.[18]
Reception
Shawna Malcom of the Los Angeles Times reviewed the episode "Vitamin D" positively, praising the focus it gave Artie: "Until now, the wheelchair-bound character has served mostly as a punchline. Last night, he got a much-deserved moment in the spotlight, and he rolled with it, doing his best Richie Sambora on the talk box, then taking lead vocals on the Usher track."[19] The episode "Wheels", which placed focus on Artie and his disability, drew criticism from a committee of performers with disabilities, who felt that casting an able-bodied actor to play a disabled student was inappropriate. CSI star Robert David Hall commented, "I think there's a fear of litigation, that a person with disabilities might slow a production down, fear that viewers might be uncomfortable."[20] Glee creator Brad Falchuk responded that while he understood the concern and frustration of disability advocates, McHale had the singing and acting ability and charisma required for the role and "it's hard to say no to someone that talented".[20] McHale has stated that he is pleased to represent a character in a wheelchair, and that "I think what's great about it is just because he's in a wheelchair, he can still do what everyone else does."[21]
References
- ^ "Pilot". Ryan Murphy (director, writer), Brad Falchuk (writer), Ian Brennan (writer). Glee. Fox. May 19, 2009. No. 1, season 1.
- ^ a b "The Power of Madonna". Ryan Murphy (director, writer). Glee. Fox. April 20, 2010. No. 15, season 1.
- ^ "A Night of Neglect". Carol Banker (director), Ian Brennan (writer). Glee. Fox. April 19, 2011. No. 17, season 2.
- ^ "Wheels". Paris Barclay (director), Ryan Murphy (writer). Glee. Fox. November 11, 2009. No. 9, season 1.
- ^ "Bad Reputation". Elodie Keene (director), Ian Brennan (writer). Glee. Fox. May 4, 2010. No. 17, season 1.
- ^ "Dream On". Joss Whedon (director), Brad Falchuk (writer). Glee. Fox. May 18, 2010. No. 19, season 1.
- ^ "Journey". Brad Falchuk (director, writer). Glee. Fox. June 8, 2010. No. 22, season 1.
- ^ Martin, Denise (April 26, 2009). "Video: 'Glee' team rewrites the school musical". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-gleestage26-2009apr26,0,1653470.story. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ a b Steinberg, Jamie (May 2009). "Kevin McHale - Getting Glee". Starry Constellation Magazine. http://starrymag.com/content.asp?ID=4319&CATEGORY=INTERVIEWS. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
- ^ Barron, Margie (September 17, 2009). "The Glee Geeks Poud of Their Gleekiness". Entertainment Today. http://www.entertainmenttoday.net/content/view/844/29/. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Albiniak, Paige (November 8, 2009). "Spinning their wheels". New York Post. News Corporation. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/spinning_their_wheels_zv81BkmLdjAuHX1e5GQ7SK. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Masley, Ed (May 16, 2010). "'Glee' fans keep the faith as tour kicks off". USA Today. Gannett Company. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/reviews/2010-05-16-gleeonline17_N.htm. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
- ^ Berk, Brett (April 13, 2010). "Yes, Glee's Kevin McHale Will Be White-Boy Rapping This Season". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/04/gleeking-out-with-kevin-mchale.html. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Alexander, Bryan (May 19, 2010). "It's a Miracle! Kevin McHale Dances on "Glee"". WNBC. http://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/popcornbiz/Its-a-Miracle-Kevin-McHale-Dances-on-Glee-94260509.html. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Wieselman, Jarett (May 18, 2010). "Kevin McHale talks Glee finale, summer tour and ArTina". New York Post. News Corporation. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/kevin_mchale_fJxjoKYGB7k1HuFD58KmcJ. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Wightman, Catriona (May 7, 2010). "Kevin McHale praises 'Glee' character". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/s57/glee/news/a218779/kevin-mchale-praises-glee-character.html. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Shen, Maxine (November 23, 2009). "'Gleek' goddess". New York Post. News Corporation. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/who_fakes_stutter_ask_tina_gyh4RXgz5HWtzCyQH9aAJP. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (August 30, 2009). [hhttp://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/08/30/for_glee_brad_falchuk_draws_on_his_days_at_beaver_country_day_school/ "Welcome to the club"]. Boston Globe (New York Times Company). hhttp://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/08/30/for_glee_brad_falchuk_draws_on_his_days_at_beaver_country_day_school/. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ Malcom, Shawna (October 8, 2009). "‘Glee’: A dose of (not entirely) friendly competition". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/10/glee-a-dose-of-not-entirely-friendly-competition.html. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
- ^ a b Elber, Lynn (November 10, 2009). "'Glee' Wheelchair Episode Hits Bump With Disabled". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9044185. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
- ^ DiNunno, Gina (November 10, 2009). "Glee's Kevin McHale Hints at New Love Connection". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Glees-Kevin-McHale-1011863.aspx. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
External links
Glee Awards and nominations · MerchandiseEpisodes Characters Artie Abrams · Blaine Anderson · Rachel Berry · Mike Chang · Tina Cohen-Chang · Sam Evans · Quinn Fabray · Rory Flanagan · Holly Holliday · Finn Hudson · Burt Hummel · Kurt Hummel · Mercedes Jones · Dave Karofsky · Santana Lopez · Brittany Pierce · Emma Pillsbury · Noah Puckerman · Terri Schuester · Will Schuester · Sue Sylvester · Lauren ZizesCrew Discography Season 1 songs · Season 2 songs · Season 3 songsRelated articles "Don't Stop Believin'" · Don't Stop Believing · "Elementary School Musical" · Glee Live! In Concert! · The Glee Project · Glee: The 3D Concert Movie · "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Roberta?" · "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" · "Viewing Party"Categories:- Glee (TV series) characters
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