Brittany Pierce
Encyclopedia
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox
musical comedy-drama series Glee
. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
, and Ian Brennan
. In Glee, Brittany is a cheerleader, or "Cheerio" for the fictional William McKinley High School, and a member of the school's glee club led by Will Schuester
. Morris was originally hired to teach Beyoncé's "Single Ladies
" dance to the Glee cast. The show at the time was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris landed the role. Morris was upgraded to a series regular in the series' second season
, in which Brittany is given a larger storyline, solos and dance routines to perform.
Morris plays Brittany as "literally insane", but also entirely well-meaning and goodhearted. She has said that Brittany "love[s] everybody, no matter who they are"; she is frequently smiling and being nice to people. Brittany's character traits include her finding recipes confusing, cheating off intellectually disabled classmates, thinking her cat is reading her diary, and not knowing her right hand from her left. These facts are often presented in one-liners delivered by Morris, many of which she has ad-libbed. Brittany's one-liners are regularly celebrated in reviews of Glee. The character's lack of intelligence and forthright manner of speaking means, as Morris puts it, that "Brittany is used by the series' writers to say things no other character would". The character has also received positive reviews related to her romantic storyline with her closeted best friend Santana
(Naya Rivera
). While Brittany likes boys and girls, and is unashamed of that, Santana has trouble accepting her lesbianism; Brittany has supported Santana and urged her to be true to herself.
The character has been received favorably with television critics. Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
has compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, and has opined that she has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now". Wieselman wrote that since her introduction, Brittany has been given "more and more to do [and] less and less to think", and that the result has been "one of the most clueless characters that's ever figured out how to dress herself in the morning." Snarker called Brittany and Santana her "new favourite Glee pairing", and commented: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they’ve made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa
invitation." Brittany has attracted comparison to Amanda Seyfried
's character from the 2004 hit teen comedy Mean Girls
. Morris also receives acclaim for her dancing and her portrayal as Brittany.
of the first season
of Glee. She was brought in as a member of William McKinley High's cheerleading team, the Cheerios. Brittany is regularly played by actress Heather Morris. Morris grew up with a strong background in choreography. She was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was offered a spot on recording artist Beyoncé Knowles
world tour as a dancer. Morris, however, turned down the job. Shortly thereafter, she was asked by Glee choreographer Zach Woodlee
to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies
" dance to the Glee actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany Pierce. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liner
s. In an interview with Brandon Voss of The Advocate
.com, Morris said of her casting:
Brittany's role in the show was initially intended to be minor, but grew towards the end of the first season. She does not have any solo musical performances during season one, but Morris hoped she would have one in the second season. On April 27, 2010, Michael Ausiello
of Entertainment Weekly
reported that Morris would be upgraded to a series regular for season two. Speaking to E! Online, Morris commented: "It's so fun. I literally just stand there and doze off and then I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I have to speak now!'" At the 2010 Television Critics Association
Summer Press Tour, Murphy stated that Brittany would have "big storylines" in the new season, as viewers want to know more about her.
, as a member of William McKinley High's cheerleading team, the Cheerios. She joins the glee club
, New Directions, with her friends and fellow cheerleaders Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
) and Santana Lopez
(Naya Rivera
). Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) then enlists the three of them to help her destroy the club from the inside. When the club is due to compete at the sectionals
round of show choir
competition, Brittany unknowingly leaks their set list
to Sue, who leaks the routines to competing glee clubs. New Directions put a new set list together at the last minute, and go on to win the competition regardless. Brittany also reveals that she and Santana have had sex, but are not dating
. Following the club's victory at sectionals, Sue renews her effort to bring them down, and enlists Brittany and Santana to break up co-captains Rachel Berry
(Lea Michele
) and Finn Hudson
(Cory Monteith
). They invite Finn on a date with the both of them, but ignore him throughout the evening and ultimately request that he sit in the car and leave them to finish their meal alone. She mentions in the episode "Bad Reputation
" that she has made out with almost everyone in the school – guys and girls alike, and the school janitor. She also briefly dates Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) in the episode "Laryngitis
" as he wants to appear more masculine to impress his father and he is the only guy she has not made out with in the school.
Brittany's role in the series significantly expands during the show's second season
. In the episode "Duets
", she asks Santana to be her partner for the duet competition while they are making out. Santana rejects her, so Brittany attempts to make her jealous by dating fellow glee club member Artie Abrams
(Kevin McHale). She sleeps with Artie, but Santana tells him that Brittany was just using him for his voice, so he breaks up with her, to Brittany's dismay. Brittany's relationship with Artie continues to develop; in "Never Been Kissed
", he gets her to go out with him again. As of "Furt
", they are officially dating. When Mr. Schuester decides to showcase some of their other strengths, such as Brittany and Mike's dancing, they begin rehearsing together. Not confident of having the weight of Sectionals
on her shoulders, Artie gives her a "magic" comb to boost her confidence, which she promptly loses. Unwilling to face Artie, she starts avoiding him just as Tina shares her concern that Mike and Brittany were having an affair. Artie confronts her about her avoiding him, but due to her limited vocabulary she inadvertently admits guilt, which she later repairs and makes up with Artie.
In "Sexy
", following her performance of "Landslide
" with Santana and Holly Holliday
(Gwyneth Paltrow
), Santana admits her true feelings for Brittany. Although Santana fears being ostracized by the McKinley High student body for being in a same-sex relationship
, she confesses her romantic love to Brittany, feelings which are reciprocated. However, Brittany states that she loves Artie too, and would never do anything to hurt him, even if it means not being able to be with Santana. She says that if she and Artie ever break up, she would be all Santana's, proudly so. Brittany is shown wearing a shirt that reads "I'm with Stoopid" when the glee club sings Lady Gaga's "Born This Way
" during the so-named episode
, where she also tries to get Santana to embrace her lesbianism, with a shirt Brittany herself made that reads "Lebanese"; it was meant to say "Lesbian".
. She plays Brittany as being very innocent, rather than stupid. In the episode "A Night of Neglect
", Brittany participates in an academic decathlon, as a secret weapon due to the fact that she is somewhat of an idiot savant on the topic of cat diseases.
At the Paley Festival Glee panel in March 2010, Murphy stated that Brittany and Santana would be seen to make out during the show's first season. Morris and Rivera only became aware of this after reading a Paley Festival report online. When they asked Murphy about the development, he claimed to have made the statement "to get a kick" out of the "dirty guy" asking about them. Murphy told Morris and Rivera that Glee would not push relationships to appease the show's fans, but would only pursue those which were "organic and natural." While there are moments on the show which depict Brittany and Santana as being very close to one another, Morris attributes these to her close relationship with Rivera: "that is just Naya and I joking around with each other and being really close. It's always her and I just messing around and they end up using it."
Later in 2010, when interviewed by After Ellen and discussing the large lesbian audience of Glee, Ryan Murphy confirmed that season two would contain at least one kiss between Brittany and Santana. In January 2011, several months after the first Brittany/Santana kiss, Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk further confirmed that "Brittana is on. Brittana was always on."
, Brittany performs one song ("I'm a Slave 4 U
") as a solo and another ("Me Against the Music
") as a duet with Santana. The songs by Morris as Brittany have been released as a single, available for digital download
, and also featured on the show's soundtrack albums. Brittany performed Kesha
's Tik-Tok in the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
". Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave praised the New Directions' cover of "Tik Tok", and wrote "Ke$ha might be able to out-drink the Glee members, but their cover of her song was phenomenal." She would go on to praise Brittany's choreography and voice, calling it "mad" and "awesome". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
praised all of the musical performances and covers of the episode. In the third season, Brittany's first major performance is singing lead on Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
", which garnered superlatives from many reviewers including Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic, who wrote, "Brittany's performance of "Run the World (Girls)" was thrilling. It was the most adrenaline-pumping musical number the series has produced: intricately choreographed, expertly shot and edited, perfectly woven into the story, and performed exquisitely by Heather Morris."
has compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, and noted that she has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now". Wieselman wrote that since her introduction, Brittany has been given "more and more to do [and] less and less to think", and that the result has been "one of the most clueless characters that's ever figured out how to dress herself in the morning." E! Online's Megan Masters has also compared Brittany to Sue, and stated that Brittany's one-liners "easily rival" Sue's. She deemed Brittany "brainlessly brilliant", and thanked the Glee producers for creating her: "Never before have we had the pleasure of enjoying such a ridiculously dumb—yet always loveable—character on television." When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany and Santana had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, when writing for lesbian entertainment website AfterEllen.com, praised the pairing and referred to it by the portmanteau "Brittana". Snarker called the two her "new favourite Glee pairing", and commented: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they’ve made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa
invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel – I’m on Team Brittana now."
Morris' performance in Britney/Brittany
attracted critical praise; Lisa de Moraes called "Britney/Brittany" a "great showcase" for the actress, and praised her "spectacular dance moves" and "deadpan flare". In his otherwise negative review, Todd VanDerWerff deemed Morris "hysterical throughout" and the cast's best dancer. He stated, "Murphy seems intent on running this character into the ground, but Morris isn't going to have her stop being funny without a fight." Jenna Mullins of E! Online observed, "When Ryan Murphy said this episode was a celebration of Heather, he wasn't kidding", and commended her musical performances. Robert Canning of IGN
was initially concerned that the episode would diminish Morris' appeal by elevating her from a background role, but was ultimately pleased that it managed to retain her "fan favorite" secondary character status. While Poniewozik asked "have we gotten to the point as a society where it's unremarkable that the most popular scripted TV show in the 18 to 49 demographic is also—almost without comment or controversy—the gayest show on broadcast TV?", Ann Oldenburg of USA Today
questioned whether Glee had gone too far by its depiction of Brittany and Santana kissing and their reference to the sexual act called "scissoring". Christie Keith, in writing for the lesbian and bisexual media website AfterEllen.com, suggested that "Duets" was the "queerest episode of any series that's ever been on television", and stated that she was moved to tears by the final scene of Brittany forlorn without Santana.
Robert Canning praised Morris for her performance in "A Very Glee Christmas
", and wrote: "The heart of "A Very Glee Christmas" was found in Artie Abrams
attempt to keep Brittany's belief in Santa Clause alive. Heather Morris perfectly played up Brittany's innocence and joy surrounding everything Santa. Her interaction with the black mall Santa was a highlight. Watching Artie, and eventually the rest of the club, work to keep Brittany's belief intact was truly in the spirit of Christmas and should have been made into a fuller part of the episode. Also shining in this storyline was Dot Jones as Coach Bieste. Her scene as Santa, and then her knowing expression as she watched Artie walk, were the best moments of the episode." In January 2010, Morris and her co-stars won the "Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Later that year, Brittany and Santana were nominated for the "Favorite Fictional Lesbian Couple" award at the AfterEllen.com Visibility Awards.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
musical comedy-drama series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
, and Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
. In Glee, Brittany is a cheerleader, or "Cheerio" for the fictional William McKinley High School, and a member of the school's glee club led by Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
. Morris was originally hired to teach Beyoncé's "Single Ladies
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" dance to the Glee cast. The show at the time was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris landed the role. Morris was upgraded to a series regular in the series' second season
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
, in which Brittany is given a larger storyline, solos and dance routines to perform.
Morris plays Brittany as "literally insane", but also entirely well-meaning and goodhearted. She has said that Brittany "love[s] everybody, no matter who they are"; she is frequently smiling and being nice to people. Brittany's character traits include her finding recipes confusing, cheating off intellectually disabled classmates, thinking her cat is reading her diary, and not knowing her right hand from her left. These facts are often presented in one-liners delivered by Morris, many of which she has ad-libbed. Brittany's one-liners are regularly celebrated in reviews of Glee. The character's lack of intelligence and forthright manner of speaking means, as Morris puts it, that "Brittany is used by the series' writers to say things no other character would". The character has also received positive reviews related to her romantic storyline with her closeted best friend Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
). While Brittany likes boys and girls, and is unashamed of that, Santana has trouble accepting her lesbianism; Brittany has supported Santana and urged her to be true to herself.
The character has been received favorably with television critics. Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
has compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, and has opined that she has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now". Wieselman wrote that since her introduction, Brittany has been given "more and more to do [and] less and less to think", and that the result has been "one of the most clueless characters that's ever figured out how to dress herself in the morning." Snarker called Brittany and Santana her "new favourite Glee pairing", and commented: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they’ve made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
invitation." Brittany has attracted comparison to Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
's character from the 2004 hit teen comedy Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
. Morris also receives acclaim for her dancing and her portrayal as Brittany.
Creation and casting
Brittany first appears as a guest character in the second episodeShowmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
of the first season
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
of Glee. She was brought in as a member of William McKinley High's cheerleading team, the Cheerios. Brittany is regularly played by actress Heather Morris. Morris grew up with a strong background in choreography. She was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was offered a spot on recording artist Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
world tour as a dancer. Morris, however, turned down the job. Shortly thereafter, she was asked by Glee choreographer Zach Woodlee
Zach Woodlee
Zach Woodlee is an American choreographer and dancer. He is currently choreographer and co-producer of the TV series Glee.-Early life and education:Zachary Vinson Woodlee was born April 27, 1977 in Mesquite, Texas...
to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" dance to the Glee actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany Pierce. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liner
One-liner joke
A one-liner is a joke that is delivered in a single line. A good one-liner is said to be pithy.Comedians and actors use this comedic method as part of their act, e.g...
s. In an interview with Brandon Voss of The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
.com, Morris said of her casting:
Brittany's role in the show was initially intended to be minor, but grew towards the end of the first season. She does not have any solo musical performances during season one, but Morris hoped she would have one in the second season. On April 27, 2010, Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported that Morris would be upgraded to a series regular for season two. Speaking to E! Online, Morris commented: "It's so fun. I literally just stand there and doze off and then I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I have to speak now!'" At the 2010 Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
Summer Press Tour, Murphy stated that Brittany would have "big storylines" in the new season, as viewers want to know more about her.
Storylines
Brittany first appears in Glee during the show's second episodeShowmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
, as a member of William McKinley High's cheerleading team, the Cheerios. She joins the glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, New Directions, with her friends and fellow cheerleaders Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is a former cheerleader at the fictional William McKinley High School in...
(Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
) and Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
). Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) then enlists the three of them to help her destroy the club from the inside. When the club is due to compete at the sectionals
Sectionals
"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
round of show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
competition, Brittany unknowingly leaks their set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
to Sue, who leaks the routines to competing glee clubs. New Directions put a new set list together at the last minute, and go on to win the competition regardless. Brittany also reveals that she and Santana have had sex, but are not dating
Friends with benefits
Friends with benefits may refer to:* A casual relationship is a term used to describe the physical and emotional relationship between two unmarried people who engage in uncommitted sex acts....
. Following the club's victory at sectionals, Sue renews her effort to bring them down, and enlists Brittany and Santana to break up co-captains Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry (Glee)
Rachel Berry is a fictional character and de facto female lead from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad...
(Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) and Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
). They invite Finn on a date with the both of them, but ignore him throughout the evening and ultimately request that he sit in the car and leave them to finish their meal alone. She mentions in the episode "Bad Reputation
Bad Reputation (Glee)
"Bad Reputation" is the 17th episode of the American television series, Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 4, 2010. It was directed by Elodie Keene, and written by series creator Ian Brennan. In "Bad Reputation", cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is publicly ridiculed when a...
" that she has made out with almost everyone in the school – guys and girls alike, and the school janitor. She also briefly dates Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) in the episode "Laryngitis
Laryngitis (Glee)
"Laryngitis" is the 18th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 11, 2010. It was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by series creator Ryan Murphy. In "Laryngitis", glee club member Puck dates Mercedes in an attempt to raise his...
" as he wants to appear more masculine to impress his father and he is the only guy she has not made out with in the school.
Brittany's role in the series significantly expands during the show's second season
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
. In the episode "Duets
Duets (Glee)
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 26th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010...
", she asks Santana to be her partner for the duet competition while they are making out. Santana rejects her, so Brittany attempts to make her jealous by dating fellow glee club member Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie 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...
(Kevin McHale). She sleeps with Artie, but Santana tells him that Brittany was just using him for his voice, so he breaks up with her, to Brittany's dismay. Brittany's relationship with Artie continues to develop; in "Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed (Glee)
"Never Been Kissed" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 28th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Bradley Buecker and premiered on Fox on November 9, 2010. In "Never Been Kissed", the glee club members are assigned a boys...
", he gets her to go out with him again. As of "Furt
Furt
"Furt" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 30th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Carol Banker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on November 23, 2010...
", they are officially dating. When Mr. Schuester decides to showcase some of their other strengths, such as Brittany and Mike's dancing, they begin rehearsing together. Not confident of having the weight of Sectionals
Sectionals
"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
on her shoulders, Artie gives her a "magic" comb to boost her confidence, which she promptly loses. Unwilling to face Artie, she starts avoiding him just as Tina shares her concern that Mike and Brittany were having an affair. Artie confronts her about her avoiding him, but due to her limited vocabulary she inadvertently admits guilt, which she later repairs and makes up with Artie.
In "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
", following her performance of "Landslide
Landslide (song)
The country group Dixie Chicks then covered "Landslide" on their 2002 Home album. This rendition, featuring the group's trademark two- and three-part harmonies reached the Top 10 of both the pop and country charts as well as several other charts. It became the Dixie Chicks' only number 1 single ...
" with Santana and Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and appeared three times during the show's the second season. Holly is Paltrow's first-ever role in a scripted television show...
(Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
), Santana admits her true feelings for Brittany. Although Santana fears being ostracized by the McKinley High student body for being in a same-sex relationship
Same-sex relationship
A same-sex relationship is a relationship between two persons of the same sex and can take many forms, from romantic and sexual, to non-romantic close relationships. The term is mainly associated with gay and lesbian people...
, she confesses her romantic love to Brittany, feelings which are reciprocated. However, Brittany states that she loves Artie too, and would never do anything to hurt him, even if it means not being able to be with Santana. She says that if she and Artie ever break up, she would be all Santana's, proudly so. Brittany is shown wearing a shirt that reads "I'm with Stoopid" when the glee club sings Lady Gaga's "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
" during the so-named episode
Born This Way (Glee)
"Born This Way" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 40th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 26, 2011. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is a tribute to...
, where she also tries to get Santana to embrace her lesbianism, with a shirt Brittany herself made that reads "Lebanese"; it was meant to say "Lesbian".
Characterization
Some of Brittany's most memorable lines are unscripted, and are instead devised by Murphy during filming, or improvised by Morris. Morris portrays Brittany as being "literally insane." She is used by the series' writers to say things no other character would, to the point that Morris considers some of her lines nonsensical. Brittany's character traits include her finding recipes confusing, cheating off intellectually disabled classmates, thinking her cat is reading her diary, and not knowing her right hand from her left. She is friendly towards most of the other characters, and Morris has explained that Brittany "love[s] everybody, no matter who they are", so she is frequently smiling and being nice to people. Morris bases her portrayal of Brittany on the character Karen Smith from the film Mean GirlsMean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
. She plays Brittany as being very innocent, rather than stupid. In the episode "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", Brittany participates in an academic decathlon, as a secret weapon due to the fact that she is somewhat of an idiot savant on the topic of cat diseases.
At the Paley Festival Glee panel in March 2010, Murphy stated that Brittany and Santana would be seen to make out during the show's first season. Morris and Rivera only became aware of this after reading a Paley Festival report online. When they asked Murphy about the development, he claimed to have made the statement "to get a kick" out of the "dirty guy" asking about them. Murphy told Morris and Rivera that Glee would not push relationships to appease the show's fans, but would only pursue those which were "organic and natural." While there are moments on the show which depict Brittany and Santana as being very close to one another, Morris attributes these to her close relationship with Rivera: "that is just Naya and I joking around with each other and being really close. It's always her and I just messing around and they end up using it."
Later in 2010, when interviewed by After Ellen and discussing the large lesbian audience of Glee, Ryan Murphy confirmed that season two would contain at least one kiss between Brittany and Santana. In January 2011, several months after the first Brittany/Santana kiss, Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk further confirmed that "Brittana is on. Brittana was always on."
Musical performances
Brittany performs in several of the series' musical numbers. In the second season episode "Britney/BrittanyBritney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
, Brittany performs one song ("I'm a Slave 4 U
I'm a Slave 4 U
"I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. The song was written and produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, for Spears' third studio album, Britney . It was released on September 24, 2001 by Jive Records, as the first single from the album...
") as a solo and another ("Me Against the Music
Me Against the Music
"Me Against the Music" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her fourth album, In the Zone, featuring American recording artist Madonna. It was released on October 20, 2003 as the lead single from the album by Jive Records. After bonding with Spears during a night in New York...
") as a duet with Santana. The songs by Morris as Brittany have been released as a single, available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, and also featured on the show's soundtrack albums. Brittany performed Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
's Tik-Tok in the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
Blame It on the Alcohol
"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the television series Glee, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz and first aired in the United States on Fox on February 22, 2011...
". Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave praised the New Directions' cover of "Tik Tok", and wrote "Ke$ha might be able to out-drink the Glee members, but their cover of her song was phenomenal." She would go on to praise Brittany's choreography and voice, calling it "mad" and "awesome". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised all of the musical performances and covers of the episode. In the third season, Brittany's first major performance is singing lead on Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...
", which garnered superlatives from many reviewers including Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic, who wrote, "Brittany's performance of "Run the World (Girls)" was thrilling. It was the most adrenaline-pumping musical number the series has produced: intricately choreographed, expertly shot and edited, perfectly woven into the story, and performed exquisitely by Heather Morris."
Reception
Jarrett Wieselman of the New York PostNew York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
has compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, and noted that she has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now". Wieselman wrote that since her introduction, Brittany has been given "more and more to do [and] less and less to think", and that the result has been "one of the most clueless characters that's ever figured out how to dress herself in the morning." E! Online's Megan Masters has also compared Brittany to Sue, and stated that Brittany's one-liners "easily rival" Sue's. She deemed Brittany "brainlessly brilliant", and thanked the Glee producers for creating her: "Never before have we had the pleasure of enjoying such a ridiculously dumb—yet always loveable—character on television." When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany and Santana had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, when writing for lesbian entertainment website AfterEllen.com, praised the pairing and referred to it by the portmanteau "Brittana". Snarker called the two her "new favourite Glee pairing", and commented: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they’ve made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel – I’m on Team Brittana now."
Morris' performance in Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
attracted critical praise; Lisa de Moraes called "Britney/Brittany" a "great showcase" for the actress, and praised her "spectacular dance moves" and "deadpan flare". In his otherwise negative review, Todd VanDerWerff deemed Morris "hysterical throughout" and the cast's best dancer. He stated, "Murphy seems intent on running this character into the ground, but Morris isn't going to have her stop being funny without a fight." Jenna Mullins of E! Online observed, "When Ryan Murphy said this episode was a celebration of Heather, he wasn't kidding", and commended her musical performances. Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
was initially concerned that the episode would diminish Morris' appeal by elevating her from a background role, but was ultimately pleased that it managed to retain her "fan favorite" secondary character status. While Poniewozik asked "have we gotten to the point as a society where it's unremarkable that the most popular scripted TV show in the 18 to 49 demographic is also—almost without comment or controversy—the gayest show on broadcast TV?", Ann Oldenburg of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
questioned whether Glee had gone too far by its depiction of Brittany and Santana kissing and their reference to the sexual act called "scissoring". Christie Keith, in writing for the lesbian and bisexual media website AfterEllen.com, suggested that "Duets" was the "queerest episode of any series that's ever been on television", and stated that she was moved to tears by the final scene of Brittany forlorn without Santana.
Robert Canning praised Morris for her performance in "A Very Glee Christmas
A Very Glee Christmas
"A Very Glee Christmas" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 32nd episode overall. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on Fox on December 7, 2010...
", and wrote: "The heart of "A Very Glee Christmas" was found in Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie 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...
attempt to keep Brittany's belief in Santa Clause alive. Heather Morris perfectly played up Brittany's innocence and joy surrounding everything Santa. Her interaction with the black mall Santa was a highlight. Watching Artie, and eventually the rest of the club, work to keep Brittany's belief intact was truly in the spirit of Christmas and should have been made into a fuller part of the episode. Also shining in this storyline was Dot Jones as Coach Bieste. Her scene as Santa, and then her knowing expression as she watched Artie walk, were the best moments of the episode." In January 2010, Morris and her co-stars won the "Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Later that year, Brittany and Santana were nominated for the "Favorite Fictional Lesbian Couple" award at the AfterEllen.com Visibility Awards.
External links
- Brittany at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...