 The first time Karofsky received significant notice from critics was for the second season 's sixth episode , " Never Been Kissed " . Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times commented that it was testament to the writers and cast that Karofsky 's kiss startled the audience as much as it did Kurt , and commended the transitioning of Karofsky from a faceless jock into " a nuanced character with a back story and hidden motives of his own . " MTV 's Aly Semigran wrote that , should the episode inspire a single teenager to have courage in the face of discrimination , or re @-@ consider bullying , it would be an impressive accomplishment . Linda Holmes of National Public Radio dismissed " Never Been Kissed " as " one of the most facile and emotionally inauthentic episodes the show has ever produced " , and felt that Karofsky 's swift transition from bullying to kissing Kurt was absurd and " emotionally unsound " . His appearances over the next few episodes drew only oblique commentary , such as The Atlantic 's Kevin Fallon 's characterization in his review on " Furt " of the bullying storyline as a " very important arc that 's been well @-@ acted by all parties involved " . In " The Sue Sylvester Shuffle " , The A.V. Club 's Todd VanDerWerff wrote , " I thought giving Kurt 's bully , Karofsky ( ... ) , a miniature story arc that resolved itself only partially was a smart move . Up until now , he 's been kind of a walking cliché , and now he gets to be someone who 's not all repressed sexuality and monstrous tendencies . " Reiter commented , " And best of all , we got to watch Karofsky 's character develop a bit more . It was nice to see him let loose a little and dance , but all his back @-@ and @-@ <unk> about glee was a little confusing . " 
