Alan Harper (Two and a Half Men)


 * This article is about the Two and a Half Men character, For other uses, see: Alan Harper

Alan Jerome Harper is a fictional character from the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, he's the hapless father of Jake Harper and the brother of Charlie Harper. He's portrayed by Jon Cryer. Alan enjoys late night runs on the beach (sometimes while being chased by the police)

Major storylines
A main theme of the show is the brothers' abilities in dating. Alan is shy when it comes to women and the relationships he has formed have often failed, making him the opposite of his brother Charlie, who can get any girl he wants. Alan used to be married to Judith (Marin Hinkle), who is also the mother of his son Jake, after they divorced Alan got stuck to paying her $3875 dollar alimony a month, Judith lived a luxurious life on Alan's alimony up to the point where she remarried, with Dr. Herb Melnick (also known as Greg Melnick in earlier episodes), Jake's pediatrician (Ryan Stiles), which meant Alan didn't have to pay her alimony anymore. Alan's second wife, Kandi (April Bowlby), was one of Charlie's old girlfriends. She's known for being incredibly stupid; ironically making Jake look smart. In the divorce, she received Alan's condo which they bought on casino winnings. Alan drives a Volvo station wagon.

Judith
Alan's first wife and the mother of Jake was Judith. She is generally portrayed as humourless and bitter. Judith told Alan that the reason they were separating was because it wasn't working out, but then later told Alan that she had realized she was a lesbian...only to change her mind again later. Alan and Judith met as teenagers at school and married at a young age. During the separation Alan desperately tried to get back with Judith, as he was seeming to think that they were getting along again, but it turned out that Judith was only using Alan to do her chores. Judith takes every chance she gets to humiliate Alan, even though it is sometimes clear that Alan and Judith still have feelings for each other. Alan and Judith dated once more after the divorce, but kept failing to get intimate because of Jake interrupting at the wrong time, causing Alan to have to hide. When they finally do get a chance to get intimate, Alan becomes upset afterwards because Judith has learned some new moves in bed since the divorce. Alan starts another fight with her when Jake starts to walk into the room, causing Alan to jump out of the second story window and land in a thorn bush. When Alan gets home he then realizes why he and Judith do not need to be together because it is always constant fighting. Judith gets remarried in "Smooth as a Ken Doll" to Dr. Herb Melnick, Jake's paediatrician. Since that day Alan only has to pay alimony to his second wife Kandi, a relief since there was some time before Judith remarried that he had to pay two ex-wives.

Kandi
Alan's second wife, Kandi, was one of Charlie's old girlfriends, who Charlie originally dated as a backup in case something went wrong between him and his girlfriend Mia. When Kandi came looking for Charlie, she met Alan, and they fell in love. They married, but divorced later, because Alan didn't want any children. When Alan did decided that he wanted to have children with Kandi after their divorce, Kandi heard that she had a main role on a tv series, called Stiffs, and said that "nobody wants to see a pregnant detective". Their married life was never shown in episodes, lasting only between the third and fourth seasons.

Alledged Homosexuality
While a confirmed heterosexual. It was suggested multiple times that Alan might be gay, or if not Bisexual. When Alan got his ear pierced, both Charlie and his mother told him that the ear that he got pierced was the "gay ear". In "Tucked, Taped and Gorgeous", Alan started to think about being gay himself after meeting a gay guy named Greg in his single-parent support group. After meeting the guy a couple of times, Alan got congratulated by most of his loved ones for finally "coming out". Alan found himself thinking this could be the reason he's had so many failed female relationships. At the end, Alan decided to kiss Greg to check if he was gay once and for all. When he tried to kiss Greg, however, Greg told him that Alan was definitely not gay, as he said he knows gay men...and that even if he was, "which you're not" he would state again, he doesn't find Alan attractive at all but finds Charlie "pretty". Alan jealously pushed Greg out of his car and drove away. .