Editing Jake Harper (section)

== Biography ==
'''Season 1:''' Jake initially appears quite different from his later portrayal. In the beginning, he is of a healthy weight, kind, charming, and embodies the traits of a typical American kid—much more innocent and impressionable. His presence even prompts Charlie to briefly reconsider his own lifestyle. Although Alan dislikes Charlie's way of life, he decides to have Jake live with Charlie over Evelyn, wanting to avoid Jake turning out like them. Jake understands that his parents are divorcing but treats the matter with a surprising amount of casualness.

'''Season 2:''' Jake begins to show signs of becoming lazier and more self-centered. He gains weight and starts displaying a somewhat dense attitude, laying the foundation for his character's humorously clueless behavior.

'''Season 3:''' Jake's behavior takes a turn for the worse. He becomes rude, obnoxious, and disrespectful towards both Alan and Judith. In the episode "Weekend in Bangkok with Two Olympic Gymnasts," he retorts to Judith with, "I can't watch it, it's under my nose," when told to watch his mouth. His poor behavior extends to school as well; in "Principal Gallagher's Lesbian Lover," Jake is suspended for mocking a girl with large breasts. In "That Voodoo That I Do Do," he is reluctantly enrolled in ballet classes by Charlie to help him get closer to the instructor, [[Mia (Two and a Half Men)|Mia]]. Throughout this season, Jake forms a bond with Kandi, Alan's girlfriend (later wife and ex-wife), to the extent of saying that if Kandi used the bathroom, "it would be [his] step-stool."

'''Season 4:''' Jake starts to drift away from Alan, spending less time with him. In "It Never Rains in Hooterville," Jake decorates his room with posters of women in bikinis, prompting Alan to take him on a camping trip to spend quality time together. Alan grows increasingly worried about Jake's future, as evidenced in "Corey's Been Dead for an Hour," where he dreams of a future where both he and Jake are working at a movie theater, with Jake constantly eating the popcorn—a humorous illustration of Alan's fears about Jake's lack of ambition and direction in life.

'''Season 5:''' Jake begins junior high after it was decided that "it was in everyone's best interest that he moves on" from elementary school. On his first day, he skips school because Charlie and Alan filled his mind with horror stories about what to avoid there, combined with being forced to wear old man shoes and only beige clothing. He continues to distance himself from Alan; for example, he refuses to go to the movies with him, suggesting instead that Alan just drop him off. When Alan asks, "So basically, you'll go to the movies with anyone except me," Jake replies, "I wouldn't go with Hitler."

'''Season 6:''' Jake undergoes a significant transformation. With puberty, his voice becomes deeper, and he grows taller and thinner, though his enormous appetite remains unchanged. He also begins to engage in more mature activities, such as helping Alan carry an unconscious, half-naked woman and drinking alcohol ("Damn You, Eggs Benedict"). Charlie's insults towards Jake become more frequent and pointed.

'''Season 7:''' Jake's hair grows longer and lighter, and his behavior continues to diverge from his earlier self, becoming more immature and self-aware about being in "the awkward years." Toward the end of the season, he befriends Eldridge, a troublemaking kid who plays the drums and has issues with his parents. The two often get into trouble together, including sneaking out of the beach house and stealing Charlie's beer. Alan is initially upset but softens after meeting Eldridge's mom, [[Lyndsey McElroy|Lyndsey]], whom he later starts dating, unbeknownst to Jake and Eldridge until later.

After Jake and Eldridge discover that their parents are dating, Jake threatens to live with Judith and Herb. However, Alan promises to keep no more secrets, convincing Jake to stay with him and Charlie. Alan considers Eldridge a bad influence because of incidents like sneaking out, stealing beer, and getting drunk, but he lets it slide due to his relationship with Lyndsey. The kids oppose their parents moving in together, but Charlie bribes them with money to get Alan out of the house. When the house burns down, Alan, Jake, Eldridge, and Lyndsey all move in with Charlie. Eldridge and his mom later move out after Chris McElroy, Eldridge's father, reunites with Lyndsey. A few episodes later, Jake and Eldridge watch Courtney try on dresses at Charlie's house.

In the season 9 opener, "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt," Jake appears briefly, playing a minor role with just three scenes and minimal dialogue. He seems unemotional about Charlie's passing, even after Rose uses a crude term to describe his death, asking Alan and Evelyn if they're hungry. It's suggested that Jake's main concern is food rather than his uncle's death. He's missing from the episode until the end, where Judith drops him off at Charlie's beach house, where he witnesses Walden Schmidt hugging Alan. Alan introduces Jake to Judith, who expresses interest in him. Later, Judith mentions buying the house, indicating a budding relationship. In "People Who Love Peepholes," Jake makes a short appearance as Alan leaves him at Charlie's beach house, which Walden Schmidt had purchased. "Big Girls Don't Throw Food" sees Jake allowed to stay at Charlie's beach house with Alan, but they're forced to share a room, which Jake is reluctant about. Walden convinces Jake to drop out of school and start his own business, boasting about skipping school and college to begin his internet career and making his first million at 19. This episode marks Jake's first significant role, focusing on the growing relationship between Alan and Walden. When Judith learns about Jake quitting school, she visits Charlie's beach house, Walden Schmidt's Malibu Beach House, to talk about Walden's influence on Jake's decision to leave school, only to end up kissing him unknowingly, caught on camera. Jake was still planning to leave school. In "Those Fancy Japanese Toilets," it's implied that Jake has his first sexual encounter with his chemistry tutor, Megan, sparked by her intense desire after seeing Walden. Although they're seen making out in the next episode. However, Jake is grateful for the experience, which is unusual for him. Jake later mentions in "Frodo's Headshots" that he and Megan have never had sex, after Alan has a nightmare about Jake impregnating Megan. During a deep conversation with Alan, Jake finally confesses his love and longing for Charlie in "Thank You for the Intercourse." He and Walden are concerned about Alan's behavior, reminiscent of his uncle Charlie. In "Not In My Mouth!", Jake engages in sexual activity with Zoey's neighbor, Zoey, and later tells a friend (presumably, Eldridge) over the phone about having sex with her five times in half an hour. It's unclear if Jake was a virgin before this encounter.

In "Why We Gave Up Women," Jake views his Uncle Charlie as a spirit of women at the hospital. Jake often and regularly used marijuana with his closest companion, Eldridge. Following his high school graduation, he and Eldridge attempted employment in a control room operated by Walden and Billy's firm, but ended up downloading excessive pornography, which led to a virus spreading across all the hard drives and the server crashing. Subsequently, they enlisted in the military, where they were observed facing difficulties during boot-camp. Jake's involvement has been somewhat divided with Eldridge, with him now being the primary focus of his role.

In the episode titled "I Changed My Mind About the Milk," Jake and Eldridge have decided to enlist in the military. Jake begins a relationship with Missi, the daughter of one of Walden's acquaintances, Missi. They engage in a brief, non-committal sexual relationship for a couple of episodes, but Missi ends things when Jake expresses his desire for a more serious commitment. Jake then starts dating a woman in her forties, who has three children, including one older than Jake. Initially, Jake and Tammy Sue almost get married in Vegas but decide against it at the eleventh hour and continue their relationship. Tammy privately tells Alan that she has no intention of getting married to Jake, which eases Alan's worries. In the episode titled "TwoAndAHalfMen-ep1015-jpg 191939," Jake has an affair with his younger sister's daughter, who is the same age as him, which leads to the breakup of their relationship. Jake and Ashley fight to be together, but Ashley eventually gets Tammy's approval, only to have Ashley's ex-boyfriend return and propose to her, leaving Jake heartbroken. Jake is then posted to Japan for a year, so he spends a weekend with his dad before his departure. Jake doesn't appear in Season 11, but he is referenced multiple times. He continues to stay in touch with the family and even sends them Japanese marijuana for Christmas and homemade sushi, which unfortunately spoils due to the melted ice. Walden's friend, Barry, is mistakenly identified as Jake by Alan, Berta, and Jenny when they first meet him. Living in Japan now, it's uncertain if Jake has ever met Charlie's daughter, Jenny. It's also possible he may not even be aware of her existence. In the season finale, Jake receives a check for 250,000 from Charlie and wins 2.5 million from gambling in Vegas before leaving his dad and Walden in fear for his life due to Charlie's threats.