Harmon Cavender

Harmon Cavender is the titular main protagonist of Cavender is Coming, the 36th episode of the 3rd season of The Twilight Zone, airing in 1962. He is a bumbling, clumsy guardian angel-in-training, who had failed to earn his wings several times over, and was assigned to an equally clumsy and out-of-luck human woman to prove his worth. Externally, Cavender resembles a human man, although he is capable of teleporting and altering reality through pressing his thumb against his palm.
Harmon Cavender was portrayed by the late Jesse White.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Cavender, an angel, joined a sort guardian angel corp as an apprentice. However, to earn his wings, he was tasked with improving the life of a human within 24 hours, a task he routinely failed to do, and his generally bumbling nature, inexperience with his own powers, and tendency to indulge in human pleasures, such as drinking and smoking, got on the nerves of his superiors. Additionally, Cavender's method of improving human lives generally only involved giving the humans massive wealth and other material goods without considering what the humans actually wanted to be happy. At some point, he served a human man named Mr. Rianti, who brewed alcohol.
=== Cavender is Coming ===
As he was the only angel of his class, an apprentice, to not earn his wings with the time he had served, the chief of the guardian angels was considering 'reclassifying' Cavender, which likely meant condemning him to a mortal life or putting him in some incredibly menial task. As such, the chief summoned Cavender to the office of the 3rd Celestial Division Angel Placement, where he caught Cavender smoking, berating him for his failures while Cavender comically tried to hide his cigar. The chief then informed Cavender that he would be given one more chance, showing him an image of Agnes Grep, a clumsy human woman who was struggling to fit into her new job, giving Cavender 24 hours to improve her life. Cavender, excited, asked if he would get his wings for it, and the chief's aide replied that they would consider it, but that they thought Cavender was dangerous enough with mere arms, legs, and a mouth.
Agnes was quickly fired from her job due to her incompetence, and on the bus ride home, where she was the only passenger, Cavender materialized next to her. He began to explain that he was her guardian angel, but Agnes didn't seem to believe him, instead telling him about how public transit changed and got more expensive, thinking he was crazy or daydreaming. To prove his nature, Cavender offered to make the bus into a flashy convertible, trying his best to concentrate, but accidentally converted the bus into a horse-drawn buggy instead. He quickly corrected his mistake, before turning the car back into a bus. The bus driver, who had been present throughout the changes, promptly resigned and threw himself out the window from the shock of the events, but Agnes still didn't seem convinced, instead trying to leave, but Cavender wrote out 'guardian angel' in the air for her.
Regardless, Agnes went back to her apartment, where Cavender materialized on her couch, explaining that he had to be with her for the next 23 hours and 31 minutes. He tried to go over his analysis of her problems and his solutions, but Agnes seemed more concerned with offering him liquor. Cavender first began to clarify that he needed to help her, but then asked for gin, also finding that Mr. Rianti was a neighbor of Agnes. Cavender then went back to his plans, summoning a booklet to choose a new place for Agnes to live, settling on the Morgan Mansion on Sutton Place, New York City. When Agnes asked how she would pay for it, Cavender clarified that Agnes was now independently wealthy, and altered her bank account to $23,367.19, noting that he didn't like round numbers, something Agnes agreed with him on. Cavender asked Agnes about her social activities, and Agnes said that she liked bowling, but Cavender believed that such activities would not be suited for he social class he wanted to place her in, then teleporting to the mansion with her, where he also altered their clothing to be fittingly formal. However, he forgot to give himself pants, quickly correcting himself while summoning a large party with many high-class and wealthy new friends for Agnes.
While he tried to insist it was for the better, Cavender soon got too caught up drinking and partying, not seeing that Agnes was getting overwhelmed by the new situation. Cavender then awoke on the couch the next morning, realizing that Agnes wasn't around anymore. He quickly teleported himself to her, finding that she had returned to her old apartment but found everything altered. Cavender attempted to explain that his changes meant that her old life had been effectively erased, but Agnes missed her old friends. Cavender tried to take her back to the mansion, but Agnes told him that she preferred her old life, surprising Cavender, who thought that it would be wrong for him to leave her as he found her, but she explained that she was happy with how things were, even if she was unemployed and behind on her rent, as she felt truly close to her neighbors. While reluctant, Cavender reverted things to the way they were, and Agnes happily kissed him before running back inside to greet all her old friends, while Cavender spoke up to the sky that he tried. However, while outside, he realized that in actuality, Agnes was the richest woman he had ever met, whose wealth was not in material things, finally making him realize that money did not equal happiness. She thanked him, and he bid her farewell, before the chief recalled him to Heaven with lightning.
In Heaven, the chief berated Cavender for unangelic behavior, such as drinking and smoking on the job, calling him a disgrace to the service and sentencing him to be reclassified. However, before he could officiate the verdict, the chief looked down at Earth, seeing that much to his shock, Agnes had ended up six times happier than the way Cavender had found her. The chief, delighted by the result, went back on his statement and allowed Cavender to remain a guardian angel, assigning him other deserving subjects. Cavender, glad with the results, left the office while smoking a new cigar.
== Navigation ==
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