Harmon

## Summary/Background

Gloria, Harmon, and Baby Billy Freeman

Harmon Freeman is Baby Billy Freeman's oldest son by his first wife, Gloria. Harmon was born some time in the mid to late 1980s, having been present at a family meal with his aunt's family in South Carolina before Kelvin was born. Baby Billy would eventually abandon Harmon and Gloria, leaving Harmon to be raised by his mother by herself, not knowing what happened to his father or why Baby Billy abruptly left his family. Harmon would meet up with his father in adulthood, after Baby Billy tracked him down and met up for closure. Harmon is played by actor Jeremy T. Thomas as a youth, and actor Macaulay Culkin as an adult.

## Season 1

Harmon is first seen/introduced in the season 1 flashback episode, "Interlude". Circa 1988-1989, Baby Billy approaches his sister Aimee-Leigh Gemstone and her husband, Eli Gemstone about his plans to reunite his and Aimee-Leigh's sibling musical act. Baby Billy's career had floundered around that time, and he was hurting financially, having to maintain the family's ancestral property in Upstate South Carolina, Freeman's Gap. Baby Billy concocted the reunion tour as a way to stave off having to sell parcels of the family's land to support his family. Originally, Aimee-Leigh and Eli declined Baby Billy's proposal, as Aimee-Leigh found out she was unexpectedly pregnant with Kelvin. Baby Billy would grow very upset over this revelation, expecting the reunion tour to help fix his financial situation. Aimee-Leigh would begrudgingly accept to go on tour, even while expecting, to help Baby Billy prevent potential sales of their family's land parcels in Freeman's Gap.

Baby Billy would actually join Eli and Aimee-Leigh on an episode of their taped TV program, goading Aimee-Leigh to perform a rendition of their hit song, Misbehavin'. Later, Baby Billy and his family joined his sister at a post-church family meal as was tradition for the Gemstones. They discussed the tour and Baby Billy's precarious finances, which took a turn for the worst. Baby Billy mentions he had already started selling parcels of land from Freeman's Gap, directly contradicting what he had told Aimee-Leigh earlier. When Aimee-Leigh expresses shock, Baby Billy gaslights her and says he already told her, when he hadn't. Aimee-Leigh loses her temper, and makes the family leave the restaurant and Baby Billy. This was the last appearance of young Harmon until Season 2.

## Season 2

Harmon has a larger role in season 2 and his history is explained in the episode, Interlude II. In a flashback to 1993, Baby Billy and his family are shown shopping at a mall. They go into a pet store, where Baby Billy promises to buy young Harmon a pet animal, such as a dog. Harmon is inclined towards the cats, and in one moment, Baby Billy has a revelation where he realizes he has neither the means nor the will to support Harmon or Gloria. Baby Billy steps out, stating he is getting "Funyuns", and abandons both at the pet store. It is strongly hinted that Harmon had some major disabilities as a child, displaying a hunched back and only basic level social skills.

Flash forward to the present day, Baby Billy is having issues with his second family, consisting of his pregnant second wife Tiffany and their unborn child, Lionel. Baby Billy abandons Tiffany and the unborn Lionel again, doing the same to them as he did to Harmon and Gloria. After being tracked down and confronted by Tiffany, BJ, and Judy, Baby Billy has an altercation with BJ and drives off with his trailer full of quack healing products. Having experienced extreme guilt from having abandoned both families he created, Baby Billy would track down and find Harmon, who was a fully grown adult by the present day in the series.

Harmon and Baby Billy's reunion is awkward, and Harmon displays awkward social interactions. While it may have been evidence of his childhood disability, it was likely surmised that the awkwardness was due to his estranged father show up to his doorstep unexpectedly. He and Billy have a meeting of the minds, and Harmon asks if he can punch Baby Billy in the face. Baby Billy agrees, and Harmon cold cocks him across the mouth, knocking Baby Billy down. Harmon achieves his catharsis this way. Baby Billy departs, having felt better about his split with Harmon and Gloria.

It was unknown what Harmon did for a career as an adult, but he was shown residing in a well-kept middle class home, which seems to adjusted to adult life and somewhat overcame his childhood disability. In his brief conversation with his father he reveals he has married a lawyer, to which Baby Billy praises Harmon for finding "an educated breadwinner".

In the final church service scene, Harmon is spotted in the crowd attending the Gemstone service with his own wife and child.