Thomas "Tom" Melini is the father of Chelsea, ex-husband of Martha Melini and the boyfriend of Edward Boyton. He is portrayed by Stacy Keach.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Tom was married to Martha and fathered a daughter Chelsea and a son. Though he behaved like a racist and a homophobe, deep-down he had a romantic passion for his old Navy buddy and friend Edward Boyton. However, he hid those feelings for four decades and stayed married to his wife.
He underwent a hip replacement surgery as revealed by Charlie in "For The Sake of The Child".
Yay, No Polyps![]
He took Charlie to a bar in order to get to know his future son-in-law, with Charlie's brother Alan Harper tagging along to get free drinks. Initially, the talk went smoothly until Tom spotted a gay couple in the bar and started to ramble about things, that left the Harpers brothers confused. Getting drunk, he started to speak with the gay couple and was oddly friendly while the brothers realized that he was truly a homosexual and that he had feelings for his old Army friend Edward Boyton who he constantly spoke about. However, they took him to the house to sleep it off. Subsequently, he argued with his wife and came out of the closet by voicing his affections for a man. This argument was heard by Chelsea who was surprised by this but got around to it but his bigoted and homophobic wife Martha wasn't too receptive.
After Chelsea took her mother home, Charlie mentioned that he helped Tom stay at a hotel and he reconnected with Ed. It turns out Ed also reciprocated the affections and they got together.
Tom filed for divorce from Martha who was really enraged at the news.
Tinkle Like A Princess[]
Instead of hanging around for more analogies, Charlie heads to find Chelsea at her dad's house, where he walks in on the dad and his boyfriend in the middle of a little spat over decorating. Although obviously uncomfortable, he waits it out until Chelsea comes home. When she arrives, Charlie tells her how much he misses her and basically begs her to take him back, vowing that he can change. For her part, Chelsea realizes that she shouldn't have tried to change him and wants to take some time to figure out what she wants. They say an awkward goodbye.
I Found Your Mustache[]
After Charlie and Chelsea have a one-night stand, he believes they're on the path to reconciling but Chelsea tells him that what happened between them doesn't change the way things ended between them and leaves. Distraught, Charlie tries to bring her flowers, but she's absent and Tom and his boyfriend Edward offer advice to appear in control, not needy. The situation puts strain on the fraternal bond, yet proves it's stronger than Charlie admitted before.
This Is Not Gonna End Well[]
As Alan brings ice and supplements to Chelsea's birthday party, Tom and Edward are seen helping with the preparations as well as dealing with a few awkward conversations with Alan Harper. After which, they're seen engaging in pubic displays of affection such as sharing a loving hug together while Chelsea and Alan watch and Alan asks Chelsea if she ever thinks of them having sex together, leading Chelseas to be a little confused and uneasy. After this, Tom and his boyfriend Edward are seen among the rest of the party guests wishing Chelsea a happy birthday as Jake gives her the birthday present that Charlie meant to give her but couldn't give it to her himself.
Relationships[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- He doesn't share his ex-wife's bigoted views.
- Chelsea mentions a brother, meaning Tom and Martha have other children.