Charles "Haywire" Patoshik
Template:Prison Break character Charles "Haywire" Patoshik, played by Silas Weir Mitchell, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. He was introduced to the series as a prisoner from the Fox River State Penitentiary asylum, who was assigned to be protagonist Michael Scofield's cellmate.
Patoshik has a doctorate degree in mathematics from Harvard University, and won four Mathematician of the Year awards. He began to exhibit signs of mental illness during his intense studies. Eventually he snapped, killing both of his parents with a shotgun. He had no history of violent behavior prior to this, and offered no motive for the crime (he claimed to not remember doing it at all). It was later suggested in the episode "Chicago" that his parents had been abusive and in the episode "The Message" that his father was an alcoholic. He was diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder with bipolar tendencies and committed to the Psychiatric Ward of Fox River, where he earned the nickname "Haywire". According to his FBI file, Haywire also has a severe fear of crowds. [1]
Appearances
Haywire is a recurring character of Prison Break. He was introduced in the show's third episode, "Cell Test" and the following episode before reappearing in the seventeenth and eighteenth episodes of the first season. Haywire appears again in the last two episodes of the first season and becomes one of the "Fox River Eight". Similarly in the second season, Haywire appears only in selected episodes. He appeared in four episodes in Season 2 and was killed off in the 16th episode, "Chicago." Of the Fox River Eight, he is the third to go down.
Season 1
Haywire was temporarily Michael's cellmate after Sucre requested and received a cell transfer. After Haywire expressed to Michael that he has no interest in escaping, he got in the way of Michael's plan because of his "neuroanatomic lesion affecting his reticular activating system," so he "doesn't sleep. At all." Haywire later becomes obsessed with Michael's tattoos, realizing that he is hiding something inside of them. Michael faked an assault and got Haywire a hotshot and transferred back to psychiatric ward. Several episodes later, Michael seeks Haywire's help in remembering a part of the tattoo that he had lost to the burn on his back.
Eventually Michael is forced to include Haywire in the escape after he found out about the plan. Haywire escapes with the other inmates soon after. When the other escapees tricked him into leaving their escape van by feigning loss of the keys and driving off without him, Haywire pilfered a bicycle and a football helmet from a nearby home and is last seen riding the bicycle with both arms outstretched down an empty road.
Season 2
After keeping a low profile during the aftermath of the escape, Haywire eventually resurfaces in a Cedar Grove, Wisconsin Dairy Queen. After gorging himself on some soda and ice cream, some teenaged employees enter, and panic once they see Haywire. He escapes to a home in the suburbs, where he meets a blind, elderly woman who supposedly mistakes him for her son "Billy", who supposedly ran away in order to get married to his loved one. After getting a new set of clothing, Haywire sees a picture of a windmill in the countryside. He becomes enthralled by the picture and asks the older woman where it is. She replies that it is in Holland, where she grew up. She then grasps his hand, but can tell by the feel of it (or perhaps by the lack of a wedding ring) that it's not Billy's hand. She called the local authorities to report a home intruder. Haywire quickly escaped the home without harming her, but not without stealing the portrait of the Holland countryside.
Haywire is next seen stealing a map and and various other accessories from a sporting goods store. When he realizes the shopkeeper is not physically able to catch him, he runs off with the merchandise, but the shopkeeper's border collie gives chase. He is about to kill the dog, but manages to peacefully pacify it with food. Later, Haywire and the dog are at the shore of Lake Michigan, with Haywire studying a map and the painting. He tells the dog he wants to build a raft and row across the lake towards Holland, where he's planning to start a new life in a windmill.
While scrounging wood for his raft, Haywire is approached by two teenagers, Sasha and Matt, and asked to buy beer for them. Haywire agrees as long as he can buy some food for his dog, now named Larry. They agree, and say he can keep a beer for himself, but Haywire refuses, saying that his dad drank. After buying the beer, they ask what he needs the wood for, and he tells them it's for his raft, and invited them to take a look at it. While showing his map of how to get to Holland (the painting he stole earlier), he notices Sasha has bruises on her wrists. When confronted about them, she tells him her dad drinks as well.
Later in the evening, Matt drops off Sasha at her house while Haywire watches. Upon noticing Sasha's abusive stepfather is preparing to beat her, Haywire breaks in and beats him to death.
In the next episode, he is chased up a grain mill by Brad Bellick, who was hired to pursue him by FBI Agent Alexander Mahone. Mahone climbs up the grain mill and proceeds to talk with Haywire. Haywire decides to commit suicide by jumping off the rafter, and Mahone stands by to let it happen.
Mahone had been pressured by Agent Kim to kill Haywire, but was hesitant to do so due to Haywire's mental illness.
References
- ^ S2E16, "Chicago", dialogue spoken by Wade Williams as Brad Bellick.
External links
- Charles "Haywire" Patoshik's biography at Fox.com