Sylvester Lisko

"Hilde, sweetie, it did work. I'm just an old man from a small town who sold bikes and lived at the same address for forty years. I thought my life was small. I thought, well... except for you guys, my family, maybe I didn't matter all that much. But you showed me there's no such thing as a small life. Because if my story can help someone else, well, then... it matters. So keep going, Hilde. Keep telling your story."

- Sylvester to Hilde

Sylvester Lisko is a character in Home Before Dark. He is portrayed by Reed Birney.

Biography
Sylvester was born in 1950 presumably in Erie Harbor, Washington. He graduated from high school in 1968, where he played first base for the softball team. He played baseball and was pictured in the newspaper after his team won in countryside softball tournament. He married Jane Lisko in 1975. From 1968 to 1976 he worked at Strata Tech Industries, before he opened Syl's Cycles in 1976. As the owner of Syl's Cycles, he serviced the entire town of Erie Harbor. His grand opening even brought together friends and family. They started a family with the birth of their only child, a son named Matthew in 1977.

He tried to encourage his son to make friends and have a good time in the town, despite the mischief that Matt tended to get into with his best friends Richie Fife and Frank Briggs Jr.. Sylvester taught Matt how to play guitar and sing.

One day, Sylvester was visited by mayor Jack Fife, who wanted to buy the most expensive bike in the shop for his son Richie. He picked out a red bike and surprised Richie with it outside the store. Richie hesitantly admitted that his favorite color is green, not red, as that's Jack's favorite color. Jack became angry that Richie would turn down his gift and decided that his son would get nothing at al. He then drove away without Richie. Sylvester saw how upset that made Richie so he offered him an alternative to the red bike. He offered up a slightly older and less expensive bicycle that was green. Richie was overjoyed, even more so when Sylvester gave it to Richie for free.

On January 31st, 1988, Richie was abducted while walking home with Matt and Frankie. The police arrested Sam Gillis for the kidnapping and believed murder. Matt had to testify and Sylvester support his son as much as he could. However, Matt didn't believe Sam was guilt and launched his own investigative reporting into the abduction. Sylvester eventually intervened and told Matt to stop investigating and reporting on the matter, shutting his son down at every turn until Matt did give up. This drove a wedge between the once close men. As the years passed, Jane passed away and Matt graduated high school. He left Erie Harbor for New York to pursue a journalism degree and career. Sylvester stayed behind in Erie Harbor and grew closer to a now young adult Frank Briggs Jr.. They went fishing, camped, and spent days together.

In March of 2013, Jane passed away. Sylvester developed Alzheimer's disease and was placed in a care facility by Matt, who still lived in New York with his wife and three daughters. With Sylvester's mental health and memory decline, paired with the family's money problems, it seemed like the perfect time to move his family back to Erie Harbor, Washington.

Season 1
In "Never Be the Same", Hilde awakens at the sound of a disturbance in the house. She and Ginny go the kitchen where they find bloody footprints leading to an older man. Ginny is scared by the man and runs away, but Hilde recognizes him as her grandfather. She takes the knife from his hands and gives him a hug. At breakfast, Matt bandages his father's feet while Bridget attempts to get the sisters ready for school. Hilde loudly tries to tell her father of her recent discoveries but is asked to be quiet as this isn't the time.

Matt takes Sylvester back to the nursing home where he tries to ask about the safe in the attic, but Sylvester can't communicate with Matt due to his dementia. While spending time with Sylvester, Matt sees Frank Briggs Jr., a police lieutenant, and their exchange is tense. Frank is there to see Sylvester as he heard about his rendezvous the night before. He frequently visits Sylvester in the facility. Sylvester repeats the same sentence to Matt repeatedly - that he gave Frankie the information. He then gives Matt a piece of origami.

In "Sting Like a Bee",

In The Bird, Man",

In "The Green Bike", in a flashback to 1988, Mayor Jack Fife buys his son Richie a new bike. Jack is pleased with himself for buying the most expensive bike in the shop, and Sylvester happily beams from beside him as Jake bought the bike at Syl's Cycles. Richie is grateful for the bike but wanted a green one, not a red one, as green is his favorite color. He appreciates it but Fife angrily says he bought the most expensive one. Then decides that if Richie can't be happy with this one then he won't get a present at all. Jack then gets in his car and drives off without Richie. Sylvester tells the boy it's alright and that might have something for him. He returns with a red bike and offers it up instead. Richie is grateful and asks how much it will cost, but Sylvester gives it to him in exchange for the one Jack bought.

In the present day, Matt and Frankie investigate who burned Hilde's bike, as it was the same bike that Richie had in 1988. As the tromp through the woods, they spot a fleeing Sylvester and chase after him. Sylvester is wearing a bathrobe and slippers. He takes cover behind a tree as he shakes and cries. The men find Sylvester and Matt comforts him. They take him back to the Lisko house where Sylvester sits in Matt's truck with a blanket around his shoulders. Matt asks Sylvester why he burned Hilde's bike, and Sylvester admits her burned it because it was “cursed”. He never should have given the bike to Richie.

Matt takes Sylvester back to the facility where he asks the nurse why his father was able to leave so easily. She explains that a nurse left the door open when she went to smoke, but the nurse has since been fired and the situation won't happen again. Matt isn't convinced and asks for discharge paperwork so he can take care of Sylvester himself. The nurse is worried that Matt isn't equipped for the situation, especially since he's been gone for so long, but Matt is sure of his choice. He helps Sylvester to his feet and brings him back to the Lisko house.

In "88 Miles an Hour", Sylvester continues to adjust to his new surroundings. He enters Bridget and Matt's room early in the morning and begins to shout at them, angrily wondering what they were doing in his bed. Bridget is startled awake while Matt tries to call his father. The couple are forced to sleep on the couch bed. Bridget isn't opposed to Sylvester being there, but wishes Matt talked to her about it first. He understands and apologizes for moving Sylvester in without asking her. She teases that he can make it up to her, but there moment is ruined by the girls getting up for school and Sylvester starting his day.

In "Search Party", Hilde doesn't return to the Lisko house after the dance which is a cause of concern for her parent's, who learn that Sam Gillis has escaped police custody. Matt and Bridget work with Frank to organize a small search party for Hilde which includes Trip, Kim, and Carol. Hilde takes Same to the Lisko's shed where she tries to cut the handcuffs off his wrists using bolt cutters. She isn't strong enough to break through the chain. Sylvester enters a few moments later in one of his states. He recognizes Sam and greets him happily. He helps Sam removed the cuffs and even gives him a warm jacket. He then remarks that he knows Sam saw the man with the sinner tattoo, and Sylvester still thinks that man had something to do with Richie's kidnapping. Hilde finds this interesting but doesn't press for answers right away. Instead, she asks her grandfather to deliver a message to Izzy - that she's okay. They hug as he promises to tell Izzy.

Izzy enters a few minutes later and greets Sylvester, who tells her that Hilde is okay and with Sam Gillis. Because of his dementia, Izzy doesn't believe him and tries to explain that Hilde wasn't there. He is sure that he talked with her a few moments ago, and Izzy hugs him tightly before asking him to come back inside.

In "The Future Is Female", Sylvester stands in the kitchen when Matt and Hilde come home. He believes that it's different year and time altogether. Hilde doesn't correct him or tell him he's wrong, but rather, talks to him and manages to connect with him. Sylvester then leaves the room to start his day. Matt asks how she connects with her grandfather. She explains that she talks about what he wants to talk about and she doesn't try to correct him all the time.

That night, Matt comes home to find Syl in the kitchen making a sandwich. He thinks Matt came from the prom and asks how it went. Matt goes to correct him but then goes along with what Sylvester believes. Matt admits he broke up with Kim as he’s leaving for New York after graduation while Kim wants to stay in Erie Harbor. Sylvester tells Matt that the right girl is worth fighting for. He then admits he doesn’t want Matt to go to the east coast as he’ll be lonely and miss him. He asks Matt to reconsider his choice. After a moment of silence, Matt says he will.

The next day, Hilde needs signatures to get Mackenzie Johnson elected as town sheriff. She and her friends decide to target the other seniors at the facility where Sylvester used to be a patient. The seniors aren't very engaged with the kids or the idea, so Hilde decides to have a dance party with her grandfather to get them moving and inspired to sign. As she dances with Sylvester, she remembers doing the same dance with her grandfather at Christmas. The community claps when the dance ends and they gather half the signatures needed.

In "Superhero Monster Slayer", Matt prepares to leave for a road trip with Hilde for the day. Sylvester stops him in the hall as he still doesn’t want Matty to leave. Matt realizes his father thinks this is the day he left for New York. Sylvester presses that he’ll never see Matt if he leaves for New York. Matt remembers leaving that day and only shaking his dad’s hand before leaving. Now, he hugs Sylvester and promises it’s just a day trip and won’t leave him again. By the time Matt comes home that night, the driveway has an ambulance in it with an unconscious Sylvester being loaded in with a stretcher. The paramedics are taking Syl to the hospital as they think he had a stroke. Matt rides with Sylvester while Bridget follows with the girls.

At the hospital, they learn that Sylvester had a mild ischemic stroke and lost some blood flow to his brain. The doctors think he'll be okay but aren't sure how it will affect his dementia. Matt has the girls head out for some sleep. Hilde says she’ll write the article and take care of her father so Matt can take care of Sylvester. That night, Matt sits by the hospital bed and plays his guitar for his father. He remembers being a young boy and having Sylvester teach him how to sing and play the instrument.

In "Bigger Than All of Us",

Notes and Trivia

 * Sylvester suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
 * He enjoys making origami and is talented with the beings he creates out of paper.
 * He caught a record setting king salmon in Erie Harbor.