Since Phil is back home, Kupitman may once again start dumping all the work on him — the fact which he already started celebrating the one way he knows, with cognac. Lyuba angrily warns him that if he would again drink himself into drunken mess, she wouldn't wait for him. Then Kupitman learns that Phil started visiting a shrink to deal with stress, and thus must go home earlier than usually — which, in turn, means that Kupitman must take his remaining patients. But Phil's shrink suggests him to get distracted from grief... through work; lots of work. However, Phil notices a "gift" from Kupitman, and realises that the shrink was bribed, to give him advices favourable to Kupitman. After noticing another pack of clinical histories, Phil decides to not bother with arguing with Kupitman, and goes straight to Kisegach. But turns out that she also has a gifted bottle, which Phil notices when she starts trying to send him away. Phil then tries Bykov, but decides to not even bother when he sees another bottle. When he leaves, Bykov comments on him acting weird, suggesting that it may be all just in Phil's head. Turns out that the "gifts from Kupitman" were bought not by Kupitman, but by one of Timur's friends — he brought several bottles, and provides them for anyone interested, for low price. Timur takes two bottles — and meets Phil in the corridor, who accuses him of "selling out" to Kupitman. He unsuccessflly tries to take away the bottles, and then leaves. After noticing that even Lyuba was "bribed", Phil snaps and starts accusing everyone around him of being "sell-outs" and "traitors"; the longer he goes, the harder it becomes for him to even construct coherent sentences. When Bykov and Kupitman appears, Phil throws all papers at them, saying (he tried to yell, but his voice is too weak already) that "here is my work!". After Kisegach shows up, asking what's going on, Phil finally faints from all the stress. The shrink finally comes up with a diagnosis: it is stress-induced breakdown. Unfortunately for Kupitman, only way to deal with it is... rest. And certainly no more work.
Gleb, disrespecting every single rule, started skating around the hospital, with the overweight guard being hopelessly behind him. When he finally gets caught, the guard escorts him to Kisegach, who's infuriated by her son's behaviour. She promises the guard that this wouldn't happen again, but Gleb feels zero remorse over his actions. Then drunk Gleb decides to make cool trick on the ladder — only to hit Bykov, knocking him out. It takes Bykov some time to find his glasses and stand up, allowing Gleb to escape, but at the cost of leaving his skate behind. Bykov doesn't resist for long, and soon the guard starts running after him. Kisegach is very angry — and disappointed — with him being so childish. Just in case, she confiscates the skate. But soon, someone steals the skate from the office. Since neither Gleb nor Bykov admits it, she should punish them both (by withholding money and sex, respectively), but then her secretary, Vera, comes in, and turns out that she'd broke her arm, and needs to take a sick leave. She claims that it happened outside of the hospital, but Gleb and Bykov instantly realises how it really happened. Kisegach, however, refuses to believe, thinking that they're trying to shift the blame on someone else. But one question remains unanswered: just how Gleb and/or Bykov have stole that skate? Who took the keys from Kisegach's office? Turns out, nobody but Kisegach herself. However, the guard threw away the skate itself, and then it was used by... Vera, who tried to ride in the hall, but hit guard and fell, breaking her arm.
Bykov introduces Levin to the other doctors and interns, in rather insulting manner — including shameful story about his deportation. Levin gets offended by this, and asks why Bykov acts so mean. What if he changed during all those years? Bykov doesn't believe that he changed a one bit — in fact, his current behaviour just showcases that he remained just as annoying — but he agrees to publicly apologise, if Levin finds at least someone who likes him; he has one day for that. Searching for someone he may win on his side, Levin notices Rita, and, not knowing that she's in relationship with Alexei, decides to flirt with her (just careful enough to "not seduce her accidentally"), so she would be on his side against Bykov. In order to win her sympathy, he starts insulting Lyuba, calling her work inferior to Rita's. Unknowingly to him, Lyuba's is Rita's best friend (and knows of his past with Lyuba), so he only alienates Rita instead. He then tries with Alexei (expecting him to be "uncultured barbarian, just as Lobanov, if not worse"), by badmouthing Bykov, expecting that Alexei would join — only to find out that Alexei genuinely respects Bykov, and is offended by Levin's behaviour. Then he tries to talk with Timur, lying about his ancestry to earn some points, but only makes himself look like a fool in process due to mistaking his nationality. The last one whom he tries is Polina. This time, he decides to change tactics, and start from explaining that things were not as Bykov described. Unfortunately, it turns out that Polina thought that it was yet another Bykov's joke until Levin started denying it, achieving exactly opposing effect and alienating Polina, too. But not all is lost: Gleb offers his help (in return for a bottle of cognac) with collecting info about them, so Levin would know what each one's likes and dislikes. The second attempt goes better. He starts with complementing Rita (and gifting her new chocolate cake), and apologising for insulting Lyuba: he didn't mean anything bad about her, only that Rita does really great job at replacing her. With Alexei, he compliments him for standing out of the crowd, and not insulting Bykov (great teacher, scientist and just man!) behind his back. With Timur, he passes his initial awkwardness as a joke — because Timur is a known joker, right? And with Polina, he tells her the "real" story, which sounds way less creepy and much more romantic and adventurous. Soon, everyone starts liking him, and defends him before Bykov. But then he asks whether they're sure, but, even after admitting that they were asked for this, everyone insists that they do like Levin. But then Levin, feeling that he no longer needs allies, ruins everything by insulting them, soon losing all friends he just found. Bykov tells him that he's disappointed: he indeed started believing that Levin might've changed. When Levin realises that he's right, he can't even brought himself to face the team.
This episode provides examples of:
- Chekhov's Gun: That bottle of cognac in signature pack which Phil notices in Kupitman's office. He would later encounter the similar bottles throughout the hospital, always taking a sign of people being bribed by Kupitman. In reality, they were brought by Timur's friend, in large amount (he obtained them cheaply).
- Compliment Backfire: Levin tries to praise Rita by badmouthing Lyuba, upon whose "crappy" work she "improved everything". Because Lyuba is Rita's best friend, it comes out as offensive.
- Enemy Mine: Unsuccessfully invoked by Levin when he tries to befriend Alexei; turns out that Alexei doesn't consider Bykov to be his enemy, and attempts to insult his mentor only offends him.
- False Reassurance: When introducing Levin, Bykov starts with torrents of compliments about "great specialist and human being"... then he stops describing himself and starts insulting Levin.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Levin befriends Rita, Alexei, Timur and Polina when he needed them to convince Bykov to let him stay, but the very next day, realising that their friendship is no longer needed, he instantly regresses to his usual Insufferable Genius self and alienates them. Bykov, who indeed started believing that maybe Levin changed for the best over years, feels disappointed.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Kupitman dismisses Phil's requests to decrease amount of work, so Phil would have some time for rest. As result, Phil suffers breakdown the very same day, and now for at least some time Kupitman would be forced to take all the work, because Phil is out of condition.
- Mistaken Nationality: In attempt to befriend Timur, Levin lies that he is quarter-Kyrgyz. Unfortunately for him, Timur is Kazakh, so his attempt at flattery only makes him look like an idiot.Levin: My grandmother was Kyrgyz. This makes me quarter-Kyrgyz!
Timur: My grandfather wore glasses. Does that make us brothers? - Not So Above It All: Vera, of all people, steals the skate from Kisegach's office, and tries to ride on it. Due to lack of experience, she falls and breaks her hand.
- Sanity Slippage: The longer episode goes and more "bribed by Kupitman" (having distinct bottles of cognac like the one he noticed in Kupitman's office earlier) people Phil notices, the less sane he becomes. When turns out that even Lyuba was "bribed", Phil finally snaps, starts yelling and soon enough faints due to stress. The shrink later diagnoses him with stress-induced breakdown.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Levin starts his conversation with Polina with denying accusations of sexual harassment, Polina starts suspecting that maybe Bykov wasn't joking after all. Then he goes into more details instead of just sticking with "yes, it was a joke" version. When he basically confirms Bykov's story, she reacts with disgust.
- Working-Class People Are Morons: Levin is a firm believer that working class people are dumb, uncultured barbarians. When he tries to act "friendly" to Alexei, he tries to change his speech pattern to something "appropriate", but sounds just ridiculous, especially since Alexei, unlike him, talks normally.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Downplayed. Once Levin gets allowed into team, he immediately makes it clear that he lied about considering Rita, Alexei, Timur and Polina his friends. He tells Rita that he doesn't give a crap about her gossips; insists that Alexei follows subordination and doesn't bother him; insults Timur's sense of humour; and rudely rejects Polina's offer to spend time together. Bykov, who actually thought that maybe Levin did change, openly voices his disappointment: Levin remained the same entitled asshole he always was.
