Every year, at the new year's eve, the hospital's team chooses (by randomly drawing names from a box) someone to play the Father Frost,note to bring happiness to everyone else. Bykov, who hates this holiday, considers this position to be a punishment... but, ironically, it turns out that it's Bykov who would play his role this year! He, of course, tries to refuse, but no one agrees to replace him: everyone except for Bykov have played this role several times before (even Kupitman did, five times!), and Bykov can't drop his duties on anyone else. But Bykov isn't so easy to force to do anything, and he just assigns his ex-interns to do everything by themselves, dressing Semyon as a talking deer, Phil as "Snegurochka" note and Gleb as a snowman (with improvised paper "bucket" on the head and fake carrot for a nose), ignoring that Semyon needs to leave early to help Olga — and that the Father Frost is the main star of the whole event. The friends tries to do the job put on them by Bykov, but constantly hears complaints about Father Frost's absence.
Kisegach learns that Bykov dumped his job on the other people, and she angrily calls him — but he confronts her about electing him into this role by cheating (the box contained only Bykov's name). She admits it, but states that he leaved them no choice, and, besides, he himself used the same method on Kupitman the previous year, so he well-deserves it. Anastasia asks Bykov just why he hates New Year so much, and he tells her a short, but meaningful story of disappointment and betrayed expectations. But the story sounds too childish, and she orders him to tell the real reason. Bykov states that the "real" reason is that he was beaten by the gang of thugs dressed as the Father Frost, who then killed both him and Kupitman. Bykov states that it's a "metaphor", but then just admits that he has no excuse to hate New Year: he just does. Kisegach realises that Bykov just had a bad prior experience with it, and needs help to experience the good holiday for once.
Meanwhile, Kupitman has planned to celebrate New Year with his new girlfriend, but she suddenly reconciled with her husband, despite previously kicking him out, and now Kupitman is alone for the holiday. Anastasia agrees to invite him to celebrate together, with her and Bykov, but she plans for this "party" to be short and quiet, which is not what Kupitman wants. Kupitman asks Gleb whether they can go to a night club together once Gleb finishes with the task put on him by Bykov, and Gleb reluctantly agrees, despite feeling that the whole idea is a bit too bizarre, and knowing that Kupitman certainly only asked him after failing several other options. Kupitman then asks Phil what he plans to do; learning that Phil would stay in Russia for the first time, instead of visiting his parents, and would go to Red Square, Kupitman suggests to do it together. After collecting a list of opinions, he proceeds to choose with whom he wants to meet a New Year (no longer expecting his girlfriend): family dinner with Kisegach and Bykov; nightclub with Gleb; Red Square with Phil; or karaoke-bar with nurses.
Suddenly, Olga arrives to the hospital to check what takes Semyon so long, and gets angry when learns the real reason, only calming down when he explains that he was forced into it. Then Kisegach suggests them all to just celebrate New Year together with her and Bykov. When everyone refuses, she explains that this is really important: if they give Bykov just one normal holiday, he would stop hating it. They refuses anyway, and she just orders them on the threat of a night shift. To Kisegach's relief, New Year goes well, with Bykov finally stopping acting cold, and celebrating with everyone — only for Bykov to ruin the fun by his comments. But then Kisegach realises one thing: Kupitman is not with them. Where is he? Cut to now wasted Kupitman, awakening in his office. "You would live trough New Year just like you had met it" — alone, drunk, in your office...
This episode provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: After spending a whole day trying to find the "best" option to meet New Year, Kupitman misses every single one and gets wasted in his office, completely alone. He realises it too late to change anything.
- Arc Words: "You would live through New Year just like you had met it" is repeated at several points; popular Russian saying, which means the way you meet New Year sets whole following year for you (so, naturally, everyone tries to meet it doing something they love, amongst friends and relatives). Kupitman meets it being alone, drunk and in his office.
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: In Phil's "What If?" scenario of him becoming intern in Japan instead of Russia, "Japanese" characters actually speaks is partly mangled Russian, partly plain gibberish, with "translation" (silly attempts at haiku) being doubled over it.
- Big "NO!": Kupitman gives a big, long skyward "no-o-o!" scream when he realises that he just met New Year being alone, drunk and in his office ("you would live through New Year just like you had met it", after all).
- Blatant Lies: The first lie about Bykov's bad history with New Year at least somewhat resembles something real (but is too childish to believe that it had that much of impact). The second one involves Bykov being beaten up by the thugs each dressed as the Father Frost, and then killed (along with Kupitman). Bykov claims that it's "a metaphor", but then just admits that he made it up.
- Epic Fail: When Gleb tells Semyon how his work at police would really look, in the Imagine Spot which illustrates it, Semyon manages to lose his sidearm in canteen, while Gleb and Phil, during murder's investigation, manages to leave thirty fingerprints on the crime scene; and when their boss informs them of this, he finds out that they're already wasted, despite it being only 12 a.m.!
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Bykov tries to explain that he just considers New Year to be completely lame and useless "holiday", Kisegach realises why he hates it: he never had actually good New Year experience in his life, and so can only associate it with negative aspects.
- Freudian Excuse: At first, Bykov states that his excuse to hate New Year is his terrible experience with disappointing gifts back when he was a child, but, after failing to convince Kisegach, he states that this was only a metaphor, and tells her the "real" reason (which makes even less sense). Ultimately Kisegach realises that the reason is just that every New Year celebration in Bykov's life was lame and boring, and thus he only associates it with negative aspects.
- The Grinch: Bykov hates New Year holiday, and never hides his distaste for it, up to and including insulting people involved to their faces. Unfortunately for him, he would play the Father Frost's role this year. What Kisegach didn't take into account is that Bykov can just order his subordinates to do all work by themselves (which he does). After Bykov telling his (blatantly made-up) backstory with New Year, Kisegach realises that the reason for that is just that he never experienced non-boring New Year in his life.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: When in the end he gets asked how he liked New Year celebration, Bykov states that he sees all those people at work on daily basis, and despite all Kisegach's attempts, he still considers this holiday to be silly. Then he jokes about Kisegach being happy with prospect of cleaning up so many dishes tomorrow. This spoils her mood immediately.
- Large Ham: Bykov is already known for his over-the-top behaviour, but "Japanese Bykov" combines his usual exaggeration of his interns' stupidity with Japanese mannerism and speech overloaded with metaphors.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Invoked by Anastasia and other doctors; since Bykov always mocks them, they cheated to guarantee that Bykov would play the Father Frost this year, whether he likes it or not. Bykov is not happy when he finds out, but Anastasia believes that she has nothing to apologise for. She also states that she took idea from Bykov himself, who earlier used the same trick against Kupitman.
- My New Gift Is Lame: Series of disappointing "gifts" was what made Bykov so hateful towards New Year. Ten years-old Andrey wants a kick scooter? He receives mittens. Thirteen years-old Andrey wants kick scooter? He receives a sweeter. Sixteen years-old Andrey wants sex with his girlfriend? He receives a kick-scooter. Anastasia calls him out on "silly" reason for his behaviour, and Bykov, after failing to convince her that this is serious for him, admits it to be a metaphor for his disappointment in New Year in general, since each time he expects something special and receives something lame. She still doesn't believe and insists on hearing the real reason.
- New Year Has Come: All storylines are related to preparations to upcoming New Year in some way:
- Bykov has pathological hatred for New Year celebration, and Kisegach tries to find out why (and possibly fix it).
- Phil, Semyon and Gleb must put up a show for children, as Bykov doesn't want to bother playing Father Frost.
- Kupitman's plot is entirely about him being concerned with meeting New Year doing fun with his friends rather than alone; he fails.
- Crossdresser: Bykov forces Phil to play Snegurochka — Father Frost's granddaughter. Only Kupitman jokes about it, in playful manner, before admitting that the joke was lame and apologising.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: When Kisegach offers Gleb, Semyon and Phil to celebrate New Year with her and Bykov, everyone refuses. Then she reformulates it: they may celebrate New Year with her and Bykov... or stay on a night shift in the hospital. Everyone agrees on her first option.
- "Rashomon"-Style: All interns at certain points tries to imagine how their lives would've happened had they never became Bykov's interns, expecting it to be way better than working under him. Someone then points out how wrong they are:
- Lobanov, angry at Bykov for being left to do Bykov's job for him (while he wanted to leave to help his wife), tries to imagine what would've changed had he became a policeman instead of a doctor, like his father wanted. In his imagination, it's complete freedom to do everything he wanted and drink with Gleb and Phil (who're his subordinates). Gleb then tells him how things would work "for real"; very same scene then continues, with Lobanov's boss (played by Bykov, obviously) appearing and tearing them a new one for their ridiculous screwups.
- Before even becoming Bykov's intern, Phil had a choice between Russia and Japan, and, after another humiliating visit to people whom Bykov was intended to visit instead of them, he tries to imagine his life in Japan instead of Russia. It starts with three friends (dressed like and "speaking" like Japanese) taking tea together... but then Gleb, once again, inserts Bykov, as their "sensei", who calls them out on their stupidity (in over-the-top "Japanese-style" manner) and proceeds to beat them with nunchucks.
- Gleb imagines the only possible way Bykov may not be his boss — with Gleb as the Russian president, doing annual New Year speech on TV. When he says that by no means Bykov can spoil this, Lobanov shows him (rather bizarre) scenario in which Bykov, as Gleb's speech-writer, calls him out on deviating from scenario, and forces to reshoot the whole speech (which are normally supposed to go live).
- Rule of Three: Ten years-old Andrey wants a kick scooter? He receives mittens. Thirteen years-old Andrey wants kick scooter? He receives a sweeter. Sixteen years-old Andrey wants sex with his girlfriend? He receives a kick-scooter.
- Skyward Scream: When Kupitman realises that he just met New Year in his office, drunk and alone, he screams at the roof in frustration.
- The Slacker: Bykov is forced to play the Father Frost today (giving people their presents, while staying in-character), but instead he drops all this on Gleb, Semyon and Phil (whom he clumsily dressed in something vaguely related to New Year), ordering them to replace him. Everyone whom they visits reacts to Bykov's absence negatively.
- Undesirable Prize: While Anastasia (and almost everyone else) considers playing Father Frost to be a genuine honour, Bykov considers this to be a punishment instead. He doesn't even try to hide his real feelings during discussion of upcoming events, to everyone's irritation. Predictably, during random draw it turns out that Bykov would play him this year. He, of course, tries to refuse, but no one agrees to replace him, stating that he is the last one who never tried.
