Whoever screws up first, would become Bykov's personal slave for a day. The first to do that is Maxim (with both Sophia and Alexei giving correct answers to Bykov's tests). Alexei offers Maxim his help... only to learn that he failed on purpose, believing that being Bykov's "slave" would be much easier than actually dealing with the patients. Alexei reacts with disgust to the whole "slavery' idea, but Max says that they're all Bykov's slaves already; the only difference is that Maxim can do easy tasks and go home, and Lyosha and Sophia should do hard work. Unfortunately, Bykov's tasks becomes progressively more and more insane, making it questionable whether Maxim did the right choice. Eventually, Bykov lets him go after all — and punishes Alexei the same way for particularly serious screwup. On the next day, Maxim tries to repeat his tactic, but Lyosha, fed up with being overworked, decides to try his method, and baits Bykov to punish him by suggesting utterly moronic treatment. As result, Lyosha becomes a slave, while Max merely receives a night shift. Now believing that the scheme actually works, Alexei decides to try it yet again, while Maxim is in bad mood due to night shift. The two cooperates to screw up simultaneously and both being "enslaved"... only for Bykov to start actually abusing his "slaves". Kisegach at first objects to it, but changes her mind and sides with Bykov after learning how it happened. By the end of the day, they're allowed to go home... after separating rice from buckwheat. Mid-process, Maxim suggests to just buy fresh ones and lie to Bykov.
Sophia plans to completely change her image, stating that she looks way too modest (even he teacher in the medical university had more revealing outfits). Lyuba busts her during "planning stage", and calls her silly: her own view on life is much less flashy. She also refuses to loan her 70K roubles she asks for, obviously lacking such money. Neither agrees Kupitman, stating that she wants too much. Alexei sides with her, but suggests to take a bank loan, which is not what she wants. And Maxim outright mocks her. On the next day, Sophia arrives in the new "fashionable" (but actually very silly-looking) clothes; she doesn't tell how she afforded it. Bykov interrupts discussion about Sophia's new look, forces her to put a medical coat, and sends all three to the patient. She refuses to give up, and on the next day expands her eccentric look with brightly-colored dreadlocks; after seeing it, Bykov forces her to put on a medical hat. Angry, Sophia decides to increase her lips — all to prove that Bykov can't suppress her. Lyuba, realising that Bykov can't beat some sense into Sophia by force, goes to Kupitman instead to call him out on not controlling her expenses — and learns that he never gave her money. When confronted about the source of the money she used to buy the clothes, Sophia reveals that she took a loan from some shady people near metro, which freaks Kupitman out. Sophia reluctantly agrees to return everything and pay the loan back immediately, even if she sees Kupitman and Lyuba acting way too similar to her parents.
This episode provides examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch: You think that Bykov forced Maxim into acting like exhibitionist before Kisegach? Nope, Bykov tied a video display to him (so he may tell that he's busy without visiting her office personally), and Kisegach's negative reaction was directed at Bykov acting childish.
- Be Yourself: Lyuba thinks that Sophia is fine as is, and needs no garderobe change; due to Lyuba's rather boring views on style in general, Sophia initially ignores her.
- Boring, but Practical: Lyuba's view on life, which she states as a reason why Sophia's plan to radically change her garderobe is meaningless. Why buy new clothes if old one is still in good condition? Why buy something flashy but expensive, if you can buy something ordinary but cheap? Considering that Sophia tried to lean 70K roubles from Lyuba to buy clothes, Lyuba's position is understandable, but Sophia doesn't get it and decides to just ask different people instead.
- Failure Gambit: Maxim intentionally botches Bykov's test, to be "enslaved" and receive the tasks which don't involve treating patients. Later Alexei, who was overworked, decides to try it himself, despite previously disliking the plan. On the third day, both tries the scheme... but this time, Bykov isn't so willing to let them slack off.
- Feigning Intelligence: Subverted; at first, it looks like Maxim just tried to hide his real incompetence by using overly complicated sentences to mask the fact that he knows nothing about the subject (which he immediately demonstrates each time when he gets pressed to cut excessive words and go straight to the point)... but then he reveals that he wanted it to look this way, to mask the fact that he failed on purpose.
- Hypocrite:
- When Kuptiman states that she asks for too much and no clothes can worth 70K roubles, Sophia points that just his shoes cost 15K. Kupitman defends himself by stating that the store's director is his client, and so he exploited his connections to obtain them much cheaper than their real worth.
- Alexei, while initially disgusted by the whole "personal slave" punishment which Maxim intentionally provokes Bykov into using, believing it to be degrading, later uses Maxim's tactic himself after realising that "slavery" is really easier than actual work Bykov provides them with.
- Imagine Spot: When Bykov, Lyuba and Kupitman calls Sophia out on her acting childish, she imagines them as her father, her mother and grandmother, respectively.
- Laser-Guided Karma:
- Instead of just refusing Sophia, Maxim does a mockery "call" to his parents, asking for a big sum of money so one girl could buy new clothes (after which he pretends that they hanged up, and that he was surprised by it). He then asks her to borrow 30 roubles to him; she doesn't miss an opportunity to reply with "call your father".
- Kisegach (who's normally against Bykov's antics) sides with Bykov and doesn't release Alexei and Maxim from their "slavery", because she considers it to be rather karmic that they "volunteered" for it just to avoid doing actual work, only to suffer the actual slavery instead. She also decides to use their services, while she's here.
- Lethally Stupid: Alexei, "just to be sure", forces his patient into receiving X-Ray several times in a row. Bykov asks him whether he wants to create a radioactive mutant. It becomes a Chekhov's Gun later, when Alexei remembers about this case and suggests something similar in a situation where it would be downright lethal, in hope that Bykov would punish him with "slavery" (just like Maxim was punished yesterday). It works.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Maxim gives Bykov a series of completely senseless answers, becoming the only one to fail a test and be punished by becoming Bykov's slave. Except... his "stupidity" was just an act, and he wanted to become Bykov's "slave" (punishment which Bykov has prepared for particularly bad screwups), stating that it would be better than hard work with patients. Alexei later uses the same tactic, when he realises that Maxim is right, albeit he "screws up" with prescribing treatment rather than with a test.
- Product Placement: "Subtle" one for "Snickers" chocolate bars, which gets shown twice during the episode (eaten by Lyuba in the first appearance, and by Kupitman in the second), close-up and long enough to ensure that viewers would notice its logo.
- Rummage Sale Reject: Sophia's "new style" looks like it was combined from random bright-coloured things, none of which looks good when combined together (if at all). Justified, because due to being sheltered her whole life, she never developed a sense of fashion, and simply followed the other people's advices. The next day, she comes in the same outfit while also changing her hairstyle into bright-painted dreadlocks; this initially even scares Lyuba before she realises that this is Sophia. And Maxim outright mocks the absurdity of her new look.Sophia: Do you like it?
Lyuba: What specifically? I can't pick on what to concentrate.
Maxim: I think, it's not bright enough; you didn't collect the whole rainbow in it. - Stating the Simple Solution: After they wasted some time trying to separate the rice from buckwheat (another Bykov's punishment), Maxim realises that they may just buy fresh packs of rice and buckwheat, and lie to Bykov that they did everything. Episode ends before we learn whether plan succeed or not.
- Tempting Fate: Sophia states that Bykov can't do anything with her new hairstyle (brightly-coloured dreadlocks). Cut to Bykov forcing her to wear a medical hat.
- Too Dumb to Live: How Sophia obtained the money for her clothes? By taking a loan from some shady dudes near metro. Kupitman gets understandably freaked out when he learns this: such people are often outright criminals. Fortunately, the situation gets fixed before anything bad can happen.
- Unishment: Becoming Bykov's personal slave isn't that bad (most of the time, anyway), and allows to avoid actual work, while also letting you to leave early. Maxim decides to screw up on purpose in order to be "punished", and when it works out for Max, so does Alexei (who was overworked while Max was slacking off). However, by the third time they tries this (this time together), it finally becomes a legitimate punishment, because Bykov is really not in a mood at this point.
