One of Phil's dads calls him (via Skype)... and now worries that Phil started drinking too much (he knows how people with hangover looks, and Phil is a bad liar). When asked if he at lest not started "freshening the nip", Phil states that nope... and does exactly that. Then he notices the beer can and realises that his father is right. Phil decides to ask Kupitman for help. He starts with simple question: how Kupitman became who he is? Kupitman tells him that it's caused by how readily available the alcohol is, and how easy it's to convince yourself that it's fine to drink some — and then some more. Phil decides to start his fight with alcoholism by gifting his supply of booze to Kupitman, which he reluctantly accepts. When asked whether he gave up all of it, Phil says yes. Then Phil's patient gifts Phil cognac — and Phil fails to reject it. Understanding that it's not the last time, Phil decides to simply quit working under Kupitman and find a place where he would be "safe" from alcohol. Kupitman offers to help him with finding such place, but all other departments have the same issues, it's just that they have different sorts of alcohol; the only place without booze is morgue, but you wouldn't want to work there while sober. Still not convinced, Phil tries to visit the support group for alcoholics, only to get kicked out when they think that he's mocking them. Phil returns to Kupitman, expecting him to admit that yes, Phil is an alcoholic — but Kupitman just gives him a glass of cognac and asks to drink it. When Phil refuses, Kupitman states that no "true" alcoholic can resist free booze. Phil immediately drinks it, and insists that yes, he's an alcoholic — and Kupitman offers him more. Ultimately, both gets drunk — and Phil insists that they're both alcoholics. But Kupitman gives him some very lousy arguments why Kupitman isn't an alcoholic — and if he's not an alcoholic, then neither is Phil. This senseless "logic" somehow convinces Phil, and the two calls Phil's father together, still being totally wasted. Strangely, but father misses Phil's point.
Interns arrives into on-call room... and Bykov immediately starts a conflict out of nowhere, because interns uses "his" hanger for their stuff, and orders them to hide it somewhere he wouldn't see it. While they have made it into the on-call room, war is far from over. Being aware that it wouldn't stop at just the hanger, interns asks Gleb for advices. He gives them a long list of things to avoid. And as the time goes on, it keeps growing longer as they asks Bykov's ex-interns; Sophia even runs out of place in her notebook, and has to use Bykov's computer to write down the rest — only to learn that it's only the half, she wouldn't finish even if she continues for the rest of the day! Eventually, interns agrees on just sitting there and avoiding doing anything. Bykov even calls Gleb to ask whether they're here, as he can't find them anywhere! Then he tries to sit on sofa and hits Sophia, after which he acknowledges that they're here, and asks them why they remained silent — and learns about the list of "rules", which catches his interest. Bykov considers the rules being funny; he actually has his own list, which is much shorter, but now thinks that it would be funnier to use theirs instead, and tears apart his list. When he leaves, interns combines the fragments together — and sees that it states "there are no rules, idiots!". But Bykov already put Kisegach's seal on the list which interns have prepared, making it the official document.
After ill-thought comment, Rita has a conflict with Lyuba, who interprets it as Rita implying that she is "old" — and reacts in kind. Their friendship takes a serious hit. The two gets so angry, they can't even talk to each other without insults, which quickly starts affecting their work, because they can't agree who should do what. Eventually, Bykov learns of this — and realises that he can't spend a minute near them without having his brain exploding. Bykov asks Gleb for help. When Lyuba and Rita are working as a team, they can force this hospital to run like clockworks, but when they becomes foes, everything gets consumed by chaos. Bykov's plan is simple: Gleb must make them unite against himself, by badmouthing them to each other until they snap at him and start defending each other. It works perfectly, but results in them both hating Gleb's guts; Bykov refuses to help Gleb with it.
This episode provides examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Phil's plot is entirely built around his paranoia that he becomes an alcoholic, and Kupitman trying to prove otherwise:
- One of Phil's fathers worries that Phil is on the road to alcoholism: he drinks "a little" a little too often; combining this with drinking friends and drinking boss, this makes a much to worry about. For full combo, he needs to start to "freshen the nip". Which Phil instinctively does immediately after hanging up. Oh, Crap!...
- Phil asks the actual alcoholic for advice — Kupitman. Just how he came to such life? Kupitman uses a theoretic question to illustrate how easy it really is, then points out that with alcohol being constantly gifted by the patients, you live in a constant temptation.Kupitman: Let's presume that you want to drink on Friday. Nothing wrong with it, right? And you can afford to drink some on Saturday, too. And here's a problem: after Saturday, comes Sunday, damn it. And before you notice it, weekends gets followed by next "train car" — Monday. Monday gets followed by Tuesday... Wednesday... Thursday... And then, kaboom! You are looking into headlights of the train's locomotive called Next Friday! The circle is complete!
- Blatant Lies: Bykov calls Gleb to ask why he's not treating the patient. Gleb lies to Bykov that he is already in his patient's ward... only to learn that Bykov called him from said ward.
- Bookend: Episode starts with Phil (with hangover) being called by his father via Skype, who points out his developing alcoholism. It ends with totally wasted Phil (and Kupitman, who "helped" him with it) speaking with Phil's father again. If Phil didn't convince his father that everything's okay then, he certainly didn't now.
- Conflict Killer: Bykov forces Gleb to stop Lyuba's conflict with Rita, by badmouthing Rita to Lyuba (and vice versa) until they both snaps at him (realising that they still really care about each other). While it works, Bykov doesn't bother to reveal that Gleb acted like this on his order, even when directly asked, thus leaving both Lyuba and Rita being very angry at Gleb.
- Epic Fail: Sure, Phil, best way to convince your father that you aren't alcoholic is to call him while wasted, with your just as wasted boss by your side.
- Everyone Has Standards: Both Lyuba and Rita only tolerates Gleb insulting the other one up until certain moment, before they tells him to shut up, as it's just too nasty.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Interns are trying to collect the list of things which they should avoid to not make Bykov angry. It ends up being ridiculously long, and in the end, they decides that the only way to avoid his wrath is to just sit and not move or do anything.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: When answered whether he started "freshen the nip" ("curing" the hangover with small doses of alcohol), Phil answers that nope... and the very first thing he does after hanging up is drinking from the beer can. He does this instinctively, and only realises that this proves his father's worry after the fact.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: When Phil realises that he can't just stop accepting alcohol from his patients, as he initially planned (he even gave up all his supplies to Kupitman), he decides to simply quit working under Kupitman. Kupitman offers his help with finding "alcohol-free" workplace... only to show him that the only thing he would change is what kind of alcohol he would consume. Only alternative (besides returning to Kupitman) is to work in the morgue... where you need alcohol to remain sane. Phil misses his point.
- Innocently Insensitive: Phil decides to visit support group for alcoholics. They don't react well to him calling himself "an alcoholic" when he describes his "problems", thinking that he's mocking them, and kicks him out.
- Insane Troll Logic: How Kupitman "justifies" why he isn't alcoholic. Firstly, alcoholics spends their last money on booze; Kupitman spends none (because he receives it for free). Secondly, alcoholics have no stable work, while Kupitman is Phil's boss. And lastly, they always plan to quit, while Kupitman never wanted, and never would. Ergo, he isn't an alcoholic — and if even he isn't, then Phil is even less so. This somehow convinces Phil.
- Kick the Dog: While using Gleb as Conflict Killer for Rita and Lyuba (by forcing him to badmouthing them to each other until both started hating his guts) was actually a good plan, Bykov could have at least defend Gleb before them afterwards; instead, he denies ever being a part of it, stating that Gleb lies to save face.
- Long List: There're many things Bykov dislikes, which would cause him to yell at you. Some of them are reasonable (like putting your legs on the table or drinking from teapot, or Flipping the Bird at him when he uses his computer — he would see it mirroring on display, which Semyon learned the hard way), others are less so (like yawning, or hiccupping, or complaining about being forced to spend a day inside while weather is so nice). At one point, Sophia runs out of place in her notebook, forcing her to use Bykov's computer to write down the rest. The kicker? It's only the half.
- No, You: When Lyuba interprets Rita's ill-thought comment (when asked why she didn't take the suitor she recommended to Lyuba for herself, she called him "old") as her implying that Lyuba is old (so he would be "fine enough" for her), she in turn calls Rita "almost as much old" herself, and suggests to take this guy for herself, "while she still can".
- Oh, Crap!: When asked by his father (who's worrying that Phil started drinking too much) whether he now has a habit of "freshen the nip", Phil states that nope... and does exactly that. Then he notices that beer can, and realises that his father is right. "Holy shit", indeed.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Rita suggests one guy as a good suitor for Lyuba. When asked why she didn't take him for herself, Rita states that he's "too old"... which is exactly wrong thing to say to Lyuba, who has major issues with being called "old" (directly or not); Lyuba interprets it as insult directed to her ("so, he is too old for you, but good enough for Lyuba!"), and then instantly finds several other "defects" she may interpret in the same way. Sure enough, the two soon becomes enemies.
- Quieter Than Silence: Due to slow, quiet background music and just as quiet "tick-tock" of wall watch, small noises interns makes (like Sophia dropping the pen, Maxim slightly screeching with his chair when moving it or Alexei sneezing outside of the on-call room) sounds much louder than they really are (with it, and the small help of sound editors). This is made to demonstrate how interns are trying to not provoke Bykov by making any noise, because it was previously established that he can be provoked by... pretty much anything and everything.
- Troll: Bykov actually had his own, much, much shorter list of rules... but interns, in their paranoia, collected so many rules from Bykov's ex-interns that Bykov finds it funny and decides to use it instead. Considering it is almost impossible to not break at least one of them, they are in trouble. Or do they? When Bykov leaves, interns rushes to restore the list which Bykov teared apart... only to read that "there are no rules, idiots!" Bykov just messed with them, and you can never predict whether Bykov would be angry at you or not, he is that kind of a man. Even that morning incident was just him being angry, not actual rule. Now, Bykov has an actual list of rules, even with Kisegach's own seal!
- Tropaholics Anonymous: After Kupitman fails to convince him that he is not an alcoholic, Phil decides to use support group in hope that they would help him to cure his "alcoholism". When he states his "problems with alcohol", they thinks that he tries to mock them, real alcoholics, and kicks him out.
