David tries to invite Varya to theatre this evening, but there's one little problem: yesterday, Varya and Phil injected Bykov with sedatives when he acted like a lunatic, and now he probably would not allow her to leave no matter what, so David must return those tickets. Either way, she and Phil now must face Bykov’s trial, where he would hear them out and voice his verdict. Phil tries to bribe him with a new (and for next few months, unobtainable otherwise) video game he imported from the USA... but then Bykov tries to install the game and realises that it's region-locked. Bykov was ready to spare both, but changes his mind — which Varya learns after telling David to buy tickets back, meaning he has to return them again. David, tired of this, just asks Bykov about Varya directly... and learns that Varya's actual punishment is not knowing wether she would be allowed to go, or not; Bykov is ready to let her, but only if David would play along. The two starts messing with Varya by frequently announcing change of plans, until she gets tired and asks David to tell her for sure — only to learn that he was on the plan. This seemingly breaks her heart... but when the two leaves, turns out that they actually cooperated to deceive Bykov, to cover for David.
Phil, after utterly botching his gift to Bykov, is screwed, but Bykov has something more interesting than just leave him on a night shift: if Bykov can't play his new RPG on computer, he would reenact it in the hospital, with Phil as his new "elf character" on a "special quest": he must obtain the "berserk potion" (cognac) from "greybearded elder" (Kupitman). Kupitman would only give Phil cognac if he would receive the "throne of power" from "long-nosed sorceress", meaning that Phil must ask Kisegach for her chair. Kisegach sides with Phil at first, but Bykov quickly convinces her to play along, and she sends him to deliver the "chronicles" to "innkeeper Lyuba" — and Lyuba sends him to "fight atlantes for the Room of Solitude", then go to the "Realm of the Dead" and rewrite "old manuscripts". In the end, "elf" fails to achieve his original goal, but Bykov still lets him go, cause he'd won something more important: he provoked Kisegach to join his game.
Lobanov's patient really wants to stay in the hospital for a little longer, to date another patient, and is ready to pay for this. Lobanov, who is always low on money, reluctantly agrees. But now Gleb accuses him of being "shameless" by earning money by exploiting other people's love. Semyon, of course, considers him to be simply jealous of his business. Unfortunately, Semyon's patient's girl is Gleb's patient, and now Gleb would discharge her, meaning that Semyon's patient has no reason to stay in the hospital and pay to him. The sole reason Gleb does that is because he wants the half of whatever money Lobanov can earn. They gets busted by Bykov, but Gleb lies that they only did this to help two loving hearts to organise their personal life. They seemingly manages to avoid punishment, but then it turns out that Bykov discharged both patients over their heads and organised everything for a date outside of the hospital, so now Semyon's patient wants his money back — while the two "businessmen" would receive a night shift.
This episode provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: When Semyon and Gleb finally receives the money from Lobanov's patient (who wanted to stay in the hospital in order to date another patient), Bykov busts them; Romanenko tells him the reason why they kept the patients they were supposed to discharge, and they seemingly gets off lightly... but then the patient demands his money back, since Bykov discharged them both and organised a romantic date for them, all of this for free. Gleb and Semyon, meanwhile, would stay on a hight shift; Bykov already organised romantic candles for them.
- At Least I Admit It: One of arguments Bykov uses to convince Kisegach to become a part of his game; other two arguments are the appeal to their shared love to roleplaying, and appeal to fun being good for her health. This works.Kisegach: So, for you, torturing the other people is fun?
Bykov: And for you too, I remind you. But I admit it, and you don't. - Blackmail: Gleb envies that Semyon can earn money from his patient, and wants the half of his profit, otherwise he would sabotage Semyon's "business" by discharging the girl who's the reason why Semyon's patient wants to stay in the hospital.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: In-Universe. When Kisegach panics about her pregnancy (and its consequences) possibly affecting her work, Bykov tell her to calm down; it will change little, if anything: she would just sit in her chair doing nothing and waste time drinking tea, as always.
- Chain of Deals: Phil "the Elf's" "quest". "Glass-wearing lizard" (Bykov) forces him to ask "greybearded elder" (Kupitman) for "berserker potion" (cognac). "Greybearded elder" sends him to "long-nosed sorceress" (Kisegach) for her "throne of power" (chair). Once Bykov convinces her to play along, Kisegach sends the "elf" to "innkeeper Lyuba", to deliver the "chronicles" (clinical histories). When Phil later recaps his misadventures to Bykov, he also mentions the "battle with atlantes" (orderlies Pasha and Pyotr) for "the room of solitude" (toilet), and "realm of the dead" (morgue) where he "rewrote the old manuscripts" (more clinical histories). While he failed to achieve what Bykov tasked him with, Bykov still considers this to be a win, because convincing Kisegach into taking the part in his game was more valuable.
- Deep-Immersion Gaming: Since Phil's game is region-coded to USA, Bykov (who only discovered this at the last moment) punishes him by forcing to act as his "elf character" on a "special quest" for "berserker potion" (cognac). And if Phil would not act in character, he would be punished with a full week of night shifts. Kupitman and later Kisegach quickly joins this game as "NPCs", though Kupitman objected to being called "greybearded elder" (he prefers to be called "greybearded sage").
- Didn't Think This Through: The video game Phil which gifts to Bykov as a bribe (which he imported from the USA exclusively for Bykov, since it would be officially released in Russia only six months later) is region-coded to the USA, which is written on the box. Bykov found this out only when he tried to install it, and now he's in even worse mood than before.
- False Reassurance: Subverted. Lobanov tells his patient that he must prepare to operation... and by "operation" Semyon means that the patient would be discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, the patient really wants to stay in the hospital for a little longer, because he has a chance to date another patient; and he's ready to pay for this.
- Good All Along: You think that David betrayed Varya to Bykov and broke her heart? Nope, he told her everything right away (meaning that he lied to Bykov), and Varya just pretended to being unaware to cover for David.
- Insistent Terminology: Kupitman agrees to be a part of Bykov's game, but not with being called "greybearded elder". He is "greybeared sage", thank you very much.
- It's the Journey That Counts: "Elf" Phil failed to obtain "berserker potion" (cognac), but he managed to achieve something much more valuable — forcing Kisegach into joining Bykov's game. Since she liked it, "elf's" mission is success after all.
- Kangaroo Court: Bykov organises a small "court" to judge Varya and Phil for sedating him in the previous episode. He hears their arguments in favour of their actions... and then dismisses them all as "insignificant" in the face of their crime, proceeding straight to punishment. Phil bribes him with a new video game he imported from the USA (which would only become available in Russia six months later) in the last moment, and Bykov is so grateful, he immediately ignores everything he said before and lets them both go.
- Large Ham: Phil, as "the forest elf", speaks in overly dramatic manner, no matter what he says. Justified, since he must stay "in character", otherwise Bykov would punish him further.
- Not So Above It All: Kisegach is vehemently against Bykov's game at first, but once she confronts him about it, he quickly manages to convince her to at least try playing along, promising that it would be fun. Just when Phil thinks that he's saved, Kisegach sends him on yet another quest.
- Oh, Crap!: When Kisegach calls Phil "elf", he immediately realises that she has sided with Bykov, and that his humiliating "quest" continues. He's not happy with it.
- Troll: Bykov's actual punishment for Varya is... her not being aware wether he would let her go or not. He only lets David know the truth (he would let her go) on condition that David would play along until evening, to not ruin the fun; David accepts immediately, but later it turns out that he and Varya actually cheated.
