Bykov just fired Ilya's babysitter, and is forced to bring his son to his workplace. Kisegach isn't amused, and orders him to find a replacement himself. Bykov can't search for babysitter and sit with Ilya, so he needs someone else to sit with him; he tries to order Phil to do that, but he refuses, stating that this isn't part of his duties. He complaints to Kupitman: it seems that under him, Phil became too spoiled; they must remind him what "it's an order" means! Kupitman disagrees with Bykov, stating that he has "different methods than Bykov", to which Bykov points that next time, Phil would disagree with Kupitman's orders, too. He knew whom to tell this, because Kupitman immediately proceeds to showing Phil "his place", and forces Phil to accept Ilya. When Ilya gets delivered to Phil, Bykov proceeds to "casting"... but fails to find anyone fitting, rejecting lots and lots of candidates.
Phil isn't the only one whom Bykov mistreats; he constantly snitches on Semyon to Gennadiy (Lobanov's new boss) at the worst moments possible, and Gleb now receives triple dose of Bykov's yelling and insults (Bykov even ignores Igor and Valera, new twin doctors, and concentrates on Gleb alone). Phil doesn't get spared after the first task, either, because now Bykov manipulates Kupitman into using Phil to bring them some grapes from the store. Phil manages to find them, only for Bykov to state that he no longer wants grapes. Phil tells him that he knows about his influence on Kupitman, and states that it wouldn't work ever again.
Kisegach suddenly hears Ilya's crying, and rushes to him... only to find that Bykov "tests" who of the babysitter candidates would manage to calm him down. After this, Kisegach tries to persuade their old babysitter to return. Babysitter explains that real reason for Bykov's behaviour isn't him searching for "ideal babysitter", but rather, him searching for new victim: Bykov is an "energetic vampire", who feeds on suffering of other people. This allows Anastasia to realise: Bykov just needs "new blood".
Gleb fails to convince Bykov to stop mistreating him (Bykov stated that he shouts at Gleb, and only at Gleb, because Gleb is his student, so every time Gleb screws up as a doctor, Bykov screws up as a teacher. Bykov doesn't care about Igor and Valera, they have their own teacher to shame. However, Gleb just suddenly realises how Bykov learns about Lobanov's screwups: he has a hidden camera in Semyon's working room! Together, they manages to find it and turn off. Semyon is enraged: he specifically switched departments to stop being abused by Bykov! He starts suggesting radical solutions (like moving to the other city), but Gleb tells him that Bykov would find a way to abuse them even there. They gets interrupted by Phil (who failed to convince Kupitman that he's manipulated by Bykov), who just came up with an idea: Bykov needs new interns to yell at! The three goes to Kisegach. She had the same idea, but now they must find a way to tell about this to Bykov. Their discussion gets interrupted by Bykov's arrival.
This episode provides examples of:
- Analogy Backfire: Kupitman tries to use slave fight scene from Django Unchained as analogy for his treatment of Phil and why he can't stop abusing Phil on Bykov's orders, but it only makes the situation worse, since, well, he used Django Unchained as an analogy.
- Batman Gambit: Bykov knew that Kupitman would be eager to prove him wrong when he called him "too soft" for not showing Phil "his place". And indeed, Kupitman proceeds to abuse Phil, starting with leaving him with Ilya and ending with making him act as his and Bykov's slaves.
- The Bore: The third candidate whom Bykov interviews for a position of babysitter has a dry, boring and monotonous speech manner. Bykov rejects her on the spot, and Kisegach doesn't even try to argue.
- The Bus Came Back: During Time Skip between seasons, Lyuba quietly returned and continued working in the hospital (we can see her when Bykov introduces her to his son); Rita remained as her subordinate.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Polina quietly disappeared between the seasons without any on-screen explanation or even mention whatsoever.
- Cliffhanger: Episode ends just when Bykov arrives in the middle of discussion (which is about taking new interns) and asks what's this about.
- Double Standard: Bykov clearly treats Gleb far worse than Igor and Valera; best shown when he loudly yells at Gleb for "his" screwup, calling him names, but when learns that this mistake was made by one of the twins, he just (calmly) tells him to to be more accurate next time. Bykov, when pressed, explains his reasons to do so: Gleb is his student, and ergo, every Gleb's failure as a doctor is Bykov's failure as a teacher, and Bykov can't allow his failure as a teacher to be ignored; Igor and Valera had their own teacher, some hypothetical "Pyotr Petrovich", and Bykov doesn't care about them shaming "Pyotr Petrovich" as long as they don't screw up particularly badly.
- Epic Fail: The fourth candidate starts her interview with saying that she doesn't know what "IQ" means, and asks whether it's important. Bykov just quietly presses the button to summon Vera.
- "Eureka!" Moment:
- When Bykov mentions "hidden camera" during his "Pyotr Petrovich" joke, Gleb realises that this must be how Bykov spies on Semyon. He turns out to be right.
- Two characters, independently, realises that Bykov needs new interns, or his madness wouldn't stop:
- Ilya's babysitter's comment about Bykov being "energetic vampire" leads to Kisegach realising that Bykov's behaviour is due to him no longer having interns to "feed" on — he needs "fresh blood".
- Kupitman's "slaver and his slaves" analogy, while failing to prove his point, helps Phil to realise that Bykov just needs new interns... so he would abuse them instead of his old ones.
- Extreme Doormat: Played With. When Phil doesn't immediately follow his orders (sitting with Bykov's son, actual work be damned), stating that this isn't part of his duties, Bykov considers this to be a bad sign: Kupitman must have become too soft. When he tells this to Kupitman, Kupitman states that he has different methods than Bykov, to which Bykov replies with accusing Kupitan of becoming too weak-willed, allowing Phil to refuse direct orders (whether those orders are legal or not is irrelevant; when Bykov orders, Phil should follow), and warns him that next time, Phil would disagree with Kupitman, too. He knew whom to tell this to, because Kupitman immediately proceeds to showing Phil "his place".
- Imagine Spot:
- When Ilya's babysitter, Anna Petrovna, mentions Bykov being "energetic vampire", Kisegach immediately imagines him as an actual Dracula-style vampire.
- When Kupitman tries to use American slavers as analogy, Django-like scene gets shown, with Bykov, Kuptiman and Phil receiving context-appropriate roles.
- When Gleb compares working under Bykov to mafia, Godfather-like scene gets shown, with Bykov as Don Corleone. It ends badly for Gleb and Semyon when they tries to quit.
- In the end of the episode, when they all discusses what they could possibly do with Bykov, he arrives in the middle of discussion. All of them imagines Bykov as the main villain of their respective Imagine Spots which they saw earlier.
- Implacable Man: Gleb thinks that, no matter what you do, Bykov would find a way to reach you and continue his abuse. Gleb has two more people, besides himself, working under Bykov, yet Gleb gets punished even for their screwups. Semyon and Phil switched departments, yet Bykov found a way to mistreat them even there (by installing spy camera so he may snitch on Lobanov, and by pressing Kupitman into abusing Phil for him, respectively). When Semyon suggests to just move to another city, Gleb speculates that Bykov would find a way to deal with this, too.
- Improbable Age: The first candidate whom Bykov interviews gets rejected, because Bykov doesn't believe that twenty five years-old babysitter can be as experienced as she claims — and Bykov has very high standards.
- It's Personal: Bykov "justifies" him abusing Gleb while ignoring Igor and Valera with Gleb being his student, and thus, being his responsibility: whenever Gleb fails as a doctor, Bykov fails as a teacher. Igor and Valera had their own teacher to shame, and Bykov doesn't care that much as long as they don't screw up particularly badly. Him also abusing Semyon and Phil just out of boredom lacks such justification, however.
- Kick the Dog: The only reason why Bykov mistreats Phil, Semyon and Gleb is him missing "good old days"; to imitate them, he forces Phil into acting like his personal slave (by exploiting Kupitman's insecurities), ruins all Semyon's attempts to have some freedom by ratting him out to Gennadiy at every occasion, and Gleb, being the last of old students available, receives a triple dose of Bykov's yelling and insults, which almost leads to him snapping.
- Mean Boss: Kupitman used to be Benevolent Boss to Phil, but, under Bykov's influence, starts mistreating him in order to prove to Bykov that he's boss here, not Phil.
- Papa Wolf: Bykov'd fired his son's babysitter due to her showing him "brain-damaging" TV. Bykov considers this to be valid excuse; Kisegach doesn't. Later, when he actually proceeds to "casting" in order to choose a new babysitter, he brings nearly fifty people, with even more being en route, and rejects everyone due to them not living up to his incredibly high standards. It seems that by the end, he has to hire the old one simply due to running out of options.
- P.O.V. Cam: When Bykov shows the hospital to his son Ilya, camera often switches to Ilya's point of view.
- Remember the New Guy?: New doctors under Bykov, twins Igor and Valera, have joined during the Time Skip between seasons (so Bykov would still have three doctors even without Semyon and Phil). Bykov introduces them to his son Ilya amongst the other characters we already know.
- Resignations Not Accepted: Bykov certainly believes that he can continue to abuse his ex-interns just because they were his interns once. So, he proceeds to do exactly that, kickstarting the whole plot.
- Kupitman (whom Bykov pressed into compliance in order to abuse Phil, who's now Kupitman's subordinate) states that "there's no such thing as ex-intern"; however, his attempt to justify it (by comparing it to slavery, of all things), does exactly opposite of intended effect.
- Gleb (who, unlike Semyon and Phil, failed to switch department, and so receives it worst, being Bykov's direct subordinate) outright compares their situation to the mafia (with Bykov, obviously, being a don), where you can't just leave without consequences.
- Schmuck Bait: The second candidate whom Bykov interviews gets asked whether she likes boys or girls more; intended answer is, of course, her treating them equally, like is expected from professional, but she says "the boys", which Bykov sees as a sycophantic attempt to please him: she knows that he has a son.
- Shout-Out:
- When Kisegach imagines Bykov as a vampire, he imitates Dracula from Dracula (1931) movie.
- The slave fight scene is taken straight out from Django Unchained, with Bykov as Candie and Kupitman as Schultz. Phil is presented as a third slave, whom Bykov/Candie sold to Kupitman/Schultz (obviously, with the use of Blackface).
- When Gleb talks about Bykov's ex-interns being unable to leave Bykov's abuse in the past, parody on The Godfather gets shown, with Bykov as Don Corleone.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Defied; when the fifth candidate whom Bykov interviews starts with emotionally singing a lullaby, Bykov (who hates that sort of things) forcibly presses a button to tell Vera to call the next candidate: it's clear that Bykov wouldn't come along with her.
- The Stool Pigeon: Semyon accuses Gleb of snitching on him to Bykov; it's only explanation just how Bykov learns what to say to Gennadiy. Lobanov doesn't believe that Gleb isn't involved, and tells him to keep away. They restores their friendship when Gleb realises that Bykov uses a hidden camera to simply spy on Lobanov, and helps Semyon to find and disable it.
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: Bykov tries to find a new babysitter for Ilya, but no one fits his standards. First five candidates at least indeed have the reasons why they can't work with Bykov (and one is genuinely dumb), but starting with the sixth one, Bykov would give them increasingly more absurd hypothetical crisis situations which they invariably fails (or at least Bykov doesn't like their results), making Bykov more and more unstable. Ultimately, Kisegach tells him that as long as he finds anyone suitable, she would instantly agree just to stop this madness.
