Lyuba needs to hire a small-time repairer, so-called "one-hour husband", but Alexei volunteers to do so for free — he just so happened to have required skills. But when Lyosha arrives to her house, he realises that she vastly understated the scale of her problems, to the point that it would be easier to say what isn't broken. Fortunately, he still manages to fix everything, from damaged water cap to the broken apart electric socket. After that, Lyuba starts acting like they're close friends, even insisting on him calling her informally. But Rita now suspects that something is not right, and especially since yesterday, Maxim mentioned that Alexei called him to state that he wouldn't sleep at home tonight. When Lyuba describes Lyosha's work in details (in manner which suspiciously resembles her talking about sex, complete with her "finally finding a real man"), and states that he "never refuses", Rita decides to call Alexei, and asks him to visit her. He indeed comes, thinking that she also needs his help with repair, though he doesn't object to her interpretation, either.
Kupitman still keeps his alcoholism secret from Sophia, out of fear that she would tell the rest of their family (they still believes that he never drinks, and he prefers it that way), but it isn't easy: she keeps ruining carefully maintained cleanness of his apartment, making it into utter mess. Bykov tells Sophia a "fairytale" about Masha and the Bear (in which Bear suffers from Masha turning his den into a mess), which she recognises as an allegory for her life with her uncle, and asks what she must do. Bykov suggests to clean up their apartment and cook something for Kupitman, so she would earn some points with him. The next day, Sophia suddenly decides that she must quit internship: she can't live with Kupitman any longer, and parents wouldn't allow her to rent something on her own, insisting on her going back to Kirov. When Bykov asks what's happened, she reveals that her attempt to cook ended in disaster, and then she tried to give him vodka, which made him explode and rush to his room; she also mentioned Bykov, and now Kupitman thinks that it was a cruel prank. Bykov promises to talk with Kupitman. Kupitman is still angry at Bykov, but Bykov tells him that it was indeed Sophia's initiative, and says that if he presses her just a bit more, she would run away on her own. Kupitman intercepts Sophia just before she leaves... and tells her that he doesn't want her to go; which was what Bykov actually wanted him to do.
Maxim has new task from Bykov, which is too hard for him. In attempt to cheat his way out of the situation, he asks Phil, with "small" dose of flattery, claiming that Bykov considers Phil his "best student". When it doesn't work (just this morning, Bykov claimed that "venereology isn't real medicine" and that Phil had degraded under Kupitman), he changes tactics, and lies that he was risen by a gay couple, too, in cheap attempt to earn some sympathy. When it still doesn't work, he admits that he just needs Phil's help with "unusual case". This works much better, since Phil now has a chance to prove that he didn't "degrade". On the next day, Bykov starts comparing Maxim and Phil — in Max's favour — and Phil reveals that it was him who did all the work... but Bykov doesn't believe him, accusing of stealing the credit. Impressed by Maxim showing such skill that early, Bykov starts giving him more and more hard cases, to give him a chance to shine (even when Max tries to drop it on the other interns, to "give them a chance, too"). Phil agrees to help him again, but deliberately sabotages everything, to force him into admitting who advised him. Max indeed does, but keeps it secret that Phil was also involved in the first case, which makes it look like Phil screwed up genuinely. Bykov seemingly sides with Maxim and even ignores Phil when he reveals the plan — only to then immediately punish Maxim for lying once Phil leaves. Bykov then explains to Phil that he never considered him being "dumb" — he just messed with him. Phil now indeed feels dumb — he should've seen it coming.
This episode provides examples of:
- Blatant Lies: Maxim, knowing that Phil was risen by gay couple, lies to him that his parents are gay, too, hoping that it would earn him sympathy — and would convince Phil to help him with his task. Phil doesn't believe him, especially since right before that Maxim tried (and failed) to use blatant flattery.
- Bookend:
- Phil's plot starts with Bykov jokingly accusing him of becoming dumber. It ends with Phil realising that he fell for yet another Bykov's joke, and likely really became slightly dumber, due tot never realising it.
- Alexei's plot starts with him being asked to be an "one-hour husband" for Lyuba, and ends with him acting like one for Rita; in the first case, he acted like this idiom's actual meaning (small-time repairer), in the latter as, well, "husband" ("one-hour wife" is commonly used as euphemism for call-girls).
- Call-Back: When Bykov tells Kupitman that Sophia wants to leave after Kupitman yelled on her, he remembers how he himself once yelled at Sophia and she fainted.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Just when it seems that Maxim would get away scot-free... Bykov immediately punishes him with three night shifts. When Maxim asks why, Bykov increases it to four shifts, because he has audacity to not only cheat and lie about it, but also ask why he was punished for it. And then increases it to five shifts, when Maxim, instead of just shutting up, tries to "agree" on just three.
- Digging Yourself Deeper:
- Phil's attempts to defend his intellect to Bykov only reinforces Bykov's scepticism:
- When Bykov accuses Phil of "degrading" intellectually under Kupitman, Phil, to show that he has some skill left, solves Maxim's case, and then reveals to Bykov his involvement. Bykov doesn't believe him and accuses him of Stealing the Credit, now thinking that his ethic has degraded as well.
- When Maxim asks for help for a second time, Phil intentionally sabotages diagnosis, so Max would be forced to reveal his source; Maxim does exactly that, but only about that specific case, making it look like Phil really screwed up, which only reinforces Bykov's opinion, to the point that he ignores Phil's attempts to point that Maxim simply lied... but then it turns out that Bykov actually did believe Phil, and, when he and Max leaves Phil's office, immediately punishes Maxim.
- After being punished by Bykov with three night shifts, Maxim asks why three, and Bykov ups it to four, because Max not only cheated and lied to him, but also had an audacity to ask why he was punished for it. Maxim tries to salvage the situation, stating that he "agrees" on just three, which only results in Bykov upping it to five.
- Phil's attempts to defend his intellect to Bykov only reinforces Bykov's scepticism:
- Double Entendre: Infamous "One-hour husband" idiom's double-meaning symbolises Alexei's plot in this episode. Idiom's actual meaning (and Alexei's role for most of the episode) is a small-time repairer for hire, but it's often mocked due to its female counterpart, "one-hour wife", actually referring to sex workers, which is a staple of countless jokes. Lyuba takes the idiom in its actual meaning, while Rita mistakes it for him being a call-guy.
- Heel Realisation: When Bykov compares that accident with Sophia and vodka (when Kupitman snapped at poor girl for reason she's unaware of, scaring her enough to consider leaving) to that time when Bykov yelled at her hard enough to cause her to faint, Kupitman realises that, whether he likes his niece or not, he acted way too harsh to her, and must at least apologise. Ultimately, he tells her that he doesn't want her to leave.
- Sabotutor: Phil intentionally provides Maxim with utter bullshit instead of actual diagnosis, so Max, when pressed, would be forced to reveal his real source to Bykov (because when Phil helped Max the first time, Bykov didn't believe that it was Phil who did all the work, and accused him of Stealing the Credit of a "gifted intern"). Plan seemingly backfires, because Bykov now thinks that Phil screwed up genuinely, but when Phil leaves, Bykov instantly punishes Max for lying.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: When Sophia decides to quit internship — and leave his life — due to being too much of a burden to her uncle, Kupitman actually stops her at the last moment when she almost leaves his house (being ready to depart immediately), and states that he overreacted, but never actually meant this — he just needs time to get used to living with someone else.
- Mr. Fixit: Turns out that Alexei has various skills unrelated to medicine, and can fix almost everything, from electric sockets to plumbers.
- Men Can't Keep House: Inverted; Sophia makes Kupitman's apartments into a mess, and he barely can tolerate her presence anymore (not in the last turn due to being notorious Neat Freak)... unfortunately, he still must maintain the "loving uncle" facade.
- No True Scotsman: Bykov doesn't recognise venereology as "true" medicine, due to it "only having three illnesses to cure, all three shameful, and thus, insignificant". He teases Phil (who now works under Kupitman) until he finally snaps, and then accuses him of being "rabid".
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations:
- Lyuba describes Alexei's repairing skills in details which, without proper context, can sound as her describing sex (her "finding real man" does not help). Naturally, Rita interprets it that way, and, after discussion (Alexei is "one-hour husband" — a small-time repairer; while "one-hour wife" is an euphemism for prostitutes), decides to call Alexei herself.
- Rita asks Alexei to "help" her, too, at first in the hospital (when she asks him to "help" her), then at home when Alexei actually arrives. She means sex, he means it literally. Rita is the first to realise the situation. However, once the situation clarified, they indeed had sex (offscreen), to Lyuba's surprise.
- Product Placement: Again, Lyuba can be seen eating "Snickers"; this time, it's easier to miss.
- Shout-Out: When Phil "helps" Maxim when he asks for help the second time, one of the (blatantly meaningless) things the writes in the diagnosis is exclusion of lupus.Bykov: Wait, you excluded lupus? Why?.. You watch too much TV.
- Troll:
- Bykov states that venereology isn't "true medicine", to mess with Kupitman.
- As turns out in the end, Bykov never actually considered Phil "degrading" due to changing his specialisation to venereology. Bykov just messed with him to rise his mood, and didn't expect Phil to take it so seriously. Phil immediately realises that, in retrospect, he really should have seen it coming, and questions wether he really became slightly dumber since internship.
