Phil must learn that things works differently in Russia than in USA. Specifically, due to average Russians having much less wealth than Americans, they often can't afford expensive medicine, so he must think twice before prescribing something. Unfortunately, Phil's attempts to gather information comes as less than subtle and rather suspicious, leading the patients to all the wrong conclusions. Ultimately, Bykov gives up and just tells Phil to talk to Lyuba.
Varya wants to restart her relationship with Gleb, but doesn't know how to tell him so. Lyuba suggests to use Lobanov for this. Unfortunately, Varya does that so clumsily, Semyon now believes that she's flirting with him, and at first tries to refuse. By the end of the day, the two ends on a date after all, which continues at home. Semyon, very uncomfortable about dating his best friend's ex, finally tells her that he can't proceed with it, and only then she explains that she actually tried to reach Gleb. Unfortunately, Gleb himself by that time has leaved, to "give the two some privacy", and it's too late to find him and convince otherwise.
Gleb finally accepts his mother's relationship with Bykov (since he now lives separately from her and has minimal chances to meet them in inappropriate time). Kisegach decides to use this to offer Bykov to live together... but doesn't know how to do so, and asks Kupitman for help. Kupitman's plan? Make Bykov drunk and, while he's wasted, move his stuff to Kisegach's apartment, then lie to Bykov that it was his idea. Unfortunately, they botches the plan completely, and Bykov rides to another woman, meaning that Bykov just cheated on Kisegach. The Gleb arrives (who just leaved Varya alone with Lobanov), and reveals that even in a day without hard patients or Bykov mistreating him, something is still not right for him...
This episode provides examples of:
- The Bro Code: Lobanov is extremely uncomfortable with Varya's attempt to flirt with him (in fact, it was her ill-thought plan to reach Gleb), because she is Gleb's ex (despite Gleb claiming that there's nothing between them anymore). When their "date" finally occurs, he snaps and tells her so.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Lyuba's story from beginning of the episode quickly gets forgotten because no one wants to listen to her. Much later Bykov remembers about her and decides to use her story to teach Phil more about Russia and how things works here.
- Because Kisegach insisted on Gleb keeping the keys from her house, he was able to leave Semyon with Varya alone, and move to his mother (which leads to him finding out about her breakup with Bykov).
- Culture Clash: Main problem of Phil's plot, and direct reason for first two (out of three) fails he he has with his patients:
- He doesn't know that in Russia, average citizens have much less wealth than in USA, and can't afford expensive medicine. So by prescribing them something they can't afford, he only makes himself look like a jerk.
- He doesn't know that in (modern) Russia, teachers are not, in fact, a prestigious profession, and (just like medics), they're often severely underpaid, which means that no, he still can't prescribe expensive drugs to this patient.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Kisegach complains that Kupitman always wants to drink, Kupitman remembers that they can use alcohol to force Bykov doing what Kisegach wants: once Bykov gets drunk, he can't remember anything. His new plan involves Bykov getting drunk, and Kupitman moving his stuff to Kisegach; next day, they would tell him that it was his own idea, and, without any way to verify this, he would accept, because he can't just simply back down on his own suggestion. Unfortunately, it turns out to be not as easy as it sounds, because every attempt to do so results in Kisegach becoming even more drunk than Bykov, so Kupitman must do everything by himself. He completely botches this, with disastrous results.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Attempt to get Bykov drunk results in Kupitman becoming drunk, too. So drunk, that he goes to Kisegach without Bykov (who instead moved to the other woman). This results in Bykov and Kisegach breaking up.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: One of the many reasons why Varya's plan completely fails is because it looked like her attempts to date Semyon, so Gleb (who was her main goal all along) decided to leave to give them some privacy.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Either Kupitman helps Kisegach with Bykov (and receives a paid day off as reward), or he can start searching for new job (and his chances to find one are slim at best, given that he's an old pervert and drunkard). Even then he tries to bargain for more.
- Old Flame: Gleb tells Semyon that it would be okay for him to date Varya (despite Semyon asked him for confirmation several times). But in the end of the episode, he tells his mother that his day went "not that good". Since in this episode he has no patients or even contacts with Bykov at all (at least on-screen), it implies that the reason for this is that he's not as indifferent to Varya as he told to Semyon.
- Poor Communication Kills:
- After Bykov explains to him that he can't just prescribe expensive drugs to any patient (he must learn wether they can afford them beforehand, and no, he can't adhere to his country's standards here, because, for example, Russian teachers are infamously poor, unlike American ones), Phil attempts to interrogate his next patient about his income... and due to the words he chose for this, the patient now thinks that this was an attempt to extort a bribery from him.
- Varya's attempt to "use Lobanov to reach Gleb" backfires because, due to the way she tries to establish contact, he now thinks that she is flirting with him. Lobanov is extremely uncomfortable about this, because she is his best friend's ex, even though Gleb tells him that he considers this to be okay (since he burned any ties to her, even friendship), though he agrees in the end. This quickly becomes awkward once they starts their "date", and Semyon finally snaps and tells her about his insecurities, forcing her to admit the real reason why they started all this. And this all ends up being for nothing, because Gleb decides to leave to his mother, to give them some privacy.
- Refuge in Audacity: Even after Kisegach offers him to choose between helping her and receiving a paid day off as a reward, or being fired, Kupitman tries to bargain for more. Then, after rejecting every single of her plans, because they're doomed to fail, he asks for alcohol, because otherwise he "can't work".
- Wham Line: Two:
- The answer Kupitman gives to Kisegach's question (if Kupitman is here, then where is Bykov?) implies that Bykov had cheated on her.Kisegach: Where he drove?
Kupitman: To the other woman. - Gleb's answer to the question about his day heavily implies that he's not as indifferent towards Varya as he claims, as there's literally no other thing which could hurt him — except for Varya trying to date Lobanov.
- The answer Kupitman gives to Kisegach's question (if Kupitman is here, then where is Bykov?) implies that Bykov had cheated on her.
