Subs — Season 1, Episode 12: Citizen Monte Christo
Comedy • 55 min • 1 season, 15 episodes • ★ 7.8/10
Episode synopsis
Famous director Barewicz receives news that he’s won the Grand Prix at a film festival in West Berlin, along with a prize—a Mercedes. He immediately heads to the border to collect the car, using taxi no. 1313. Unsure of his driving skills, he asks the professionals—Kasia and Jacek—for help bringing the vehicle back. On the return trip, they discover the Mercedes is a wreck covered in shiny paint. Barewicz vows to track down whoever played the cruel joke. Meanwhile in Warsaw, a thief nicknamed “Ksywa” breaks into a so-called vacant apartment in a high-rise. While he’s busy “working,” a housing commission arrives, inventories the contents, seals the unit, and orders the entrance to be bricked up—leaving Ksywa trapped inside.
About Subs
"Zmiennicy" is a grotesque comedy of absurdity and reality that masterfully blends slapstick, satire, and surrealism to expose the absurdities of life under communist rule in the People's Republic of Poland (PRL). The story follows Jacek Żytkiewicz, a taxi driver in Warsaw, and his mysterious new shift partner, Katarzyna Piórecka, who disguises herself as a man to get the job. The series is a comedy of the grotesque, filled with exaggerated characters, nonsensical bureaucracy, and surreal plot twists. It mocks the inefficiencies and contradictions of PRL institutions—from corrupt officials and inept police to bizarre workplace dynamics and social hypocrisy. Underneath the absurdity lies a thriller-like subplot: a drug trafficking operation smuggling heroin from Thailand to West Germany. This storyline, featuring shady sports officials, a Thai student, and a crooked firefighter, adds a layer of intrigue reminiscent of American crime dramas.