The central truth of Dekalog 3 is that Janusz and Ewa are drawn to one another and want to be together, even if just for one very long night. But to get to that truth, you have to put up with a lot of lies coming from Ewa, and it’s not always clear why she’s saying so many things that are easy to prove untrue.

Ewa does this relentlessly, but also pointlessly. Many of the lies are purely plot devices, ways to heighten the mystery and keep the long night in motion. But as mentioned in my last essay, don't expect some great payoff from that mystery. You'll enjoy the episode more if you don't expect something big to happen.

So the first lie that Janusz unearths in this segment involves Ewa's car. Remember that Ewa parked it on a thoroughfare but then claimed to Janusz that her husband left it there. Janusz notices when he pulls up at Ewa's apartment that she doesn't have her own car in the apartment's parking slot, so that makes him suspicious. And then he mentions to Ewa that the timeline of when the snow began falling that day make it impossible for her husband to have left the parked car at the time she stated -- it would be covered in snow if it had been parked then.

Ewa doesn't answer these challenges, she just declares that it would look strange if her husband is home now and she arrived at the apartment with Janusz, so he should wait behind while she checks if he's there. Janusz then volunteers, that if he is home, then this is goodbye. He says it tenderly, which says a lot about why he's tolerating all of Ewa's lies -- ultimately, he doesn't care, or more accurately, places less value in her truth than her presence. He wants her to come clean and stop insulting his intelligence, but the lies themselves aren’t enough to drive him away.

Ewa goes inside and immediately concocts a new lie -- she calls emergency services and reports a man passed out drunk. She identifies her husband as the drunk man, saying they took his i.d., then makes up a fake name she sees on a nearby newspaper when asked who is making the report.

She then looks to see if Janusz is still outside waiting (of course he is) and then goes through some effort to make the apartment looked lived in by a man. She pulls out a coat and hat from a suitcase and hangs them up. Then she rushes in the bathroom and puts out an extra tooth brush and some shaving utensils.

Janusz comes to the apartment, even though he was supposed to wait for a signal. She asks Janusz to take off his coat, but he says he's cold and would like to keep it on. She asks if he wants tea and he says yes.

Then we get the clearest evidence of Janusz's continued feelings for Ewa. He explains to her that he was not the one who called her husband to tell him about the hotel, that in fact he loved her at that time and was hoping to make a change in his life. He wanted to continue the relationship, and it was Ewa who broke it off when given an ultimatum -- you can come home with me only if you never see him again -- and agreeing to it.

Ewa asks for his hand, then while holding it says some words of pity towards Janusz, but then reminds him that everything worked out fine for him -- he landed on his feet. He still has his loving family. He worked hard to get back in his wife's good graces -- worked hard, always remembered to pick up the dry cleaning. Janusz pulls his hand away now and she says, good, it smells like gasoline anyway.

As the scene ends, he heads to the bathroom to wash his hands.