One interpretation of episode 5 is that harsh punishment not only doesn’t deter the worst instincts of humanity, in some cases it might encourage it. The argument is that people carrying around a deep sense of guilt over behavior that was allowed to slide without consequence are driven to commit antisocial acts because they feel like they should be punished for their past sins.

So, in other words, there is danger both in no consequence and too much. People never called out for their bad acts feel compelled to keep repeating them until they are caught. And for those whose sense of guilt destroys all sense of worthiness, they may be attracted to commiting acts leading to their annihilation.

This returns us to Miroslaw in the coffee shop. The police going away did not bring him a sense of relief, they heightened his internal tension, making him ideate ways to fully get the attention of the authorities.

So after liking the cream filling from the pastries off his fingers, and as the police van drives way, Miroslaw starts wrapping rope around his hands, testing out his grip.

We switch to Jan, who is sitting in his cab (he doesn’t seem at all interested in picking up fares and making money) who eyes a man with long hair and two dogs. As the dogs approach, he lays on his horn, agitating them both and leading the white dog to slip his leash and run away, which leads Jan to chuckle. This act of animal cruelty makes us wonder what exactly he fed that stray dog earlier (or maybe he’s ok with strays and just doesn’t like well cared for domesticated dogs.)

Back to the coffee shop, Miroslaw sees two young girls playing near the shop’s window. He puts down his rope and gets an idea: he flicks a spoon full of coffee at the window, which makes a mess that drips down. This makes the girls laugh and Miroslaw smiles in return. The girls then walk off.

Next we return to Piotr, who is informed that he has passed his oral exams. His part in the opening section of the episode is now complete.

Miroslaw is back to wrapping rope around his hand. He looks into the dish discard bin and pulls out a knife, scraping icing off of it.

Jan, meanwhile, sees a drunk, staggering man, holding onto another man, approach his cab. Again, he decides to drive off.

Miroslaw cuts the rope, leaving a section of it wrapped around his hand, the rest he puts in a jacket pocket. He then leaves a gob of spit in his coffee cup and gets up to leave.

The destinies of the two characters are finally about to converge. Jan drives by yet another couple hailing his cab. Miroslaw walks toward the cab stand. Miroslaw reaches the stand just as Jan pulls up. But two other men approach at the same time and ask if Miroslaw is going to Mokotow. He responds no, he’s going to Wola. They say they are in a hurry, but he pays no heed to them and gets in the cab.

Miroslaw then asks to be taken to Mokotow. Jan asks him where the other men wanted to go, he replies Wola. Jan then drives on.

I should mention that as Miroslaw is being picked up, the soundtrack switches to highly unusual, very tense music that is reminiscent of Bernard Hermann in “Vertigo” or “Psycho.”

Oh and one more thing — i mentioned in an earlier essay that The Watcher wasn’t in this episode, but I was wrong! He’s working on a road crew as Jan passes by … yet another portent of doom. He appears to look directly at Miroslaw, leading him to pull back in his seat to avert his eyes.

Miroslaw doesn’t like that Jan can see him directly in the rear view mirror, so he slides to his left towards the backseat passenger door. He then asks Jan to put his window up, he’s feeling cold. Jan partially complies, putting the window up maybe an inch. Miroslaw looks down at his roped hand. Then the cab stops suddenly. A group of children are seen crossing in the crosswalk.

Miroslaw asks Jan to turn left. Jan says that straight is faster, but Miroslaw insists that he prefers to go this way. Jan turns off onto a very rural road, no cars can be seen nearby. Miroslaw wraps the rope more tightly around his hands.

The episode is about to explode in a scene of brutal violence.