As a prelude to the recap, I want to express my alignment with Romek in the previous episodes, even though I know he has brought unnecessary pain to himself and his partner. To recall why the action played out like it did, remember that his doctor/friend suggested that he get a divorce.

So, Romek was thinking in terms of compromise when he threw out the suggestion that Hansa find another man for sex. It’s also entirely possible that Hansa was already seeing Mariusz before he even said that. And Hansa did not respond “no” the idea — she said that some things are better left unsaid.

But even taking Romek at his word, saying that something is permitted and seeing it in action can often be two different things, especially when Romek’s mind is still clouded by the quasi medical advice he received. I know in my case that I’m incapable of being involved in any kind of non-monogamous relationship, the main reason being that I absolute loathe being compared to another man in any way (or competing with one) and, to be perfectly honest, I don’t like most men, so I tend to judge them harshly.

I don’t know if Kieslowski has my same generalized antipathy, but he certainly has disdain for young men and he makes no effort to make Mariusz anything other than a completely ridiculous character who has nothing but his physicality going for him.

After that very long prologue, I have to say — as the projector starts up again — that I feel terrible for Hansa for everything that happens to her in this segment, it’s such cruel fate.

We’re still at the mother-in-law’s laundry room. Romek has resisted embracing Hansa, but now has surrendered. And she’s in a deeply apologetic state now that her initial anger has passed. First, she pleads with him not to leave her over going to bed with Mariusz. She says that she didn’t realize it would hurt him so much.

This is a very honest and understandable sentiment. Romek spoke words he didn’t fully comprehend earlier when he asked Hanka to find a man for such purposes. We cannot blame him for reacting differently once he saw it in action, but neither can we blame her for taking him at his word. They both, in different ways, acted in good faith.

Romek tries to say that he has no right to be jealous, but she tells him that he does. Then she says that she was wrong to leave a matter like this undiscussed — that they should have discussed it earlier when Romek brought it up. I’m not sure that conversation would have mattered. They very well could have created ground rules that Romek would find repulsive once he saw them in action. But I appreciate Hansa’s desire to repair.

Then she takes an even stronger stance — that Romek was also right about children, and she states that they should adopt a child. As a personal bias, I am extremely pro adoption and put as little stock as possible in the importance of genetics in the creation of families, so I don’t see this as a desperate act on Hansa’s part, but I can imagine that others might disagree.

Romek doesn’t really respond to all of Hansa’s generous statements, he just offers that they should get away from each other for a while. She agrees and suggests he go on a holiday, but Romek says he can’t stand the fact of her being alone in the same city with “the physics student” so he tells her that she should go instead. The camera then pans away from the couple, as if giving them some time and space for their privacy.

The next scene shows Romek getting boots and skis for Hansa. Then Hansa is at work and Mariusz shows up, asking how much it is for a ticket to Melbourne. She doesn’t respond and passes him off to a colleague. Perhaps buying him a one-way ticket to Melbourne would have been better for everyone.

After this scene plays out, we witness Romek in his car staring out, observing something. Are we to assume he saw Mariusz dropping in to see Hansa at the airport ticket counter? We don’t know for sure — but we do know that trust has not been rebuilt for him yet and he continues to violate hers.

We next see them at the train. Hansa is off to her ski vacation. Through the train car window she gives Romek details about adoption — saying that it will be easier and quicker to adopt a girl — then asks him if this is what he wants. He says yes. The train starts to move. She asks him if he trusts her and he answers yes. But the look in his eyes as the train pulls off signals suspicion.

There’s another scene with the young woman singer, the one who inspired Weronika. I’m confused by this scene. He asks her how she feels, she responds “I hate you.” He seems puzzled and reminds her that she agreed to it (the procedure, I assume?) and she says against her will. He asks her if something is wrong, she replies “not yet, but I know another person.” Is something being lost in translation here? She’s smiling throughout, so is this a form of eastern european flirtation? He does acknowledge the strangeness by replying “who are you?” She pauses for a moment and says “I want to sing. And be heard by lots of people.”

It’s hard to know exactly what feelings she sets off in Romek — perhaps paternal in some sense — and in the next scene, we see Romek looking out the window at a little girl playing. He seems to be imagining his future life and the vision brings some happiness to him. But as happens so often in Kieslowski, the happiness is interrupted by a ringing phone, and in this case, dead air on the other side of the line.

And now we get the most unfortunate coincidence in Dekalog 9 — and perhaps in the entire series. Romek is parking is car and, lo and behold, he happens to see Mariusz putting skis on a rack atop his car. The terrible luck of him witnessing this and then assuming that more intrigue is underway right under his nose. And to put a fine point on it all, the glove compartment pops open just as Mariusz’s car pulls away.

Not surprisingly, Romek now calls Mariusz’s house, pretending to be a fellow physics students. Mariusz’s mother picks up and, with very little prompting, says that he’s gone skiiing in Zakopane, the same place where Hansa has gone. He hangs up the phone immediately.

Next, we see Mariusz surprise Hansa in line at a ski lift. She asks him why he’s there — he replies that he knew she went skiing, so he figured it must be Zakopane. Hansa stares straight into the camera for a good 10 seconds. The terrible luck continues. She hands him her skis and poles and races off.

Hansa gets to a payphone and calls the hospital. They say that Romek is not in — she leaves a message that she is returning to Warsaw right away and will be back that night. As she’s leaving, she tells the other caller in line that she might need to use the phone again in a moment. The caller replies that she won’t be long.

Bad luck and twists of fate are keys to many Kieslowski stories, but in this case you really have to feel for Hansa and Romek. She’s stuck between a young man who now stalks her and won’t take no for an answer, and an impotent middle aged husband who distrusts her so deeply that any moment of bad luck can be amplified to apocalyptic turns.

Going into the episode’s final scene, all we can hope for them both is survival.