"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.
Kasia is growing tired of her thankless job. Every day, she has to endure the exhausting company of President Koniuszko’s wife for several hours, and she’s also responsible for picking up their unruly son from school. During a company mushroom-picking trip, where several employees take part, everyone ends up drunk. Piórecka reaches her breaking point and quits. Meanwhile, Mr. Stanisław and President Michalik, both still in the hospital, become friends. Krashan turns to smuggling—bringing a whole bag of sausage stuffed with drugs into Poland.
Zmiennicy
Now playing Season 1, Episode 3 — The Scapegoat
October 17, 1987
1
15
7.8
N/A
N/A
Season 1 • 15 episodes
Jacek and Mr. Stanisław take turns driving an old taxi, which the WPT management is soon planning to replace with a new one. Meanwhile, Krashan Bhamaradżanga, a student from Thailand studying in Warsaw, is having trouble with his creditors. At the airport, he meets President Kłusek, who gives him an address where he can find people willing to help. Elsewhere, firefighter Zenon Kuśmider is illegally selling gasoline to fuel stations—gasoline he bought from railway workers. He’s making a tidy profit from the scheme.
After returning from his final shift, Stanisław begins repairing his battered old taxi. Suddenly, a statue of a mouse falls onto the car—having detached from a helicopter in flight. It’s a rough day for President Michalik as well: on his way to meet his lover, he falls into a sewer trench. Both men end up in the same hospital. Michalik’s wife, the daughter of a prominent party official, arranges top-tier care for her husband. However, a mix-up in patient records leads the nurses to confuse Michalik with Stanisław.
Kasia is growing tired of her thankless job. Every day, she has to endure the exhausting company of President Koniuszko’s wife for several hours, and she’s also responsible for picking up their unruly son from school. During a company mushroom-picking trip, where several employees take part, everyone ends up drunk. Piórecka reaches her breaking point and quits. Meanwhile, Mr. Stanisław and President Michalik, both still in the hospital, become friends. Krashan turns to smuggling—bringing a whole bag of sausage stuffed with drugs into Poland.
President Koniuszko makes Kasia an unusual offer: he persuades her to impersonate his son and take the driving exam on his behalf. Kasia initially agrees but soon backs out of the plan. However, she cleverly repurposes the idea—disguising herself and using Marian Koniuszko’s documents to get hired at WPT, the taxi company that previously rejected her solely because she was a woman. Before long, she becomes Jacek’s driving partner.
Disguised as a man, Kasia begins her job at MPT. She quickly realizes that pretending to be Marian Koniuszko is far more difficult than she expected. This time, she and Jacek are tasked with driving the famous actor Rawicz to Kraków. The passenger must arrive on time to perform in a live broadcast of a Television Theater production.
The so-called “special care press” is a weekly magazine that President Klusek’s associates buy in bulk. Hidden inside the newspaper bundles are drugs, which they smuggle to Germany for President Gonschorek. Delighted that the latest shipment arrived safely, Klusek spends the evening with a prostitute named Mariola—only to be completely robbed by her and left unable to pay Kasia for the taxi fare. Meanwhile, Kasia drives a young married couple who urgently need to make purchases to use up their newlywed credit. But with no washing machines, refrigerators, or vacuum cleaners available in stores, the desperate couple ends up buying a coffee set for fifty people
Among the passengers arriving from Bangkok and waiting for customs clearance is Krashan, carrying illicit goods. Due to heightened inspections that day, he reaches out to firefighter Kuśmider for help.
During a chase after an express train, Krashan pulls out a gun. Taking advantage of his distraction, Jacek escapes. Krashan and Kuśmider continue on but are soon arrested by the militia. What happened to the money remains a mystery. Meanwhile, Kasia is now driving the taxi. She gives a ride to Mrs. Koniuszkowa but later forgets her real ID in the car. Jacek finds the documents in the glove compartment and returns them to her home, where her parents mistake him for a suitor. He ends up arranging a date with Kasia. To make the meeting possible, Kasia asks Marian Koniuszko to drive in her place all Sunday.
Gonschorek arrives in Warsaw from Berlin to personally oversee Klusek and the faltering drug operations. Meanwhile, Kasia—who has recently met Jacek and wants to visit him in Zatory—temporarily replaces herself in taxi 1313 with the real Marian Koniuszko, son of her former employer. Jacek, unaware that Kasia and his driving partner are the same person, introduces her to his host Mastalerz and the previous owner of Zatory. The next day, Jacek learns that “Marian” committed several traffic violations while driving. Meanwhile, Stanisław, Jacek’s original driving partner, returns from the hospital. Though promoted within WPT, he doesn’t resume driving. The taxi continues to be operated in shifts by Jacek and Kasia—still disguised as a man.
Upon learning of the death of renowned novelist Jan Oborniak, editor-in-chief Samelko and his colleague Lusia from the publishing house Opoka rush to publish his final work, The Cry of Silence. However, the manuscript has mysteriously vanished. Lusia sets out to find it, using taxi no. 1313. She and Kasia—still disguised as Marian—travel to the author’s family home. But their misadventures are far from over.
Klusek and Gonschorek try to pressure Jacek into giving false testimony in court regarding the kidnapping of taxi 1313. Kasia, still disguised as Marian Koniuszko, gets involved in a risky scheme to help her friends resolve their housing problems. Meanwhile, editor Lusia and avant-garde writer Oborniak—who reconstructed the missing novel—face new and unexpected circumstances surrounding the “resurrection” of the supposedly deceased author.
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.
Firefighter Kuśmider and Krashan stand trial for the kidnapping of taxi 1313. The drug-related charges remain murky—both defendants lie through their teeth, and the witnesses contradict themselves. Ultimately, Kuśmider and Krashan receive suspended sentences. Krashan reports to Klusek, who orders him to recover the missing money. Meanwhile, Marian Koniuszko—actually Kasia in disguise—also appears in court, as prostitute Mariola demands child support. Kasia proves she’s a woman, and the case is dismissed. But Mariola’s guardian refuses to give up the search for the child’s father and eventually settles on President Klusek.
Krashan gets into taxi 1313, driven by Kasia, intending to retrieve dollars hidden in the driver’s seat. Suspecting a robbery, Kasia fights back and wins. Jacek has long suspected that “Marian K.” is hiding something. After the incident, he begins tailing his driving partner and finally uncovers the truth. Meanwhile, Kuśmider also targets taxi 1313, hoping to get his hands on the money—but Jacek thwarts him, and Kuśmider ends up in court. Hearing rumors about a haunted vacant apartment, Kasia and Jacek come up with a clever plan to secure a flat in the high-rise for themselves.
Thanks to Mr. Stanisław’s connection with Michalik, Kasia and Jacek are granted an apartment—rumored to be haunted. While moving in, they accidentally free the thief who had been trapped inside. However, they must pay nearly 1.5 million złoty, and they’re completely broke. At the taxi company, they receive a new car, while the old one goes up for auction. A quarter of the final bid is awarded to the drivers who used it. Since Krashan had hidden $100,000 in the seat, rival gangs—Klusek-Gonschorek and Kuśmider—enter the bidding war. Instead of the expected 700,000, the car sells for 10 million. That means Kasia and Jacek receive 2.5 million—solving all their financial problems. But that’s not the end: Kasia transferred the old seats into the new taxi, so she still has $100,000 stashed right behind her.
Centralna Wytwórnia Programów i Filmów Telewizyjnych Poltel
PL
Mieczysław Hryniewicz
Jacek Żytkiewicz
Ewa Błaszczyk
Kasia Piórecka
Kazimierz Kaczor
Zenon Kuśmider
Irena Kwiatkowska
Maria Piórecka
Krystyna Kołodziejczyk
Helena Koniuszkowa
Bronisław Pawlik
Stanisław Lesiak
Piotr Pręgowski
Krashan Bhamaradżanga
Krzysztof Kowalewski
Tomasz Michalik
Adam Ferency
militiaman Borkowski
Marian Opania
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