Family Secrets – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

The Big Questions

Episode 6 of Family Secrets begins with an eight-month-back flashback, where Dorota is stopped by her husband’s clinic. It is late at night, he is alone with a female co-worker and they are heavily flirting. This upsets her and she runs out and goes for a drink. She gets home and Emil makes a half-hearted, almost satirical apology. 

The next morning, Pawel is trying to speak to Dorota and ask for another chance. He had initially been kicked out of class for missing an exam. This was before their affair, Dorota was just his professor and she refused to give him another chance. After meeting with Pawel’s father, who explains the situation, she gives Pawel a second chance. 

Emil and Dorota’s relationship continues to be strained by his numerous affairs and she asks for a divorce. He is against it but Dorota is adamant about it and wants to live on her terms. It was during this time that she ran into Pawel at the cafe. Pawel tries to be formal and draw the line between them and Dorota threatens to fail Kaśka in her class.

At the same time, Kaśka is ignoring Pawel after his marriage proposal and Dorota uses this opportunity to make a move on Pawel. It turns out that she kissed Pawel without consent in the classroom and he pulled away but Kaśka thought the kiss was mutual. 

She goes through the school information desk drawers and finds Pawel’s address. She goes to his place but he is not there and his dad invites her to wait for him. On her way out, she meets Pawel and he has no interest in talking to her. She follows after him and asks him to meet up later that night.

She then heads home and reveals the so-called affair to her husband. She deliberately misconstrues the nature of their relationship and Emil is infuriated. He feels vindicated and I am not sure if he is serious. Does he have selective amnesia? I mean he has been cheating throughout the whole marriage! He is out for Pawel’s blood and in a vindictive manner, he gets Pawel kicked out of the university against Dorota’s wishes.

Dorota goes to Pawel’s place and texts him to meet her outside. Initially, Pawel refuses but Dorota insists on waiting for him there. Pawel has no other choice but to meet her. She asks to go for a drive so they can talk about the situation. Pawel is angry that Dorota’s lies got him expelled. She says that it will be okay because she will divorce Emil and they can move together. 

Pawel calls her out on her behavior and says he will be reporting her for sexual harassment to the school. He asks her to stop contacting him and gets out of the car. He refuses to get back and calls her a crazy bitch. Dorota gets angry and intentionally runs him over, she goes home and tries to commit suicide.

Kaśka is trying to find answers about Pawel’s whereabouts and attempts to talk to Dorota about it,  but Emil denies her access. Dorota continues to lie about her relationship with Pawel.

At the wedding, Dorota is regaining her consciousness and Kaśka wants to talk to her about Pawel. Dorota, on the other hand, wants to know who the father of Kaśka’s baby is. Another wedding is planned to take place at the church and they are asked to wait outside.

Emil is anxious about what Dorota might have said to Kaśka when she was in a lucid state and asks Kaśka to stay away from Dorota. He also wants her to call off the wedding which he terms a total disaster. As the situation continues to get hectic, Kaśka notices that Janeczek is on the phone and he appears anxious. She walks over to him and asks who he is talking to. Janeczek replies that everyone has been lying. He tells her Pawel had an accident.

The Episode Review

The relationship between Emil and Dorota is toxic and I don’t understand why it took so long for her to ask for a divorce. It is despicable for a teacher to threaten and demand sexual favors from students. It turns out Emil was wrong about the nature of his wife’s affair.

 It was shocking to see what happened to Pawel though. Did Dorota leave him for dead in the middle of nowhere? Did he survive the accident? How much does Emil know? 

I am also curious to know what Janeczek meant when he said they are all lying. How much does he know?