In A Girl and an Astronaut, Niko and Marta meet through Karolina, who is Niko’s sister and Marta’s friend. Karolina is played by Anna Cieslak and Zofia Jastrzebska.
When Karolina and Marta return from the UK, Karolina offers Marta to stay with her in her family home. Niko meets Marta when he sees her occupying his room and bathroom.
Karolina’s love for her brother can be seen clearly in their interactions. Even 30 years later, the mention of his death still hurts her. Later, when Niko returns, she is beyond happy to see him alive.
While she loves her brother a lot, she also cares about her friend, so she warns her not to fall in love with Niko, who is not known for keeping long-term relationships. Although Karolina warns Marta not to date a pilot, she does not follow her own advice and falls for a pilot, who hurts her both physically and emotionally.
Karolina’s secret
At first glance, Karolina seems just as carefree and happy as Marta does. That does not last long, as she immediately goes to visit someone without revealing their identity.
Karolina has been having an affair with Colonel Wiktor, Bogdan’s married father. She loves him and thinks that she cannot live without him, but he does not care for her in the same way. In fact, he keeps telling her that she has got the wrong idea.
She is not allowed to call him. As per their agreement, he reaches out to her only when he wants to sleep with her. When she confesses her feelings to him, he cruelly rejects her and walks away.
During their clandestine meetings, he hurts her, leaving bruises on her body. Karolina refuses to tell Marta, or even Niko, about the man who hurt her. Marta catches her bawling her eyes out in the bathroom because Wiktor has also hurt her feelings.
Karolina’s relationship with Wiktor
In 2052, Karolina is seen living with Wiktor, who is old and bedridden. She refuses to leave him in his current condition, where he is completely dependent on her. Furthermore, everyone knows about their relationship now.
Wiktor, albeit unintentionally, still hurts her; he talks to her about Niko’s death, reminding her of how her brother must have died painfully.
However, the power dynamic is not as it was; Karolina now has some sort of control over him. Despite being bedridden, Wiktor is still an influential man, and Karolina gets him to use his influence to get rid of the FSB agents waiting outside their house.
Like most characters in the show, Karolina never moves on in her life. Her relationship with Wiktor is anything but healthy, and yet she stays by his side for decades.
Also Read: Marta’s choice in A Girl and an Astronaut explained