Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Welcome aboard the Odyssey!
We have the always charming Joshua Jackson, a dapper Don Johnson, and a very interesting twist on the standard medical drama.
Dr. Odyssey has something for everyone!
At this point in his career, Joshua Jackson has played every role. Lately, he’s felt like he’s more evil than not, but this series gives him the chance to play a solid guy dedicated to helping others.
Max Bankman was not only an accomplished physician but also a man seeking change. He came aboard the Odyssey as the new attending physician and quickly settled in as he handled a large caseload on his first day.
The series wastes little time covering the various medical mishaps that can happen on a cruise ship, or at any other time.
When I first heard about a medical drama set on a cruise ship, I was worried. How many emergencies can there be on a ship? Well, a lot more than you think.
Max comes aboard to meet a pair of established nurses, Tristan and Avery, and it’s funny how they’re not very interested in him at first, but that doesn’t last long.
Avery, in particular, played by the sexy and confident Phillipa Sue, is relatively wary at first but quickly melts after hearing about Max’s previously fractured penis while the three of them are undergoing surgery .
I’m not kidding at all.
The entire show hinges on the chemistry of the doctors and nurses and the acceptance of their interactions and stories. So far, so good as their respective dynamics come into play, which leads to some great interactions between the three of them in varying degrees of stressful situations.
Tristan is probably the weakest of the three characters, simply because he’s placed opposite Max, of whom he’s a bit scared.
I will too! Joshua Jackson comes in like this, with a charisma behind him, do you expect people to just blindly accept that?
A bit of passive aggression between the newbies and the veteran vets is normal in this situation, but when they introduced the love triangle angle, they took it to a place I didn’t expect and it didn’t seem entirely necessary .
If they want to do a will/won’t-you thing with Max and Avery, then so be it. Their chemistry doesn’t exactly set the world on fire, but you can see a little spark beneath the mutual respect and obvious attraction.
On the other hand, I feel like I’m like Avery, who sees Tristan as a little brother. Their vibe and banter feels more like siblings than romance, but that could also be because Avery never allowed herself to see him that way because of her job.
It would be a bad decision for anyone to get involved with Avery, especially considering how closely the three work together, but this is a Ryan Murphy production, so ethics and all that be damned!
Besides these three, the other main character is the captain, Robert Massey, who seems to be a bit obsessed with his ship and tries to make it into a magical paradise for his passengers.
It’s a great sentiment, but is it realistic?
Everyone hangs out to have a good time, forget their responsibilities for a while and enjoy life. It does seem like the people on that ship were living the high life, but Robert also put a lot of pressure on his employees.
When he and Max have this conversation over dinner, it feels like a conversation they should be having during an interview, because Max looks like he’s hearing it for the first time.
Things move slower for the pilot, but that’s probably because it follows 9-1-1, which is typically a fast-paced work schedule.
But even with the slower pace, there are plenty of thrilling moments, such as the final rescue where Max transforms into a lifeguard doctor.
If this show wants to be popular, it should combine some absurdity with seriousness because we have enough serious medical dramas on TV. Make this fun and light-hearted.
There is no reason why real lifeguards and those capable of performing such rescues should not jump into the water. This way Max can save the passengers who are drowning. But then we wouldn’t have had the dramatic scene of Joshua Jackson swimming and dripping in the operating room.
To say this time is predictable might be understating it, but that doesn’t mean it’s full of surprises. The breaking news that Max was the first in the United States to contract the coronavirus is certainly one of those moments that will surprise you.
Throughout the hour, Max kept hinting at the need for more fun. He never explicitly says this, but he’s also upfront about wanting to find work-life balance, which is usually a sign that the person is working too much.
I have mixed feelings about the need for Max to be the first COVID-19 patient and what that means for the overall story. Will this be a once-in-a-lifetime, one-off character trait when Max needs to connect with someone?
Or does this become his defining characteristic, as much a part of Max as his line of Hawaiian shirts?
Time will certainly tell, just like time will tell what kind of show Doctor Odyssey ends up being.
This isn’t a series that breaks the mold, but it’s a different take on an old classic, which is usually not a bad thing.
doctor notes
- It’s always nice to see what Rachel Dratch is wearing! She’s always such a delight and I love the drama between her and her husband, who are the unfortunate ones who can’t catch a break when they should be enjoying life.
- Only on Ryan Murphy’s show does someone describe in detail how they broke their own penis while helping someone with a broken bone.
- Tristan is a playboy, but also hopelessly in love with Avery, that’s for sure. Does he love Avery, or is she just the closest woman he’s ever met?
- Instead of letting Tristan charm her, Ronda was instantly smitten with Max? Does this foreshadow the final outcome of the love triangle?
After a lot of hype, Dr. Odyssey has finally landed, and I’m curious what you guys thought during the first few hours.
Will you come to work next week?
What works for you and what doesn’t?
Be sure to leave all your thoughts below so we can discuss it!
You can watch Doctor Odyssey on Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
