Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 2 ‘Singles Week,’ was an absolute ride from beginning to end. From the minute the guests set foot onboard The Odyssey, we were immediately introduced to all the players. Just like Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 1, this week’s episode was a fast-paced drama that kept us wondering what would happen next. So, let’s get into it.
Single and ready to mingle… or not
As the passengers board The Odyssey, ready to head out for the Singles cruise, we are introduced to several characters. There’s Kelly (Stephanie Suganami), a beautiful young lady looking to break out of her comfort zone by taking the initiative to meet someone. Then we have Sam (Chord Overstreet), a major, and we mean major, douche. Last but certainly not least, we have a grandmother, excuse me, a Glamma and widow (whose name we were never told) in the amazing Shania Twain. She has come on the trip at the urging of her granddaughter, who wants to see her find love again. Though everyone on board is doing things their way, they all have the same goal, which is that they’re in search of companionship.
As Max states, “Going on a week-long cruise alone takes brass balls,” especially when you throw in a few medical emergencies along the way. Everyone meets during the captain’s dinner, where, according to Avery, they break the ice to get the passengers feeling comfortable enough to get to know one another.
Avery is not thrilled about singles week because it reminds her of her singledom. She sort of attempts to get Max to be her date. Or wingman? We’re not really sure what when she says they need to be the ones to set the tone for the week by being seen dancing at the party, that way it will encourage everyone else. Max, who has been given the good old “you’re breaking the no fraternizing rule” spiel from Tristan, shuts that idea down.
Avery immediately knows that his reason is Tristan and makes it known that she is aware of Tristan’s crush on her, which she calls “puppy love.” She thinks that he has unresolved mommy issues and that he needs to get over them. This is a little harsh if you ask us, because Tristan’s feelings are, in fact, not related to that at all, and the man genuinely has feelings for her. We’re surprised that she was so dismissive of them.
Though Tristan has feelings for Avery, we admit it was surprising to see him with Kelly. But we guess that his belief is he can’t just sit around waiting, which is fair. Kelly seems nice enough, and we applaud her for being brave enough to walk up to Tristan and ask him for a dance. Captain Massey, who is so laser-focused on work all the time, even decides to relax a little when he and the Glamma meet each other and bond over the loss of their spouses. It’s the first time we’ve seen the captain have a human moment, and it’s nice. It seems that singles week is off to a great start… that is until we’re reminded that emergencies don’t take a vacation.
“The worst thing for our health is being alive“
One thing about Doctor Odyssey is the pacing never slows down. That can be both a good thing and a bad one. As you watch the show, it feels like you’re part of the medical team. Ryan Murphy makes you feel the urgency to do what needs to be done in these situations. The moment an emergency starts, it never ends. The crew’s first thing up is an altercation involving three women fighting over the same man named Jeffrey. The three women don’t have any significant injuries, but the argument is insane. They all hate each other, but all they can seem to agree on is that “Jeffrey is that…” D.” What in the Sister Wives was that scene? It was a pointless kick-off to the episode in our eyes, especially since we never even saw what Jeffrey looked like.
Next up on the emergency block is Kelly literally passing out while making out with Tristan. The team learns that she has an aortic dissection, which is a small tear in her aorta. Thankfully, Max, Tristan, and Avery were able to help her, but let’s be honest: Avery did all the work on that because she was the one to figure out the cause. Something else we learned watching Doctor Odyssey episode 2 is that Even the crew is not exempt from dealing with their own medical emergencies. Captain Massey has a scare of his own when he has a cardiac episode that Max refers to as broken heart syndrome.
Not all of the medical emergencies are cardiac in nature though. Passenger Sam shares some not-so-pleasant bugs. He engages in a little too much fun on the ship, earning him the nickname “Syphilis Sam.” We don’t know how many people he ran through on that cruise and in how many days, but based on the number of phone calls Max had to make and the number of penicillin shots administered, it was A LOT. We told you back when we got the Doctor Odyssey episode 2 preview photos we had a feeling we wouldn’t like him.
Even if we end up adrift, we can always return to shore
The going theme each week, at least so far, for Doctor Odyssey seems to be the team having to rescue someone from the water. That was the case when Max and Avery received word from Captain Massey’s First Officer and second in command, Spencer Munroe (Marcus Emanuel Mitchell), that they needed to investigate a raft floating out to sea. Once Max and Tristan made it out to the raft, they found a woman named Analisa (Kassandra Cruz) who desperately needed medical treatment. After the fishing boat, she and her fiancé Manuel (Michael Baydoun) were on caught fire, she believed he had died but just as singles week was coming to a close, she learned he too had survived. It was a sweet happily ever after and a nice moment.
Avery was having a hard time dealing after saving Analisa. Seeing her and her grief when she thought she’d lost Manuel made her think of how much time she wasted. Avery confides in Tristan and tells him she feels like she just let her dreams of becoming a doctor slip through her fingers. She feels like even though she’s worked hard to become a Nurse Practitioner, she hasn’t done all that she could have. She seems to think it’s too late to become a doctor. She’s feeling alone, and like Captain Massey, she feels adrift and alone.
Tristan reminds her that she isn’t alone and he tells her that he sees her. In a surprisingly tender moment, the two share a kiss. We think that kiss shifted Avery’s thoughts about Tristan a little. She may not be thinking that his feelings are just “puppy love” anymore. And the fact that unbeknownst to both Avery and Tristan, Max witnessed that kiss tells us that things will get even more complicated between the three of them than they already were.
Other nautical thoughts
- Joshua Jackson in his work uniform. Joshua Jackson in a tux. That is all.
- If Max has to follow the HR handbook policy on fraternization, doesn’t Tristan need to do the same? His kissing Avery is also breaking the code. Just sayin.
- “You two are both cardboard cutouts with erections.”
- We caught that jealous moment when Avery was watching Tristan and Kelly. Mmmhmm.
- Captain Massey waking up after almost dying, ready to work and asking for coffee, was exactly how we expected he’d be.
- Tristan, the rules of being in the medical field- Never say, “I think we’re good.”
- So… that truce Tristan asked Max for, after that kiss, it’s probably over right? Yeah.. we think so.
- Did Sam go through that many people on that ship? Again… how big is that ship?
- Oh, and we can’t believe Kelly fell for Sam’s pathetic pickup fake lost cellphone moment.
- Sam is literally a walking PSA for how NOT to behave.
- YAY for Avery getting the information on that full scholarship so she can finish working to become a doctor. Good looking out, Max!
- Singles week is done! Bring on Surgery Week.
Doctor Odyssey airs on Wednesdays on ABC.
