Doctor Odyssey has slowed things down a bit with the major emergencies, and it’s back to business as usual. Although we don’t think one would refer to not one but two people coming down with COVID-19 as business as usual. In Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 12, ‘Sophisticated Ladies,’ Max was forced to confront past trauma, Captain Massey received a surprise visitor, and Tristan put his cards on the table with Avery.
More: Missed that 9-1-1/Doctor Odyssey crossover? Check out our review for Episode 11, ‘Casino Week’
Things Fall Apart; The Center Cannot Hold
On Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 12, the crew welcomed cougars or, as the new saying goes, “Sophisticated Ladies.” There was Delia (Jaclyn Smith) and her boyfriend Sam who were onboard to celebrate what he believed was her being cancer free. Also on board was Heather, who actually made the trip to surprise Captain Massey, and what a surprise it was. Lastly, there was Olivia (Donna Mills), who had won a contest to take the cruise and had absolutely no interest in pursuing young men. Unfortunately for Olivia, the trip was short-lived.
After testing positive for COVID-19, Max informed Olivia that she would need to quarantine and go on lockdown in a separate suite away from other guests. Olivia did not have the best reaction to this and was somewhat noncompliant about it. She refused to be locked down and even threatened to sue— talk about drama. Look, we get it, COVID-19 sucks. We all lived through it. And if we’re being honest, it never went fully away. We understand the need to be free and move about, especially when you go on a trip to have fun, only to have that fun cut short.
Olivia does comply, of course, but she made it clear to Max that she didn’t appreciate his approach. She felt that he should have asked her to quarantine rather than telling her. We agree that Max could have handled his approach a little better, but to be fair, a diagnosis of COVID-19 would likely freak him out. As we know from Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 1, COVID-19 almost killed Max. He is aware of the virus’s consequences, so he is unwilling to compromise in any way. Max quickly learns that, despite taking all the precautions in the world, sometimes, they may not be enough.
This Cannot Be Happening
Because Max was in close contact with Olivia from the moment she arrived onboard the Odyssey, he contracted COVID-19 from her. What was interesting was that he handled it much better than we expected him to. He was pretty calm. Other than telling Olivia to stay on her side of the room when the two ended up quarantine buddies. There were no flashbacks of him in the hospital, which actually would have made sense in this episode. We’ve seen him have flashbacks before, so why not this time? The only thing we got from him was a quick coughing bout that alerted him he’d been infected.
Max and Olivia end up bonding during their time locked down together, and this leads to a moment when he shares a story about his mother. It’s clear that Max’s mother meant the world to him, and because of his bout with COVID-19, he wasn’t able to be there for her, and she died right before he slipped into a coma. Max feels guilty that he wasn’t there for her. To him, he has spent his whole life saving everyone else, but he couldn’t save his mother. Max’s moment of vulnerability added another layer, further explaining why he is the way he is.
Captain Massey… You Are The Father
Remember that surprise visitor we mentioned at the start of this review? Well, it wasn’t just Heather (Shania Twain). She and Captain Massey had such a great time on Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 1, ‘Pilot’; she brought a wee little surprise onboard with her. That surprise was a baby. That’s right, Heather is prego and the Captain is the father. Talk about a plot twist we never saw coming.
Captain Massey was totally unfazed by the news. In fact, he seemed ready, willing, and able to take on the role of a father again and raise a baby. When it looked like Heather might lose the baby, he went into full baby daddy panic mode. But he also provided the appropriate support that she needed. Heather handled it as well as she could. It’s not lost on us that she was the one who provided Avery support and vice versa. It was interesting to hear them both discuss what motherhood would mean to each of them.
I Will Change
Tristan has been stepping up a lot to show Avery that he is more than ready to be a father. Something we’ve noticed is while Avery gets annoyed by Max’s doctoring, she still seems to be more open in expressing her feelings and plans to him regarding the baby. That, in some ways, is unfair to Tristan. In Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 11, ‘Casino Week,’ Avery essentially told Max that she was planning to keep the baby. But Tristan figured it out based on how she was acting. He went to her to get the answer.
We believe that when Tristan confronted Avery, he was trying to find out more than just her plans for the baby. As we mentioned earlier, Avery has been acting as if it’s all back to basics for her and Tristan. That’s weird considering she kissed him in Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 10, ‘Shark Attack! Part 2: Orca!’ It’s like she’s been avoiding him and his feelings. Tristan is also picking up on it.
Tristan is fully aware that, although Avery has seemingly chosen her baby, she still has yet to figure out the father’s identity. He fears that he lacks maturity, and that’s why Avery is more apprehensive with him. He told her that he plans to change and he will do so for the baby. It’s excellent that Tristan wants to change, but a baby shouldn’t be the reason. Tristan needs to change for the right reasons. We hope he realizes this sooner rather than later. From what we saw of what’s to come in the next episode, he will be put to the test in ways he may not be prepared for.
Other Thoughts
- “Looks like lady luck has a soft spot for a man with a limp.” Glad to see Munroe is doing well.
- Max trying to get everyone to get their COVID-19 boosters during a card game may not have been the best idea.
- “Dad’s mad. Fun’s over.”
- Max told Olivia he’s “Spoken for.” Really? Who’s he dating? Is he talking about Avery? Because does she know this?
- Olivia’s attitude about COVID-19 and having to quarantine…
- Again, Olivia wanted to be asked to quarantine. Not told… ma’am, you have a contagious virus that can make other people sick. This isn’t a restaurant, and Max isn’t a waiter asking if you’d like to try the wine. He’s a doctor.
- “Cary Grant with a stethoscope.”
- “Yesterday was yesterday.”
- We understood Delia’s position regarding her cancer, but she did owe it to Sam to be honest. It was apparent how much he loved her.
- This episode reminded us that COVID-19 is still a thing. It also reminded us of the things that annoyed us most during that time.
Doctor Odyssey airs on Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
