We’re getting closer to the season finale of Doctor Odyssey, and every week we feel as if we’re on a rollercoaster. Except we’re on a luxury ship. On Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 16 ‘Double-Booked,’ we were once again taken through the saga of our complicated Trio Max, Avery, and Tristan. There was a difference of opinion between authors and their readers, and Captain Massey got some unexpected and sad news.
In For A Bumpy Ride
After corporate made the money-grabbing choice to have two different authors onboard The Odyssey the same week, things got a little messy. One author, Penny Hollister (Kelli Berglund), is all about the “Trad” or Traditional married life, whereas author Mona Yeager (Whitney Cummings) is all about sex-positivity. These are two very different and very conflicting ideals, and they made for a unique experience. But that experience led to significant realizations for the ladies, their readers, and even Avery and Max.
Penny is a representation of the life that Max is in search of. I’m not talking about being obedient to your partner; I mean in the way that having a traditional family life means a lot to him. Max has made it clear several times that he wants a wife and kids. But he realized that was still not something Avery wanted. When she told him and Tristan she had decided, and that decision was that she would not be dating any of them since she’d be heading off to Med School in four weeks, that changed everything.
Blazing A Trail
Avery’s decision not to pursue anything further with Max or Tristan couldn’t have come at a worse time for her. She thought she was fully ready to let them both go. Until Mona set foot on the ship. Avery happened to be a huge fan of Mona and her sex-positive attitude. After attending one of her panels that was all about taking back control of your sex life, Avery realized she hadn’t made the right choice. Mona’s encouragement to hook up with both guys solo was the pep talk she needed. Unfortunately for her, but not surprisingly, that didn’t go well with Max.
When Avery had her one-on-one conversations with Max and Tristan to propose the new arrangement of having sex with both, but separately, Tristan said yes without hesitation. Max did not. It was a hard no for him. Avery seemed surprised about that, but we can’t imagine why when she already knew what type of person he was. Still, she tried to convince him this would be a suitable arrangement for all of them.
It was interesting that Avery was working hard to change Max’s mind, considering she told him and Tristan earlier, “I’ve made my decision and that was it.” Max respected her decision, so she should have been able to respect his. We’re also surprised that she was trying so hard to push him into the new arrangement when Tristan was fully on board. Why did she need Max, too, when Tristan was ready and willing?
More: Missed the last episode of Doctor Odyssey? Check out our review for Episode 15, ‘Crew Week.’
You Can’t Make Someone Want The Things You Want
Our guess about Avery wanting Max to say yes is that her feelings for him are stronger than she wants to admit. We’re not saying she doesn’t have feelings for Tristan, but we don’t think those feelings are as deep as they are for Max. Sadly, we believe Tristan knows this, too. We saw how he reacted when he felt the shift in Avery’s mood when they were intimate. Her body was there, but her mind was elsewhere. Tristan also thinks agreeing to Avery’s arrangement gives him an advantage over Max. This means we think he feels that if he and Avery spend enough time in bed together, he can reshape her feelings, and she’ll eventually forget all about Max. There’s just one problem.
Avery wants a no-muss-no-fuss type of thing because she’s attending Med School, while Max wants something more. And we get it. Max cares a lot about Avery; like Tristan, he wears his heart on his sleeve. However, he is a bit more upfront about what he wants, and as Avery points out, while Tristan is more light, happy, and fun, Max is challenging. And Avery likes challenges. But we don’t think she expected Max to say he loves her. After that declaration, we believe Avery has more to think about than she already did.
With this new information, what will Avery do? Is she going to admit to herself what she already knows, finally? Is she going to tell Tristan? We hope that she does because he deserves to know how she feels. If all Avery sees is that Tristan is fun, their relationship will go nowhere. As we have said, she must let Tristan down as easily as possible. Or, for all we know, he may do it first because he’s done everything that Avery has asked, yet she still doesn’t seem to be sure about him or what she wants.
Find Common Ground
One of the biggest takeaways in Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 16 was that everyone realized they were not so different in their situations. There was also a lot of bonding. Initially, Mona and her readers opposed what Penny and her readers believed in, and vice versa. But after their health emergencies, things were put into perspective. Penny prided herself on being the traditional doting wife with the kids, the lovely house with land, and the husband she obeyed at every turn. Mona, on the other hand, prided herself on being a sex- positive revolutionary, and they were making a profit off those things. As it turned out, they were both living a lie and keeping their secrets.
Penny, who is supposed to be the traditional wife who pops out babies back-to-back, was hiding the fact that she had an IUD to prevent further pregnancies. That secret was revealed to her husband, Gabe, when she had to undergo emergency surgery to remove it because it was causing a severe infection. Mona, who makes money off telling people to have the best sex of their lives, revealed to Avery she hadn’t had sex in two years due to Vaginismus. After being examined by Avery, she learned she was in premature menopause.
Like Penny, Mona couldn’t afford to reveal her secret to her readers. If the women did this, they knew it would change how they were both viewed. They were putting unnecessary pressure upon themselves to uphold some unspoken standard. After their readers got into a crazy food fight over their belief systems, Captain Massey intervened and shut it all down. He let them all know how fleeting time is and that despite having different viewpoints, they could still find common ground. He wasn’t wrong, and ultimately, everyone ended up getting along. Once they stopped fighting and started listening, they did understand there was so much more that united them than separated them.
The Hits Keep On Coming
After the dust settled, Captain Massey had a moment to reflect on some things in his life. Sadly, he learned from Heather that she had lost their baby. So yeah, the pregnancy stories on Doctor Odyssey are over. Makes you wonder what the point of having Heather become pregnant in the first place was. Possibly to give the Captain more than just a cruise ship to think about is our guess. We did feel sad for him, though. While scary, the idea of raising a baby seemed to give him another sense of purpose. And now Heather isn’t returning any of his phone calls. We hope she needs some time, and this isn’t the end of their relationship.
In any event, this gave the Captain and Max yet another opportunity to bond. Their conversation was enlightening, and it was the reason Max felt free to express his true feelings to Avery. But, again, we don’t know how things will turn out for him, Avery, and Tristan in the end. But a decision does need to be made because these three can’t go on like this forever.
Doctor Odyssey airs on ABC on Thursdays at 9/8c.
What did you think of Doctor Odyssey Season 1, Episode 16? Let us know in the comments below!
