Warning! This article contains spoilers for Doctor Odyssey.Ryan Murphy show for ABC, spearheaded by Joshua Jackson, Don Johnson, and Phillipa Soo is particularly reasonable, but the campiness of the medical procedural is part of its charm. The ridiculousness of some of the themes is part of what makes the show so good, but the difference in themes also makes some weeks better than others.
Doctor Odyssey has been on the air since September 2024 and has introduced an intriguing theme with each new episode. Each theme is also meant to uphold The Odyssey's promise of being a luxurious cruise line while taking in different engers with every embarkment. However, the silliness of some cruises seems to directly contrast that very promise. The ridiculousness has not gone unnoticed, with some Doctor Odyssey characters even questioning the ethics of some weeks.
7 Wedding Week
Prenuptial Plans On The Odyssey
Wedding Week was the theme of episode 6, titled, "I Always Cry At Weddings." The idea that there could be a week dedicated to a wedding theme on a cruise ship could be seen as ridiculous, but it is not as ridiculous as some of the other cruise themes in Doctor Odyssey. The fact that the episode was focused on one particular wedding also made the theme more realistic than others, as the couple's families were part of the ultra-wealthy and simply booked the cruise to accommodate their guests that week.
With a bridezilla, reluctant groom, and contagious medical ailments, The Odyssey's wedding theme had many realistic aspects to it.
"I Always Cry At Weddings" had its share of dramatic moments, but it did not have anything that could not also happen at a wedding party on land. With a bridezilla, reluctant groom, and contagious medical ailments, The Odyssey's wedding theme had many realistic aspects to it. The most ridiculous aspect of the theme was its high cost, as it might seem a bit silly to spend so much money on a cruise-themed wedding. However, as a cruise theme in Doctor Odyssey, it takes the most mundane spot.
6 Gay Week
A Week Dedicated To Celebrating LGBTQ+ Culture
Gay Week on The Odyssey was one of the more common cruise ship themes. Made to be inclusive and exciting, Doctor Odyssey's seventh episode, "Oh Daddy," focused on celebrating LGBTQ+ culture. It stands out as one of the more amusing episodes of Doctor Odyssey. The idea of organizing a cruise theme around an identity is not an entirely ridiculous idea. Some of the activities on the cruise, like "daddies only cardio class" and "werk mama," may seem strange to those outside of the culture, but The Odyssey aims to be a utopia that pleases its guests.
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Cruise ships often have themes dedicated to different interests, lifestyles, and age groups, so a week dedicated to Gay Week is not out of the ordinary. Doctor Odyssey's "Oh Daddy" also gave an inside look into the family life of Don Johnson's Captain Robert Massey. The episode featured his brother, played by John Stamos, and his two partners. "Oh Daddy" also revealed a tense conflict between Doctor Odyssey's Tristan, Max, and Avery as they navigated their status as a potential throuple.
5 Singles Week
Flirting, Fun, and No Strings Attached
Singles Week on The Odyssey was another very normal cruise ship theme. Episode 2 of Doctor Odyssey kicked off Singles Week with a lot of casual flirting between both the crew and the engers on The Odyssey. The episode was also largely exposition as it continued setting up the love triangle between Max, Avery, and Tristan, with Max and Avery getting particularly close. As all four main characters on Doctor Odyssey are single, they were all very happy to participate in Singles Week. Some were even more involved than others.
Shania Twain guest-starred in "Singles Week" as a widower with eyes for Captain Massey.
What made the theme slightly ridiculous was just how involved the crew were in participating. Captain Massey even encouraged Max, Avery, and Tristan to relax and flirt with the nervous singles on board. The theme itself is not out of the ordinary for cruise ships, as there are many cruises and tours that themselves as being for singles only, but typically the theme is for the engers only. The extra flirting seemed more like an added touch for the sake of drama than anything else.
4 Halloween Week
Bloody Costumes And A Zombie Outbreak
Halloween Week was one of the more ridiculous cruise themes in Doctor Odyssey. As a single event, it would make sense. But for there to be an entire week of Halloween-themed cruise activities on The Odyssey seems a bit fetched for even the most enthusiastic Halloween lover. What made this theme particularly ridiculous was that it was not even made up of various Halloween activities. The theme would have been strengthened with carving contests and adult versions of trick-or-treating, but, instead, the week's theme was mostly centered on costume contests.
The episode's ending revealed that Tristan won the cruise-wide costume contest while wearing Captain Massey's uniform.
Even though the theme in Doctor Odyssey's "Halloween Week" was a bit strange, the episode did feature several Halloween-inspired aspects, which made for a frightful and amusing show. For the more eerie elements, there was a mysterious illness that mimicked zombies and a enger who started sweating blood. Besides that, there were the many delightful costumes that Max and Tristan pulled off in their never-ending competition for best-dressed. A Halloween theme makes for an excellent episode, even if it seems as far-fetched as a cruise theme.
3 Wellness Week
A Specific Kind Of Wellness Does Not Work For Everyone
Wellness Week was the theme of Doctor Odyssey's fourth episode. The theme seemed normal, but as the episode went on, it became more and more ridiculous. Many characters featured in the episode had strong beliefs about what wellness meant to them but were actually very bitter towards their surrounding engers. It was incredibly ironic how cruel some of the engers were. The theme was also centered on one idea of wellness with certain diets, activities, and exercises being highlighted on board.
However, true wellness seems to be at the heart of every Doctor Odyssey episode.
However, true wellness seems to be at the heart of every Doctor Odyssey episode. The medical team works day and night to ensure everyone on board remains healthy, while the Captain and the crew work to keep everyone safe. To have a theme centered on wellness when that seems to be The Odyssey's purpose is a bit over the top. The ridiculousness of the theme had to do with how specific it was. Even though the idea was good in theory, and made for an exciting episode, Wellness Week maintains a low spot on the ranking.
2 Quackers Week
Yellow, Pink, And Blue Rubber Duckies
One of the most ridiculous cruise themes was Doctor Odyssey's episode 8, which featured a week dedicated to Quackers. Quackers are tourists who participate in a scavenger hunt for rubber duckies, which are hidden all throughout the ship. Captain Massey was vocal about his disinterest in the Quackers theme, as he disagreed that the luxurious The Odyssey should participate in such a quirky trend. Even Max disliked the trend, but his complaints were more about the environmental impact of the rubber duckies that are discarded into the sea at the end of every Quackers tour.
To have The Odyssey associated with a trend that centers on cheap, disposable plastic seems to be a huge juxtaposition...
The strangeness of the theme has to do with exactly what Captain Massey was referring to. The Odyssey is a luxurious cruise line, and it is routinely referred to as the best cruise ship in the industry in Doctor Odyssey. To have The Odyssey associated with a trend that centers on cheap, disposable plastic seems to be a huge juxtaposition, no matter how fun the Quackers theme is. However, the co-owner of The Odyssey, Lenore Laurent, explained the decision to include the theme. Profits have been declining since COVID-19 and a Quackers theme was sure to raise funds.
Avery painted two duckies pink and blue to reveal the news of her pregnancy to Max and Tristan.
Despite the bizarre theme, Doctor Odyssey's eighth episode was filled with exciting moments. As engers hunted for hidden duckies, the main trio of the show had a big problem. Doctor Odyssey's Avery is pregnant, and she does not know who the father was. Her pregnancy also affects her plans to attend medical school next year. As the cliffhanger takes place in the last episode before Doctor Odyssey's hiatus, it will be several weeks before Avery makes a decision on screen.
1 Plastic Surgery Week
A Week Of Rest And Recovery
Doctor Odyssey's third episode was centered around the theme of plastic surgery, and it is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous theme on the show so far. The purpose of the theme was to offer recent patients of plastic surgery a chance to rest and recover while also being surrounded by a highly dedicated medical team. A theme dedicated to the recovery of very expensive cosmetic operations aligns with The Odyssey's image, but it was too ridiculous to enjoy as a plausible cruise ship theme.
Catch up on all episodes of Doctor Odyssey on Hulu.
It is also particularly strange that every enger on The Odyssey that week had to have had recent surgery, which means they must have booked their operations around the cruise. This might not be too strange for a luxury cruise like The Odyssey that everyone wants to be a part of, but it does raise questions of timing. Logistics aside, plastic surgery does not have any particular activities associated with it, and if rest and recovery were the true theme of the week, then these engers could really have attended any other themed week instead.
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The strangeness of the theme was only made weirder by the death of a enger named Ken at the end of the episode. Ken, played by Justin Jedlica, was part of a reality TV series that Max had watched while he was recovering from COVID. The eerie connection that Max had with Ken during the darkest period of his life only made Max Bankman's coma theory worse. Doctor Odyssey's "Plastic Surgery Week" was filled with too many ridiculous moments to overlook.
Doctor Odyssey
- Release Date
- September 26, 2024
- Network
- ABC
Cast
Joshua JacksonDr. Max Bankman
Don JohnsonCaptain Robert Massey
WHERE TO WATCH
Dr. Max Bankman, a newly appointed physician on a luxury cruise ship, faces intense medical emergencies while navigating the personal dramas of his tight-knit medical team. Far from shore, the stakes are high as Max and his colleagues must work together to save lives, all while balancing their own complicated relationships.
- Creator(s)
- Ryan Murphy
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