‘Doctor Odyssey’s Pregnancy Twist Is the Best Thing for the Show
Listen, you don’t watch Doctor Odyssey for brilliant writing: you watch it for luxury cruise shenanigans, emergencies nearly equally as bonkers as its sister show (9-1-1, who may once and for all have them topped with their last episode), and beautiful people being beautiful in beautiful places. Even so, Avery’s (Philippa Soo) pregnancy arc had seemed incredibly out of line for the show and the storylines it had been building. When the recent episode “Hot Tub Week” revealed that Avery had never been pregnant, I breathed a massive sigh of relief: if you ask me, the twist was the best choice Doctor Odyssey could have made.
Avery’s Pregnancy Just Didn’t Serve the Show
It was clear from the first ever episode of Doctor Odyssey that the show wouldn’t be your average medical procedural – and not just because it takes place on a boat. The series defies convention and norms in a multitude of ways, defying audience expectations by featuring a notably diverse cast (I mean, where else are you seeing Boys, Butches, and Bi’s poker?) and a remarkably unconventional take on the classic love triangle. Doctor Odyssey just seemed disinterested in taking on classic drama tropes and instead preferred to push boundaries. Choosing to interrupt the series and its attempts to forge a new path for itself by retreading old ground just seemed… boring.
Let’s face it: the pregnancy trope is tired. It’s essentially inevitable that a series with a female lead will eventually tackle pregnancy, but pregnancy and motherhood just seemed out of character for Avery, who has med school ambitions and a drive to forge an independent path for herself. In addition, it turned a compelling and progressive three-way romance into your classic boys-fight-over-the-girl scenario. Joshua Jackson’s Max and Sean Teale’s Tristan had started off with a sort of rivalry, sure, but they’d reached a point where they both seemed happy to spend time with each other and Avery.
When the pregnancy entered the equation, the pair began to become possessive about the idea of fatherhood. Despite the fact that the baby came from a three-way and could have belonged to either of them, the pair both constructed an idea of very separate lives with Avery and her baby, essentially killing the found family dynamic that had been developing among the three of them. Upon finding out that Avery had never been pregnant, the trio was immediately able to move forward and resume their previous dynamic, spending time with each other to support each other through individually grieving and whatever else the future may bring. The rest of the episode, following the twist reveal, seemed like a breath of fresh air: by ending the pregnancy storyline, the show had gotten its groove back.
Wrapping Up This Storyline Allows for New (and Old) Storylines to Flourish
The throuple dynamic wasn’t the only thing put on pause when the pregnancy storyline entered the equation – multiple other characters and stories suddenly seemed sidelined with the focus on Avery’s pregnancy. Take Laura Harrier’s Vivian, for example. Vivian seemed as though she was on the path to becoming an important recurring side character after appearing in three episodes of Doctor Odyssey. In those three episodes, Vivian had developed an interesting arc: starting off as a personal chef for a passenger and eventually being hired as a chef aboard the Odyssey.
In addition, Vivian and Tristan seemed on the path to a blossoming romance, creating some conflict with Tristan’s long-held feelings for Avery. However, the moment Avery realized she was pregnant, the show seemed to sideline Vivian entirely, and she hadn’t been seen since. It made sense, in a way: Tristan had enough going on with impending possible fatherhood and likely wouldn’t have focused on seeing where a relationship with Vivian could lead. But Vivian was a deeply compelling character, and it seemed unjust to sideline her entirely. With the pregnancy out of the way, Vivian is finally set to return – and the show is better for it.
In addition, Avery’s wasn’t the only pregnancy unfolding aboard the Odyssey. After raising his children to adulthood and the loss of his late wife (played by the brilliant Dianna Agron in a shocker cameo), Don Johnson’s Captain Massey had considered himself tapped out in romance. But love comes when you least expect it, and he wound up finding a romance with country superstar Shania Twain’s Heather… as well as another chance at fatherhood.
In a shocking twist, Heather found herself pregnant, and if you ask me, a later-in-life pregnancy and a second chance at parenthood for Captain Massey (who hasn’t had nearly enough of his own storylines as he deserves) is far more interesting than going down the typical pregnancy route. By not relegating their relationship to the sidelines, the series can spend more time on this storyline.
The Pregnancy Would Have Weakened the Show If ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Did Not Continue
I hate to consider it, but it seems as though there’s a solid chance that Doctor Odyssey may not survive past its maiden voyage. Plenty of factors have worked against the show, from mega-hit Severance airing at the exact same day and time for a solid chunk of the show’s run to the recent success of fellow unconventional medical drama The Pitt. But regardless of the reason, Doctor Odyssey’s fate is in limbo. As a result, Doctor Odyssey will likely need to wrap up its first season in a way that makes sense as a conclusion for the series.
There isn’t a clear sense of the passage of time on this show: maybe it’s the cruise ship factor, but the show does seem to exist in an endless summer of sorts. Regardless, from the reveal of Avery’s pregnancy in Episode 8 to the dissolution of the storyline in Episode 14, Avery had never taken more than a pregnancy test. There had been no ultrasound, no development of a bump, and hardly any symptoms, indicating Avery had been very early in her pregnancy the entire time.
With time passing that slowly (and only four episodes left in the season) it didn’t make sense for Avery’s pregnancy to continue. If the series ends with its first season, Avery would’ve never given birth, found out her baby’s gender, or likely even found out who its father was – that is, if timing for those things was as realistic as it had been for everything else. This would’ve left audiences without any real closure regarding Avery’s storyline. Now that Doctor Odyssey isn’t wasting any more precious time on a storyline that was redundant, maybe it can focus on the sidelined characters and offer a good wrap up to the season.
Doctor Odyssey is available to stream on Hulu or on ABC on Thursdays at 9/8c.
