Doctor Odyssey

[queer_scribbling]

My family gave the pilot episode a try, but we're not really feeling it. Personally, I'm getting the distinct impression that I'm not the intended potential audience for the fantasy being portrayed.

Premise: A doctor is hired on to replace the unseen previous doctor on a cruise ship, The Odyssey. There are two nurses who've worked together for about three years already and kinda feel like they know more about what's seen on a cruise ship than the doctor, who hasn't worked on one before.

In theory, this should scratch an itch for people who like medical dramas (and maybe people who want to vicariously live out a cruise fantasy on a fancy looking ship). Personally, I'm not feeling the competitiveness that initially pits Nurse Avery and Nurse Tristan against Doctor (Max) Bankman. The presentation of Tristan having a crush on Avery and then Max kissing her because "of the day-drinking" at the party, which only stops in the unclothing process because Avery and Max reassure each other that what they're doing is wrong and only because of the day-drinking, reintroduces competitiveness between Tristan and Max. Which is going to be an ongoing tension throughout the season from the look ahead.

Max supposedly was the first person who tested positive for Covid-19 in Connecticut in March 2020 while doing his impressive working at Yale part of the backstory, and after qualifying for compassionate use of Remdesivir, he's doing a carpe diem approach to life - taking dance lessons, trying out this cruise position, possibly looking to "party like a pirate" with the rest of the crew. It kinda gives off mid-life crisis vibes, but mostly, I'm just not interested in 'who's sleeping with who' drama. We had two inadequate penis jokes already, and I'm just not getting the feeling that I'm the intended audience for this.

Comments

[queer_scribbling]

Incorporated reference: Nurse Tristan is played by Sean Teale, who played the main character Ben. In Doctor Odyssey, it sounds like he's kept his British accent, though, which is why there was a 'his face looks familiar but not his voice' moment.

[tinny]

Oh, thanks for writing it up.

For weird coincidental reasons I fell into a Dawson's Creek hole last week and caught up on what Joshua Jackson is doing these days. Which is how I ran across the Odyssey trailer. I disliked the tone immediately. I'm pretty sure I'm also not the intended target audience. I really want to like the things he does, but am usually not in luck... I'll probably try the pilot, but I'm not holding my breath.

[queer_scribbling]

I think this show was delayed because my family was certain we remembered some less detailed teaser trailers for Doctor Odyssey last year.

I can understand that some shows are going to take this 'we survived Covid, let's celebrate' stance as time goes on, but my family was just not ready for the particular story we got. I definitely don't want to discourage anyone else from trying the pilot themselves, and there is a chance it might get better past the pilot.

[queer_scribbling]

Heard through the grapevine:

Despite the look ahead for the season seeming to play up the competitive love triangle, Max and Tristan do not stay locked in those roles. There's enough amicability that the Max/Avery/Tristan threesome around E6 is fueling the fandom's OT3 fire.

Personally, I'm not interested in going back to wade through the rest of the season in order to maybe get to some canon polyam of some sort.