Doctor Odyssey lived up to the hype as the series premiere featured a penile fracture, Joshua Jackson‘s character revealing he was patient zero during COVID and more unhinged moments.
The ABC drama, which debuted on Thursday, September 27, introduced Us to Jackson, 46, in the role of Dr. Max Bankman. Max becomes the new onboard doctor of The Odyssey, which is a cruise ship helmed by Captain Massey (Don Johnson). The newcomer is unlike anything The Odyssey has seen before because of his humanitarian history but that doesn’t mean he is prepared to be a doctor on the high seas.
Max was able to find his footing after initially misdiagnosing a case of iodine poisoning. By the time another passenger suffered from a penile fracture, Max jumped into action and performed surgery while onboard.
“I think we take some liberties with what goes on. We took some liberties,” Jackson joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday before teasing future story lines. “Have you ever seen a Ryan Murphy show? We are not waiting until season 11 for anything. I am here to tell you we are nine episodes into shooting it and there are nearly infinite amounts of discussing things you can do to the human body. Something to look forward to every week!”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the craziest moments from the Doctor Odyssey premiere:
The Multitude of Injuries — Starting With That Penile Fracture
Max’s first medical case aboard The Odyssey was a man (Tom McGowan) who ate too much shrimp at the seafood buffet, and his wife (Rachel Dratch) started to get worried after he developed a rash. He was diagnosed with iodine poisoning by nurse Avery Morgan (Phillipa Soo) before returning later on with a collarbone that needed to be set back in place.
The next situation was a bit more delicate when a couple engaged in some amorous activity that resulted in a broken penis. Max was able to treat the penile fracture because he previously suffered from the same affliction. The upside? The ailment happens to “larger and firmer members,” so Dr. Max still came out on top with that revelation.
Later in the episode, Max, Avery and nurse Tristan Silva (Sean Teale) attended to a passenger who fell overboard. The rescue was successful and somehow everyone ended the cruise with a smile on their face.
The Dance-Off to ‘Despacito’
Within days of meeting Avery, it becomes clear that Max’s chemistry with the nurse practitioner is undeniable. It is only a matter of time before they act on those feelings — except there is one small issue. Tristan also has feelings for Avery, which he mentions to Max moments before challenging him to a dance battle.
Max is able to hold his own by dropping some moves to Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber‘s “Despacito.” He is crowned the winner after he uses the opportunity to make a move on Avery. The fictional couple make out but ultimately decide to press pause for the sake of their work dynamic.
Judging by the trailer for the reason of the season, that attempt won’t last long. But viewers — and Max — shouldn’t count Tristan out just yet either since he seems to grow closer to Avery later in the show as well.
Max Reveals He Was Patient Zero During the COVID Pandemic
The question on everyone’s mind as soon as Max joins The Odyssey is why he chose this job when he could have prestigious opportunities on land. The answer? Turns out Max had a life-changing experience that made him want to balance work and fun more.
Doctor Odyssey reveals that Max was actually the first patient in the U.S. with COVID-19 in 2020, which nearly left him on death’s door. He was able to pull through with the help of his coworkers at a hospital, but he has since gotten a new lease on life.
“Speaking of that specific character beat, it’s both a specific reason why he’s doing the thing that he’s doing. But I think it’s also, in Ryan’s eyes, a metaphor for where we’ve all been,” Jackson explained to TheWrap on Thursday about the narrative shake-up. “Nobody got out untouched by COVID, and whether you were in a pod with other people, whether you were isolated, whether you got it early, whether you got it late or God forbid you lost somebody — we all have gone through this radical and, just to use therapy speak, traumatic event collectively together. I don’t know anybody who didn’t, at some point during that, reassess their life.”
The actor called the revelation a “beautiful launching” point for the show.
“I just feel like we all were there. Not all of us decided to go work on a cruise ship, but all of us thought about it, ‘Maybe I do need to just start again’ or ‘Maybe I’ve just been quietly getting through but not really living my life,’” he continued. “Everybody’s been in the spot that Max is at, and that’s what launches the show. That’s the mission here: Let’s all collectively exhale, turn the page and commit to life.”
