Warning! This article contains spoilers forDoctor Odyssey.Doctor Odyssey’s weekly themed cruises are anything but expected, with each one topping the previous one in terms of excitement and originality. However, not every cruise week on the hitRyan Murphy showfor 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 Odysseyhas 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 linewhile taking in different passengers with every embarkment. However, the silliness of some cruises seems to directly contrast that very promise. The ridiculousness has not gone unnoticed, with someDoctor Odysseycharacterseven questioning the ethics of some weeks.
7Wedding 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 inDoctor Odyssey. The fact thatthe episode was focused on one particular weddingalso 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 inDoctor Odyssey, it takes the most mundane spot.
6Gay 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 ofDoctor 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, butThe 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 betweenDoctor Odyssey’s Tristan, Max, and Avery as they navigated their status as a potential throuple.
5Singles Week
Flirting, Fun, and No Strings Attached
Singles Week on The Odyssey was another very normal cruise ship theme.Episode 2 ofDoctor Odysseykicked off Singles Week with a lot of casual flirtingbetween both the crew members and the passengers 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 onDoctor Odysseyare 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 members were in participating.Captain Massey even encouraged Max, Avery, and Tristan to relax and flirt with the nervous singleson board. The theme itself is not out of the ordinary for cruise ships, as there are many cruises and tours that advertise themselves as being for singles only, but typically the theme is for the passengers only. The extra flirting seemed more like an added touch for the sake of drama than anything else.
4Halloween Week
Bloody Costumes And A Zombie Outbreak
Halloween Week was one of the more ridiculous cruise themes inDoctor 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 inDoctor 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 passenger 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.
3Wellness Week
A Specific Kind Of Wellness Does Not Work For Everyone
Wellness Week was the theme ofDoctor 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 passengers. It was incredibly ironic how cruel some of the passengers were.The theme was also centered on one idea of wellnesswith certain diets, activities, and exercises being highlighted on board.
However, true wellness seems to be at the heart of everyDoctor Odysseyepisode.
However, true wellness seems to be at the heart of everyDoctor Odysseyepisode. The medical team works day and night to ensure everyone on board remains healthy, while the Captain and the crew members 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.
2Quackers Week
Yellow, Pink, And Blue Rubber Duckies
One of the most ridiculous cruise themes wasDoctor 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 industryinDoctor 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 passengers hunted for hidden duckies, the main trio of the show had a big problem.Doctor Odyssey’s Averyis pregnant, and she does not know who the father was. Her pregnancy also affects her plans to attend medical school next year. Asthe cliffhanger takes place in the last episode beforeDoctor Odyssey’s hiatus, it will be several weeks before Avery makes a decision on screen.
1Plastic 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 passenger 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 passengers 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 passenger 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 madeMax Bankman’s coma theoryworse.Doctor Odyssey’s “Plastic Surgery Week” was filled with too many ridiculous moments to overlook.
Doctor Odyssey
Cast
Doctor Odyssey is set aboard a luxury cruise ship where Max, the new on-board doctor, and a small, resourceful medical team confront unique medical crises and interpersonal dynamics while isolated miles from shore.
