Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Doctor Odyssey Episode 11.
Doctor Odyssey picked one heck of an episode of 9-1-1 to lead into their long-awaited crossover episode. Unlike the 9-1-1: Lone Star crossover when the series were both on Fox, 9-1-1 only sent over one cast member to enjoy life on Ryan Murphy’s high seas—and they couldn’t have picked a better character to board the Odyssey. Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) previously endured hell on the high seas in Season 7 of the hit series when she and Bobby (Peter Krause) were trapped on a capsized cruise ship. Now, Athena finds herself trapped on a cruise ship again, only the only thing capsizing is the emotionally fraught relationships aboard the ship.
A significant portion of Episode 11, aptly titled “Casino Week,” focuses on the case that Athena is working on with the FBI. She is sent down to the docks to prevent a criminal from boarding the Odyssey, and she only goes aboard to locate his checked bag. Unfortunately for Athena, she finds herself locked in a closet with an injured crew member while the ship embarks on its journey. Fortunately for Athena, however, she is found quite quickly by Max (Joshua Jackson) and Avery (Philippa Soo) as they stroll down the hall, discussing their baby dilemma. This week’s episode also marks a major turning point in the whole baby daddy plotline. While Avery still has a number of weeks to go before she can find out if Max or Tristan (Sean Teale) is her baby’s father, she has finally come to a conclusion about what she wants to do about the baby — which, given the trajectory of some of Murphy’s previous series, likely means tragedy is on the horizon. At the very least, Avery is banking on this being her last Casino Week, as next year she might be in med school with a baby.
From the first episode of the series, Doctor Odyssey has really struggled with figuring out who Avery is as a character, and Episode 11 is no different. With her decision about the baby looming, Avery declares at the top of the episode that she loves Casino Week and that she’s all about the games, the glitz, and the sexy aura of the week. While Tristan notes that he looks like George Clooney in Ocean’s 11 (which, oh—wow, he does), Max notes that he loves a challenge while staring Avery down. After two weeks of incredibly uneven writing about where Avery’s relationship is or isn’t heading with Max, the two do finally have a conversation about their future, and it’s partially because of Athena’s presence aboard the Odyssey.
Bonnie and Clyde Do a Jewel Heist in ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Episode 11

Image via ABC

At the urging of Max and Captain Massey (Don Johnson), Athena tries to enjoy her three-day sojourn at sea, which is easier said than done after she learns that the criminal she arrested on the docks wasn’t the only criminal planning mischief aboard the Odyssey. But before she starts looking for leads in her case, Athena spends some time trying on dresses with Avery and an older woman (Debra Mooney) bunking in the room beside hers. Once they pop champagne, the two women quickly realize that Avery is abstaining and guess that she’s pregnant. They both discuss being parents, and it’s clear that it’s something that Avery needs to hear—even if Athena recognizes that she hasn’t made her mind up yet about the pregnancy. Athena offers her sage words of advice, underscoring the fact that Avery has a choice and, no matter what choice she makes, it’s the right choice. While this scene is a very sweet moment for Avery, it’s all setting up vital clues about the identity of the “Bonnie and Clyde” criminals aboard the ship.
At first, Max and Athena believe they have identified the “Bonnie and Clyde” duo in a suave couple (Robbie Silverman, Angela Zhou) of gamblers who are making a killing at the poker table. Max stealthily tries to uncover their scheme, but instead discovers that the wife, Cynthia, is having trouble breathing. Max whisks the patient off to the infirmary, much to Athena’s chagrin, as she tries to interrogate a woman who can barely catch her breath. After the patient discloses that she has a nickel allergy, Max and Athena realize that their pair of criminals isn’t after the Odyssey’s safe—they’re running a jewel heist.
As the episode progresses, the older woman feigns a number of health issues that allow her to get closer to a very easy mark: Tristan. It’s only after someone causes the fire alarm to go off, and Max realizes that Tristan’s all-access bracelet is missing, that they start to piece together who the real criminals might be. Athena notices a metallic sheen on the garbage can that was used in setting off the fire alarms, and recalls that the older woman had “glitter” on her hand when they first met in her cabin. When the woman returns to her cabin with her grandson (Gerrison Machado), she finds Max and Athena waiting for her. They reveal everything they have figured out, and “Bonnie and Clyde” point out that they’re in international waters, so Athena doesn’t have the jurisdiction to arrest them. However, they forgot that the Captain of a ship can detain whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and Captain Massey does exactly that.

Related

Joshua Jackson Says Only Ryan Murphy Knows What’s Truly Going On in ‘Doctor Odyssey’

“We should allow people to come to Stage 14 and have the cruise experience without actually having to be on the water,” says Jackson, of the sets.

Avery Gets a Much-Needed Reminder in ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Episode 11

Image via ABC

While Max and Athena are sleuthing out their criminals, Avery and Tristan spent most of the episode caring for and befriending a young passenger named Daphne (Jade Pettyjohn) who is in late-stage heart failure. She reveals that she has been on the heart transplant list for a long time, so much so that she has given up any hope of receiving a heart. So, she’s decided to live while she still can and enjoy life on the high seas, gambling away her money. However, she is quite lucky so she isn’t necessarily losing anything. Avery spends most of the week at her side, just in case her condition worsens, and it proves to be exactly what Avery needs to fully embrace the whole “carpe diem” thing.
Toward the end of the episode, Daphne receives word that she has finally been matched with a heart; however, she needs to get back to Los Angeles within a four-hour window which seems impossible given how far out at sea they are. Fortunately for her, after Max and Athena apprehend “Bonnie and Clyde,” Daphne is able to catch a ride on the FBI helicopter and—hopefully—receive her heart transplant at long last. It’s a truly heartwarming moment, and I hope that if Doctor Odyssey earns a Season 2 renewal, Daphne makes a return appearance for the next Casino Week.
Unlike previous episodes that end with the guest disembarking, Episode 11 draws to a close with Casino Week still in full swing. After dancing around the matter for far too long, Max decides to go “all in” on Avery. He steals her away from Tristan to discuss their situation, and makes it clear to her that no matter what she chooses to do, she has his full support, but he also wants her to know that he’s made a decision about them. He wants to be a family with her, and he paints a rather appealing picture of them: Avery heading off to med school while he gets up early to take care of their baby. Avery seems almost swayed by the idea, but she reminds him—once again–that they have no idea who the baby daddy is. Still, Max seems undeterred by the idea that it could be Tristan’s baby. He wants her and a future with her. Avery, however, is only certain of one thing: she wants the baby, and that’s it. Any decisions about which one of her beaus she wants will simply have to wait. Given how upset Tristan looked about Max and Avery talking, though, Avery may want to move up that timeline before Tristan self-destructs.
The Doctor Odyssey and 9-1-1 crossover was a lot of fun, but perhaps not as titillating as it could have been. While the episode is a little lackluster, Bassett and Jackson were brilliantly matched, and some of the best moments in the episode were shared between them. Hopefully, this isn’t the first and last crossover episode between the two series, as there’s ample room for them to intersect down the line. One thing is for certain, however, the episode completely capsized every theory about the Odyssey being some sort of ship of the dead!
New episodes of Doctor Odyssey premiere Thursdays on ABC.

Doctor Odyssey

Get Athena Grant OFF that cruise ship.

Release Date

September 26, 2024

Network

ABC

Pros & Cons

Angela Bassett is a phenomenal addition to the cast of Doctor Odyssey, and her scenes with Joshua Jackson are brilliant.
The jewel heist storyline is a lot of fun, and Doctor Odyssey should consider more mystery episodes.

The episode feels a little light in terms of a typical crossover episode, and doesn’t necessarily live up to the hype.
The baby storyline still feels disjointed and Avery remains a frustrating character with inconsistent writing.