[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Doctor Odyssey.]

Summary

The ABC series ‘Doctor Odyssey’ returns with a two-part shark attack, causing drama and forming new dynamics among the crew.

The reveal of Avery’s pregnancy has changed the trio’s dynamic, after Tristan and Max reacted differently.

The addition of a trauma surgeon challenges Max’s authority and impacts the personal and professional balance on the ship.

After a three-month hiatus, the ABC series Doctor Odyssey is back with more wild shenanigans than ever, kicking things off with a two-part shark attack. When First Officer Munroe (Marcus Mitchell) is bitten by a shark, it sets off a chain of events that involve a trauma surgeon (Adrianne Palicki) and shark-inflicted wounds that Max (Joshua Jackson), Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale) have to tackle, amid unresolved tension between them.
Collider got the opportunity to chat with Jackson, Teale and Don Johnson, who plays The Odyssey’s Captain Robert Massey, about the fallout from Avery’s pregnancy reveal, dealing with gnarly shark-related injuries, not being a ship that’s big on boundaries, how the captain handles the situation, the 9-1-1 crossover episode which sees Athena Grant (Angela Bassett) step aboard the ship for Casino Week, and Johnson’s hope to continue learning about his character for many seasons.
Max, Tristan and Avery Were All Changed by That ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Pregnancy Announcement

“No matter what happens from here, you can’t really unring that bell.”

Image via ABC

Collider: The last new episode left viewers with the reveal that Avery is pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is, and these guys reacted very differently. However that plays out, even if it’s a false positive and she’s not really pregnant, how will that dynamic change that trio? There has to be some effect from all of that, right?
JOSHUA JACKSON: That’s actually a very good point. No matter what happens from here, you can’t really unring the bell. So, no matter where the story takes us, the basic fact is that the dynamic of this three-pointed relationship has changed forevermore. And I also like that you pointed out, because I think this is quite interesting, in basic terms, that when confronted with the moment, Max got that wrong. He reacted in a fairly self-serving way. And what I thought was beautiful about that is that it was actually the Tristan character who reacted with empathy and grace in that moment, which I think gives us a lot of good places and interesting places now to see how these two men and this woman react as the sands shift through this decision-making process, against the backdrop of all the Odyssey craziness that’s gonna continue to happen.
SEAN TEALE: And as you alluded to, this bomb has now dropped, that information is out, and whichever way it goes, whoever may be the father or not, it’s going to instill change in those people regardless. Tristan definitely shifts, and Max shifts too. Regardless of whatever way this thing might go, we are all now fundamentally different going forward.

Related

‘Doctor Odyssey’ Midseason Recap: What To Remember Before the High Seas Medical Drama Sets Sail Again

All aboard this pleasure cruise with odd health emergencies and a love triangle.

Sean, Tristan seems to be out in the water with Spencer when all of this chaos starts. What will that be like for him to deal with? What is that like to shoot, when you’re in that moment of panic of not knowing what’s happening?
TEALE: Any time spent with Marcus Mitchell is time well spent. It’s a lovely experience. We actually had to try to not have such a good time and experience what we were meant to be doing. He is a phenomenal actor and a great guy. First Officer Munroe, the handsome man that is, is also a great and noble person. So, it’s awful for me and for Tristan to experience him getting dragged under the way that he does. It’s not nice for anyone, let alone someone that he’s so close to. And actually, we explore a lot of that, as these episodes go on, not only with what Munroe’s importance to the ship is, but why he’s there and why these people connect with each other the way that they do. Their bonds deepen, not only through triage and the saving or healing of wounds, if that does happen, and they also gain an understanding of each other’s past that they maybe didn’t have before. So, it was not nice, but it was a pleasure, if that makes sense. It was horrible to experience when we were rolling, and a complete delight outside of it because he’s a great guy and we have a good time.
The Shark-Inflicted Wounds Were Some of the Gnarliest Joshua Jackson and Sean Teale Have Faced on ‘Doctor Odyssey’

“It was really quite something to experience and see.”

Typically, when sharks are involved, shark-inflicted wounds are also pretty gnarly. What can you say about the injuries that everyone is going to be facing and dealing with?
TEALE: They were the gnarliest that I’ve had to face on camera. I had to plug some holes. It was a mortifying experience, actually. It gave me even more respect than I already had for medical professionals because the prosthetics in the situation that we were in for these episodes were phenomenally well-made.
JACKSON: You’re not going to pivot into a trauma surgeon in the off-season?
TEALE: No, unless it’s on the high seas where the law doesn’t matter. It was really quite something to experience and see.
JACKSON: Yes, agreed.
Don, how is the captain going to react to all of this? He seems like someone who is very hard to shake in most circumstances. Will he keep his cool throughout all of this, or are sharks going to really test him, as well?
DON JOHNSON: That’s a very good question. This episode that begins the second part of our season is pretty remarkable. It’s spectacular. It’s the first of a two-parter. The captain’s skills, with how he manages the ship and how he manages his people are on display. This is one of those things where you get more definition into the dynamics of the relationships.

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.

You also conveniently get a trauma surgeon joining in on the chaos with all of this. What was that like? What does she add to the mix, personally and professionally, since those two things always seem to mix on this show?
JACKSON: We’re not big on boundaries, personal or professional. We don’t do that here. [Adrianne Palicki’s] character, Brooke, provides a second voice inside the medical arena on the professional side. Max has been the voice of authority and, even though there’s a lot of interplay between the whole medical staff, he is ultimately the doctor. And then, somebody who is not just a doctor, but also has a subject matter expertise, suddenly steps into this place, and he finds himself in a place where he is being checked. And then, on the personal side, more so as a foil for Avery, just having the presence of this seemingly more co-equal person to Max on the boat, all of a sudden, is confronting to her, as she’s trying to parse through everything that’s going on in the relationship dynamics and the pregnancy and her own personal hopes, wishes and dreams. You drop this character who, unbeknownst to herself, is a little atomic bomb, into the dynamic of the cast.
Joshua Jackson, Sean Teale and Don Johnson All Have Great Respect for ‘9-1-1’ Crossover Guest Star Angela Bassett

“I had the enviable position of welcoming her into her suite and showing her around.”

Image via ABC

With the 9-1-1 crossover episode, and Angela Bassett bringing her character from that series over to this series, how is she going to mesh with you guys? It seems like there’s no way that she’s not a dominant badass.
JACKSON: She doesn’t mesh with us. We mesh with her. I was just happy to be there and willing to follow her lead.
JOHNSON: I had the enviable position of welcoming her into her suite and showing her around. I showed her the possibilities of being on The Odyssey. Since we’re both veterans, shall we say, we had a great deal of fun and respect for each other. I loved working with her. She’s the real deal, and that’s fun for us.
TEALE: Without giving too much away, I had the unenviable position of not crossing paths with her too much. I would have loved to welcome her on the show. We had some moments. Actually, outside of filming, I loved speaking with her. She’s fabulous and brilliant. We had briefly done something before together, a very, very long time ago. Tristan, to some degree, is handling a series of other crises whilst our heroes are handling her. Sadly, it was not as much time with Angela as I would like.
JACKSON: That was by design.
JOHNSON: She asked for that.

Related

Ryan Murphy’s Worlds Collide With ‘9-1-1’ & ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Crossover Episode Set for Next Month

Is ‘9-1-1’ heading back to sea?

Don, I feel like there’s still so much left to learn about your character. What would you still like to know about the captain?
JOHNSON: Whether he can tap dance. Characters on a long-running television series, which we’re all hopeful that that will be the case here, are so nice for me because you get to peel back layers of the onion as you go along. I’ve learned, over the years, that you play what’s in front of you and not what you wish it would be or what you’re planning for it to be. That has served me well. Then, you can pivot and change from any position, like humans do in real life. So, I’m excited to learn more about him. What we know right now is that he’s capable, he’s authoritative, he has the respect of his crew and his co-workers, and we trust him.
JACKSON: And he looks great in slacks.
JOHNSON: And I look great in espadrilles.
TEALE: And nothing else.
JOHNSON: Just the espadrilles.

Doctor Odyssey airs on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. Check out the trailer: