[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the series premiere of Doctor Odyssey .] Doctor Odyssey set sail on ABC on Thursday, September 26, and the first episode of this new Ryan Murphy medical drama got the wheels in my head turning quickly about the possibility of a major plot twist on the horizon. I’m far from alone in thinking something big is coming.
We already previously theorized that the luxurious Odyssey ocean liner has more to it than meets the eye. But now having learned a key piece of information about Joshua Jackson ‘s Dr. Max Bankman in the series premiere , I think there’s a much darker twist coming, one that will bring the COVID-19 pandemic center stage if I’m right.
Our previous Doctor Odyssey theories still hold water, but the reveal about Max’s history with COVID-19 in Episode 1 have led to a new one. Here’s a breakdown of all our theories of where this ship could be sailing. There are several signs in the show that make me think every single person on the ship is actually in a COVID-induced coma.
First and foremost, there’s Max’s backstory that explains why he came to the Odyssey in the first place. Max revealed to Phillipa Soo ‘s Avery in Episode 1 that he not only nearly died of COVID-19 in the pandemic’s earliest days, but he was patient zero in the United States. He spent weeks nearly unconscious and clinging to life hoping that he would get another scan that he desperately knew was needed to figure out more treatment.
It.