‘Doctor Odyssey’: Joshua Jackson & Phillipa Soo Talk Midseason Finale, Quackers, Possible Broadway Episode And More
SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the midseason finale of ABC’s Doctor Odyssey.
There may be some rocky seas ahead for the crew on The Odyssey.
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On Thursday night’s midseason finale of Doctor Odyssey, the Quackers descended on the luxury cruise liner for a week of rubber duck hunting. That, eventually, leads to quite a case for Dr. Bankman (Joshua Jackson) and his crew when they discover that one of the Quacker leaders — we know, we know — has pica, a mental health condition that prompts him to swallow non-food items.
What initially begins as a somewhat simple extraction of a few loose objects quickly turns into a full-on middle-of-the-night necrotic bowel resection when it becomes clear that this has been an ongoing issue.
“Well, I don’t think we’re making a documentary, right?” Jackson joked of the risky procedure being performed in the seemingly ill-equipped infirmary on a cruise ship.
It’s the least of their worries, anyways, since Max, Avery (Phillipa Soo) and Tristan (Sean Teale) are still trying to figure out a new groove after their threesome. They’d decided to put it behind them and get back to work, but that’s about to get way more complicated, because Avery finds out she’s pregnant and, while she knows one of her two colleagues is the father, she is not sure which.
Will she keep the baby? Who is the father? How will this impact her medical school endeavors? And, you know, how will the three of them continue to work together under these conditions? Presumably, audiences will need to wait to see, as Doctor Odyssey is going on hiatus until the new year.
In the interview below, Jackson and Soo spoke with Deadline all about the midseason finale, Avery’s big decisions, the increasingly outrageous medical procedures they perform, the potential for a Broadway episode, and much more.
DEADLINE: What was your reaction to reading the scripts and seeing how these last few episodes were going to unfold?
JOSHUA JACKSON: I mean, to me, in some ways, a throuple and a pregnancy was far less surprising than Quackers. I had no idea what Quackers were.
PHILLIPA SOO: I was definitely surprised. I think just immediately, right off the bat, as an actor, your brain starts firing in all sorts of different directions, because you think, ‘Okay, we’ve established this very new, fresh relationship, and then this pregnancy happens, and then everybody’s world is sort of turned upside down.’ So getting to understand the nuances and the gray areas of what comes with that was interesting to explore.
DEADLINE: I feel like the medical cases have been increasingly wild. Have there been any that you’ve found particularly compelling?
JACKSON: Every episode is a learning curve on the medical side. There’s not a single episode that has come across where I’m like, ‘Oh, I know that.’
SOO: I think I was really shocked by sweating blood in the Halloween episode. I definitely didn’t know that that was a thing. So that was an interesting one for the books.
DEADLINE: I think at this point we’re far past the point of what’s realistic for a cruise ship, and we’re only on Episode 8. Have you had any moments yet with these medical procedures where you’re just like, ‘This is insane’?
JACKSON: Well, I don’t think we’re making a documentary, right?
SOO: I mean, there’s definitely a heightened nature to all of this storytelling. I like to think of it as we’re setting us up so that the circumstances can be high stakes. Obviously, being out on the open sea, part of what comes with that is not having all the resources that you would have on land. So these doctors have to be wearing all sorts of different hats at all different times and are often faced with things that they’ve never seen before, maybe never dealt with before, and I think that just makes it all the more exciting and entertaining in this fantasy world that we have here. I like to think that, like we’re not documentary, yes, we’re not striving for reality, but we are striving for a certain amount of truth here. I think what’s wrapped up in that is the heart of this story, the high stakes and also this levity and this beautiful rapport that these characters have with each other.
DEADLINE: You definitely hit the ground running. Someone falls overboard in the first episode. What has it been like for you all to jump basically head first into this world?
JACKSON: I think that’s the fun of the show, right? I think ER was trying to create the dynamic of a modern, bustling emergency room and give you as much of this sort of cinema verité of that as was possible on television. We are not really trying to do that. I don’t think so. The fun of the show is each week has a different theme. It has different characters who come on board. You just kind of put all of the ingredients into the pot for every episode and stir it up. The medical cases give us the opportunity as characters to have interaction, [and] to have stakes in the center of the show. To me, I don’t really think of the show as a medical drama. Honestly. I know that there’s medical drama happening inside of it, but it is this beautiful, light, almost fantasy world that we’ve created, and each week we get to invite a new round of guests on, and those guests come with their attendant issues or problems or medical crises. And that allows us to be the engine of the story that then bounces all of our characters off each other, in often crazy and zany ways. I think that’s the fun. Our show is intended to be fun. You should enjoy watching it. You definitely will not end up being qualified to practice medicine after watching Doctor Odyssey. So I just hope that everybody’s expectations are not that.
SOO: From just from an acting standpoint, for me, it’s been really fun, especially in this episode with the necrotic bowel and having to do surgery with all sorts of organs and things inside of the body. It was just really fun to see that process play out in real time, because it was just so intricate. There were so many departments that were coming together to make it work. So just from a creative standpoint, one for the books. I loved dealing with all the organs and the goo and the way that we shot it was very, I think, economic and quite swift. So it was very satisfying on the day to be able to complete that scene and be like, ‘We did it. Whoa.’ In no way, shape or form, am I equipped to do actual surgery ever. But I felt very accomplished, just as an actor. That was a great day.
DEADLINE: So, of course, the whole schtick is the characters on this cruise ship, but as the season progresses I do become more interested in their lives off the ship and who they are on land. Do we get to see any of that this season? How much have you wondered about that?
JACKSON: I mean, the true answer is yes, we do. We get a little. We get some explanation of that story, some descriptions of who people were before they got here. We do see one of our characters go back into his real life. But I think the conceit of the show is probably always going to be that this family lives on this boat together, and whoever they were beforehand — we got to meet a little bit of Max beforehand, but it was really just a table set. Then after that, this is where they are. They’ve all chosen this, and as interesting as it might be to go outside of the boat, I think for us, the story stays here.
SOO: Yeah, these characters have all left their lives to come here for a very specific reason, whether that’s circumstances that were negative or positive, or they’re running from something, or they’re searching for something. We’re all sort of on an even playing field at this point, and seeking something together, and I think through each other, seeking some sort of found family, as it were. So I think you’re correct in your assumption that the most interesting part is seeing how all of these people come together, and how they deal with each other and their lives that they’re bringing with them. It’s fascinating.
DEADLINE: You’ve already had some amazing guest stars. Anyone who you would love to welcome to the show?
SOO: We all have a bunch of friends that we would love to be on the show.
JACKSON: There’s one particular episode that has to happen.
SOO: Oh, well everybody keeps talking about a Broadway episode.
JACKSON: I wonder, why would that keep coming up?
SOO: There was a little line, I think, in Episode 6. My character says, ‘I’ve always wanted to perform.’ So, there’s that. We’ll see. I mean, I’m not necessarily in charge of that, but I’m ready. I’ve been doing my warm ups.
JACKSON: If you can make the headline of this article, ‘Phillipa Soo Demands Broadway Episode Of Doctor Odyssey,’ that would be great.
SOO: No. Don’t tell them that I keep my tap shoes in my trailer.
DEADLINE: I have to say, a Broadway episode would fit perfectly with the conceit of the show. I would love to see that happen.
JACKSON: It really does, doesn’t it?
SOO: It’s funny, actually, before I knew about this job, I was going to do a Broadway cruise, which, because of scheduling, I wasn’t actually able to do. But I have lots of friends that have done these Broadway cruises, and I think like Quackers, it’s a very wholesome, sweet group of people who just are obsessed with Broadway — and again, this idea of found family and people seeking, companionship and community. I just think it would be great. It would be great if it happened. But, you know, we don’t know.
DEADLINE: What can you say about what’s in store for the rest of the season, especially on the heels of this pregnancy?
JACKSON: Obviously, we’ve just dropped a bombshell here at the midseason break, so a good portion of the rest of the season will be dealing with the fallout from that bombshell. Other than that, I think…you’ve seen is what the show is. Our characters will continue to love each other, argue with each other, bicker with each other, come back together, break apart, do all those fun things.
DEADLINE: Is there anything else that you want to add?
JACKSON: I just really want to reiterate: ‘Phillipa Soo Demands Broadway Episode.’
SOO: I absolutely do not demand anything, but I will say actually, it was so fun having two of my fellow Broadway sisters Paloma Garcia-Lee and Adrienne Warren on this last episode. It was so nice. We were already playing friends, and we’ve never worked together before, the three of us, but we’ve crossed paths many times. It was just so easy to find that companionship and camaraderie. I was just so grateful to have them on. It was really fun.
DEADLINE: I’m crossing my fingers for that Broadway episode.
SOO: I think actually, secretly, Josh really wants it to happen.
JACKSON: Not secretly. I’m openly advocating for this. I’m just trying to make it your fault.
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