AlthoughDoctor Odyssey’s season 2 fate is currently unclear, the wild twist fromGrotesquerie, another Ryan Murphy series from 2024, means the show can still confirm a great fan theory.Doctor Odysseyseason 1followed Joshua Jackson’s Dr. Max Bankman, a cruise ship doctor with a troubled past who took this seemingly simple job to get a break from stress.
Of course, despite the help of the ship’s nurses, Avery and Tristan, Max soon learns that life aboard a cruise ship isn’t the permanent vacation he expected. In fact,the events ofDoctor Odysseyseason 1border on outright surrealism, with one absurdly unlikely plot unfolding after the next. As an increasingnumber of soap opera tropespile up.
While veterans of Murphy’s shows might not be surprised to hear thatDoctor Odysseyis full of zany subplots and wild moments, the show’s ludicrousness had some fans speculating online about a potential justification. All the absurdity would suddenly click into place ifDoctor Odyssey’s Max is in a comaand imagining the series, as one theory claimed.
Ryan Murphy’s Other New 2024 Series Was All A Coma Dream
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While this might sound like a wild swerve, it is worth noting the context of the show’s plot. According to his backstory, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Max was America’s patient zero. Although he made a full recovery, the doctor almost lost his life and spent weeks alone in isolation as a result of his infection.
This backstory seemingly justifiedMax’s decision to become The Odyssey’s onboard doctor, even though he was too qualified for the role, as he wanted to seize the day and have an adventure. However, the zaniness of the show’s events could also be explained by the revelation thatMax may still be in a coma due to his COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020.
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence doesn’t even come fromDoctor Odysseyat all.
There is a string of outrageous moments from season 1 that could be used to justify this theory, alongside some subtler hints from the show itself. However, one of the most compelling pieces of evidence doesn’t even come fromDoctor Odysseyat all. Instead, viewers should look to producer Ryan Murphy’s other 2024 debut, the FX mystery thrillerGrotesquerie.
Starting out like a gender-flipped spin onTrue Detective,Grotesquerieseason 1 was a dark, brutal psychological thriller about a disillusioned detective and a quirky nun teaming up to hunt a sadistic serial killer. For its first few episodes,Grotesquerieplayed this premise dead straight, and the show was a dour procedural with plenty of vicious violence.
However, season 1’s events grew wilder and more absurd as the show continued, untileverything changed inGrotesquerieepisode 7. In a twist that was jaw-dropping in its unutterable absurdity, viewers learned that the show’s heroine had been in a coma and dreaming an ersatz version of her reality since beforeGrotesquerie’s pilot episode had even begun.
Doctor Odyssey’s Coma Dream Theory Has Plenty of Evidence
The Show’s Story Is Infamously Surreal and Outlandish
Grotesquerie’s twist was almost hysterical in its audacity, as the final episodes of season 1 revealed that viewers had been watching a contorted version of the show’s reality for seven long hours. Every suspected villain had to be re-evaluated, as it turned out that the detective’s quirky nun accomplice was actually the Chief of Police.
Meanwhile,General Hospitalstar Nicholas Alexander Chavez’s villainous religious zealot Father Charlie turned out to be her well-meaning doctor, who was disgusted to discover he had been recast as a serial killer in her coma dreams. The impact was wild, withGrotesquerieseason 1 effectively rewriting its entire plot two episodes before its finale.
The ship’s captain unsubtly refers to The Odyssey as “Heaven” as early as the pilot episode, hinting that Max may be in purgatory as he fights for his life.
However,there is reason to believeDoctor Odysseycould repeatGrotesquerie’s twist, and Murphy’s recent use of the well-worn trope proves he is willing to drag out this hoary old TV cliché. For one thing, the ship’s captain unsubtly refers to it as “Heaven” as early as the pilot episode, hinting that Max may be in purgatory as he fights for his life.
Doctor Odyssey Season 2 Can Confirm (Or Debunk) This Fan Theory
The Show’s Fate Is Currently Unclear
Among the not-so-subtle hints within the show itself, there is alsotheDoctor Odysseyfinale’s biggest hintat the coma theory so far. Max goes missing when disaster strikes on the boat, and fans online have theorized that he is going missing because he is resurfacing from his coma and awakening to reality.
Following this logic, Max’s visit to his family in episode 15, “Crew Week,” could have been an earlier attempt to emerge from his coma, regain consciousness, and return to reality. The sheer goofiness and absurd unlikeliness of the show’s events make this theory feel believable, althoughDoctor Odyssey season 1 never provided concrete confirmation, unlikeGrotesquerie.
Sean Teale
Tristan Silva
Doctor Odysseyseason 2 could debunk or confirm this fan theory, althoughit is unlikely that the show will be able to keep Max’s coma ambiguous for much longer. The longer the show continues, the more invested viewers get in its current cast of characters. Revealing that they are all figments of Max’s imagination could prove more frustrating than ingenious.
Both Ryan Murphy’s 2024 Debuts Currently Face Unclear Futures
Doctor Odyssey and Grotesquerie Are Both In Pre-Cancellation Purgatory
Already, some viewers feel thatDoctor Odysseyshouldn’t confirm Max’s comatheory, as this would shortchange the rest of the cast. Indeed, this was a major issue forGrotesquerie. After the shocking revelations of episode 7, the show struggled to make the new versions of its main characters as compelling as their original counterparts.
Doctor Odysseyseason 2 would need to quickly and clearly explain that season 1 was a coma dream.
It was amusing to see how different some of the characters were in reality, but it was hard to get invested in their futures when the show had so recently wasted the viewer’s time with characters who didn’t really exist. In much the same way,Doctor Odysseyseason 2 would need to quickly and clearly explain that season 1 was a coma dream.
Doctor Odysseyis available to stream on Hulu.
To keep the show’s viewers invested,Doctor Odysseyseason 2must clarify the cause of season 1’s wackiness one way or another. However, this could prove tricky since the show is currently, ironically, trapped in the same proverbial purgatory asGrotesqueriehas been since its season 1 finale.
Neither Grotesquerie norDoctor Odysseyhave officially been renewed for a second season or canceled, meaning it isn’t clear where their futures lie. Like the protagonists of both Ryan Murphy shows,Doctor OdysseyandGrotesqueriemay be alive or dead, and viewers seemingly won’t find out anytime soon.
