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The Daily Beast

We Need to Talk About the ‘Doctor Odyssey’ Throuple

Kaiya Shunyata
5 min read
A photo illustration of Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.
A photo illustration of Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.

Finally, after hundreds of fancams and pleas from fans online, Doctor Odyssey went ahead and actually allowed its central love triangle to turn into a full-blown throuple. There had been speculation about whether or not this would actually happen for weeks, but finally it became a reality.

Since the series debuted in late September on ABC, fans of the show have been noticing the overwhelming chemistry between the three central characters, Dr. Max Bankman (Joshua Jackson), Avery Morgan (Phillipa Soo), and Tristan Silva (Sean Teale). Known to fans as the ODY3, we’ve watched as each member of this trio has fought for the other members’ attention, and affection.

Like most romantic plots featuring two men and a woman, the jealousy brimming between the three is mostly found in Max and Tristan. However, while they attempt to battle it out for Avery’s attention, it doesn’t truly feel like they’re competing. This rivalry between them instead feels charged in a way that is a few degrees above homoerotic. In seeking out Avery’s attention, Max and Tristan want the other to notice them as well, which Avery herself picks up on.

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This fighting for each other’s affection all comes to a head in Doctor Odyssey’s sixth episode, when the cruise ship that these characters work on becomes the host to a dysfunctional wedding party. When the bride becomes too sick to partake in the wedding rehearsal, Max and Avery are picked out to serve as stand-ins for the engaged couple. As they walk through a shortened version of their vows, and make to seal the deal with a kiss, Tristan objects from the crowd. While he plays it off as a joke, there’s a semblance of truth underneath his objection. It’s clear that Tristan doesn’t want to be the odd man out, and the thought of Max and Avery sharing a life together without him is unfathomable.

Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.
Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.

Luckily for him, the other two laugh it off, but seem to agree as they both clasp hands with him, and the trio walk down the aisle together. It’s as if the marriage between Max and Avery–no matter how fake it was–could not truly be officiated without Tristan as well. In the final minutes of the episode, Avery receives a late-night visit from Tristan, who wants her to join him in raiding the kitchen, where Max quickly finds them. The three eat the wedding cake left over from what has now turned into a disaster, as this is Doctor Odyssey and the groom has perished after throwing himself off of the cruise ship after discovering his wife hasn’t been faithful. This eating of the wedding cake further pushes these three into relationship territory, as if they’re celebrating their faux marriage together just like the show’s fans are.

Later, when Max decides that the three of them should come up with five life goals and then help each other achieve them, of course, a threesome is brought up. Though Tristan is the one to bring it up, Avery is down immediately and the two begin to kiss. He slowly moves down her body, as Max watches from across the room, soaking up the image of the two people he cares about most. Finally, after Avery invites him over with a heady stare, Max comes in on her left and the three bodies finally collide into one. It feels almost too good to be true, and if reactions from fans and critics alike are anything to go by, there’s a severe lack of television—network and prestige—that truly engages with the chemistry of its costars like this.

The crew in Doctor Odyssey.
The crew in Doctor Odyssey.

The episode then cuts to black, with what was to come between the trio only hinted at and not fully explored. I have no doubt that this threesome between them will not only be talked about as the show continues, but it will become a central focal point in the next few episodes. The fans have fallen in love with these three characters as people, yes, but also as a unit which is tethered together. When Jackson, Soo, and Teale share the screen, it feels as if you‘re watching three actors who have been destined to be on screen together. They make the show, and there’s no way these characters’ futures don’t ultimately involve each other.

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By allowing these three to finally engage in a sexual relationship with each other, Doctor Odyssey has proven that network television is no longer afraid to get sexy. It’s a bold choice, and one that truly may only be able to exist because this is a Ryan Murphy production, but it’s still one that feels unlike anything we’ve seen before outside of prestige TV.

Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.
Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo, and Joshua Jackson.

In this decision to showcase Max, Avery, and Tristan having sex, the writers have also allowed room for the show to display their earnestness as well. While the show feels as campy as the hijinks going on in Murphy’s other series 9-1-1, the way this episode unfolds proves that these characters and their love for each other is the beating heart of Doctor Odyssey. Throuples are all the rage, from Ted Lasso’s Keeley, Jamie, and Roy to Challengers Tashi, Art, and Patrick. But there’s an air of hopefulness here that isn’t usually present in other love triangles.

If the teaser for Episode 7 is anything to go by, Doctor Odyssey isn’t shying away from the threesome that occurred last week. In it, Avery suggests that although they initially said it was going to be a one time thing, perhaps they should continue with their sexual relationship. This teaser gives me hope that Episode 6 wasn’t just a means for these characters to tick something off their bucket list. Rather, by engaging in a threesome, Max, Avery, and Tristan have finally allowed themselves to explore the idea that they may not just be in love with one person. In proper fashion for this show, Episode 7 also happens to take place during Gay Week aboard the Odyssey, which to me, signals that this throuple is here to stay.

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