If there’s one thing Doctor Odyssey will always do, it’s introduce a pregnancy twist — and this time it is between Shania Twain and Don Johnson’s characters.
During the Thursday, March 27, episode of the hit ABC series, Twain, 59, returned as a widow named Heather who has her eyes set on Captain Massey (Johnson). The fictional couple hook up minutes into Cougar Week — which is now Sophisticated Ladies Week — and Heather quickly realizes she is expecting a baby even though she’s in menopause.
Avery (Phillipa Soo) is skeptical as a medical professional but multiple tests confirm Heather is actually expecting a baby. Captain Massey shows Max (Joshua Jackson) and Tristan (Sean Teale) how to step up in a situation like this by promising to support Heather and their baby.
This now marks the second round of baby news Doctor Odyssey has delivered to Us. Earlier in the season, the medical drama introduced a threesome between Avery, Max and Tristan that escalated into a condom breaking — and a pregnancy. None of them knew who the father was in the situation.
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“I think that it’s very clear that [Avery] has this choice that she wants to make, and she’s just not sure what to do. And I think that sense of unknowing and feeling kind of frozen in a moment like that is something that a lot of women really do relate with,” Soo, 34, told TV Insider in November 2024 about the complicated onscreen reaction to Avery’s pregnancy. “It’s a perfect example of how these kinds of conversations can be messy and people don’t necessarily always say the right thing right off the bat.”
She added: “But I think, especially having this conversation with the two of them, as the trio that they are, this has really opened up new territory in terms of how we talk about things and how this conversation goes.”
Soo recalled being caught off-guard when creator Ryan Murphy introduced the twist.
“I was quite surprised, actually. But of course, coming from our fearless leader, Ryan Murphy, I was very trusting in how this would all unfold. And I was actually really delighted by it because I think it’s the kind of relationship that we haven’t seen yet on procedural television,” she explained. “I’m always excited by something that’s new and challenging, and it was really such a collaboration in terms of understanding the nuance of this relationship between the three of these people, this medical team, and all of the ups and downs that come with having a relationship — or relationships — with people you work with so closely.”
While it remains to be seen what Avery, Tristan and Max will do, it appears Captain Massey’s baby situation is smooth sailing for now. Johnson, 75, recently spoke to Us Weekly about the fun time he has been having on the set of Doctor Odyssey.
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“I’ve done quite a bit of work on the water and racing — also filming on the water for that matter,” he shared earlier this month. “So I have an easy relationship with [the water]. I’ve always had a natural ability for authority and in expressing it. That’s what I do. I would like to say most people pay attention to me for that.”
At the time, Johnson’s costar Jackson, 46, jumped in to praise him after Us brought up how Captain Massey exudes “Stud of the Sea” energy. “I’m about to pay you a compliment here,” Jackson quipped to Johnson during an exclusive interview with Us. “I think that the Stud of the Sea studied Don Johnson. Don did not study the Stud of the Sea.”
Doctor Odyssey airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
