What does the big Doctor Odyssey twist mean for the "dream" fan theory?

Doctor Odyssey just unleashed a massive twist for Avery that can affect the show and a fan theory!

Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for Doctor Odyssey Episode 8 

Doctor Odyssey fans had expected Season 1 to focus on the love triangle between Max (Joshua Jackson), Avery (Phillipa Soo), and Tristan (Sean Teale). Max and Avery hooked up in the pilot while Tristian had long carried a torch for Avery despite being a noted ladies' man. 

What no one expected was that Episode 6 would solve this triangle in a wild way by having them share a threesome. They tried to maintain business as usual afterward, but Max soon revealed he couldn't continue this as he only wanted Avery. Tristian seemed into her but knew she might not feel the same way. He did seem ready to move on with the ship's chef Vivian (Laura Harrier). 

What happened in Doctor Odyssey's midseason finale?

Episode 8, the midseason finale, had the ship with its wackiest theme yet: Quackers. As in people obsessed with rubber duckies. Yes, this was a real group, with Captain Massey (Don Johnson) not believing he had to ferry them around. Max was also upset over the environmental damage of these ducks. 

Among the guests were two old friends of Avery's and she soon let them in on the secret: She was pregnant. The bigger news: She had no idea if Max or Trisitan was the father. Avery was naturally thrown by this as her dream was always to go to med school and be a real doctor, not be a mom. 

After a few of the usual quirky ship emergencies (like a man obsessed with swallowing objects), Avery finally let the two prospective dads know her condition. Max was overeager, asking questions about it and the options, while Tristain was cool to the point of aloof as it turned out he'd been through this twice before on other ships although he didn't share more details. It showed neither man seemed that eager to be a father. 

Speaking to TVLine, Soo discussed the big twist and how she welcomed it. 

"I've just been grateful and really honored to tell this story and try to bring as much truth and humanity as possible to a woman's conversation with herself and her partner-slash-partners about what she wants to do."

It's a huge wrinkle for the show and especially for a certain fan theory about it. 

What does this mean for the dream theory?

Ever since Doctor Odyssey premiered, fans have been pushing a major theory that this entire show is all a dream in Max's mind as he hovers in a COVID-induced coma. They point out how unreal the ship is, and the imagery looks like a dream world, with speculation that this is meant to be some sort of afterlife shuttling souls around. Indeed, the last episode had a woman openly wishing she could stay on the ship and Max telling her, "You can't stay on the Odyssey forever." 

Soo acknowledged the cast is aware of the theory but won't say whether or not it's true. Yet she hinted she knows why fans can jump to these wild ideas. 

"Anything is truly possible as this has been established as this luxurious fantasy. I feel like maybe the best thing to do is just go along for the ride — because your answers will come eventually."

Avery's pregnancy throws a bit of a wrinkle into this as some believe if this is a dream, it's Max now imagining possible fatherhood and how he'd handle it. Of course, it doesn't explain how he could be imagining talks between Avery and her friends unless that's part of his larger fantasy. It adds to the show's new popularity and how the second half of the season will focus on Avery's pregnancy and the odd love triangle that makes Doctor Odyssey an amazing journey for viewers

Doctor Odyssey returns on Thursday, March 16 at 9/8c on ABC.