Doctor Odyssey

- Who's that? -Lenore Laurent.

Her husband owns the cruise line.

And if you wanted, if you decided that you would like to be an MD,

the captain will support you for a full scholarship.

Vivian has graciously agreed to stay with us for the rest of the season.

-Threesome, baby! -

-Threesome. - I think we need to talk.

About what happened.

I had fun.

What happened the other night was wonderful, but it's not me.

I can't do it. I'm a one-woman man.

I love you. But I can't share you.

Oh, my God.

What have we done?

-Lenore, a whole ship full of Quakers? -Quackers!

People obsessed with little rubber duckies

who like to play hide-and-seek all over the ship.

They bring their own to hide,

and then they spend their days searching out for others.

It's the latest cruising craze, Bobby.

You've heard of it. Don't pretend you haven't.

I might have read something about it.

I know that it's some sort of a movement, but I don't approve, and I'll tell you why.

Captain Nielson over at The Nautilus, he called me up, he told me,

"I had 'em in the engine room, I had 'em in the plumbing.

They were in the lifeboats, for God's sake."

Well, we've booked several dozens of them

for a five-day cruise of fun, joy, duck decorating

and any other duck-related happiness they can concoct.

And you, my darling, will be their cheery host.

Lenore, don't you think that one of the mid-range ships on the line

is better suited for this sort of thing?

We are doing this special week, Bobby.

it is my prerogative as co-CEO,

you are well aware of the economics of this industry ever since COVID,

and C: don't be such a snob of the sea.

The Quackers movement brings in thousands of cruisers a year.

Thousands.

But The Odyssey is the flagship of the line.

She's the lady of elegance and dignity and grace.

Well, this week, she's the flagship of ducks.

And here's another thing about Quackers week:

everybody participates, okay?

Captain's orders.

People are looking for new ways to have clean, innocent fun

in this brutal world.

Last year, 50,000 ducks were hidden on cruise liners globally,

and the Quacker community is only growing.

What's going on here? Why am I only just hearing about this?

The rules. Again, don't shoot the messenger.

Every crew member must make a Quacker.

One that represents you, your dreams, your goals, what makes you special.

The more personal, the better.

And then the passengers and crew will have one hour to hide their ducks.

For the rest of the passage, it's duck-hunting season, baby.

-Fun ensues. -And there are prizes.

First, second and third place for finding the most ducks,

including free cruises and dinner with our very own captain.

Oh, whoa. Is the crew eligible for this?

Yes, handsome nurse child.

And there is one elusive golden duck that the captain hides.

Whoever finds this wins a cash prize of $5,000.

A golden rubber duckie? Like Willy Wonka?

Social media has literally hundreds of thousands of people

posting photos of their ducks and the ships they find them on.

It's The Odyssey's turn.

I hate crafts. I have no idea what to make.

And this paint smell is making me nauseous.

Name an important woman in history for me to decorate.

Joan of Arc. You can paint her melting and screaming in stoic agony.

Oh, my God.

You know half these ducks are gonna end up in the water?

Do you have any idea how destructive this craze is?

Do you know how much plastic ends up in our oceans every year?

-How much? I bet you know. -Eleven million tons.

There is not a turtle or bird anywhere on planet Earth

that has not ingested this stuff.

You know, one time I was on this animal rescue mission.

I find this seagull all wrapped up in a fishing net.

Airway is constricted, mobility is constricted.

It was just tragic.

And why should our wildlife suffer for our so-called fun?

We never learn.

Well, we could mutiny. I could explain to Lenore that...

God, this paint smell. It is so horrible, right?

Last time you tried to explain something to Lenore, you got fired.

Yeah, but then I got rehired with a raise, so...

That's a good point. Anyway, I'm not doing this.

Wow. I recognize that. Is that Van Gogh?

Uh, Starry Night. Yeah.

What makes that personal?

It's in the Museum of Modern Art in New York,

and my dad was a guard there when I was little.

Yeah?

I used to sit in front of it all the time.

And it's magic and sad,

and Van Gogh was going through a tough time when he painted it,

but it's just filled with beauty.

And that's how life feels to me when I look at the night sky.

-Good answer. -

What's yours?

It is the Venezuelan troupial, the national bird of Venezuela.

Huh.

It's, uh...

It's where my first ever cruises were.

They got me hooked on this whole thing, so...

Who'd have thought that these rubber duckies would make you think so much?

Hmm.

Drill down on who you are, what makes you proud of yourself.

Maybe we'll win this thing.

-Hmm. Maybe a trip to Kyoto. -Oh!

If either one of us wins, we could share.

-Hello. -Hi. Welcome aboard The Odyssey.

Hello.

Hello. Oh, aren't you adorable?

Ooh!

-Hello. Hi. -Hi. Welcome to The Odyssey.

Oh, I like playing hostess with you, Bobby.

I should really visit your little vessel more often.

-It's Robert. -Hmm.

Jill and Jerry Manafort. Hello.

Let me introduce you to our captain, Robert Massey.

Hello.

These are the Manaforts. They're the founders of Quackers United.

-Pleasure. -Pleasure to meet you.

You know, we've done a lot of these Quackers cruises,

but this boat?

This is the dream. The Odyssey.

Some people don't understand the joy of something as simple as a treasure hunt.

You know, spending hours decorating ducks or sharing stories.

Lenore, you have been just wonderful.

I mean, supporting our growing and committed community of Quackers.

We are thrilled that you're here.

We have widowers, widows, folks just retiring.

Oh, you know, sometimes I think that the simple pleasures of life,

that's all we have.

Like, friends, family and duck hunts.

Oh. Please, come on.

-Let me show you around. - Fine.

-It's a pleasure meeting you. -Pleasure for us.

What's with all the ducks?

Ladies, welcome. Welcome aboard The Odyssey.

Do you see Avery anywhere?

She was gonna meet us.

Oh, my God. No!

-Look at you! -Oh, my God!

-Let me guess. Sorority sisters. -No, not even close.

-Best friends since third grade. -Hmm.

We have been through everything together. Three marriages.

-Two divorces, including mine. -

-Max. - And three childbirths.

And four trips to The Eras Tour.

Come on. Let's catch up.

-Oh, my God! - Okay.

Welcome. Make yourselves comfortable.

- Ooh. Nice. -

Okay, look.

You've made us wait long enough, so out with it. What's the surprise?

Uh, well, um, there's actually two surprises.

I got into medical school.

What?

Yeah. That's why I invited you here.

I wanted to tell you in person.

And I didn't know that it was gonna be Quackers week.

Avery, that's amazing.

Uh, yeah. And the ship is funding it,

and I can work for the cruise line after I graduate and...

Stop it. Avery, you're doing it.

Yes, but, um, wait.

No, we're gonna drink this down and then move on to the next.

I can't because, uh...

The next surprise is I'm...

pregnant.

- What? -

I'm-I'm actually pregnant.

-Oh, my God. Avery! Oh, my God! -Oh, Avery!

Wait, am I reading the signs wrong here?

Are you... Are you down with this? Not okay about it?

I'm not sure how I feel.

Do you remember when Beau was born?

Do I ever...

Eighteen hours of labor, and you helped pull him out.

Yeah, I cut the cord and we were all crying.

And you were so sure about that baby and how much you wanted it.

And right then I thought, "Okay, yeah. I... Of course I'd want that."

And now?

And it's okay if you change your mind. I did.

-You took me. You both did. - Mm-hmm.

And I never looked back.

I'm proud that I've lived my life the way that I have.

Adventures, hookups, moved on, no regrets.

That's easy when you're young and on a cruise ship,

always headed toward a new horizon.

Never really needing to drop anchor in your life.

God, I've always been so careful, you know?