OFF THE MAP’s Jason George teases a ‘defining moment’ for Otis

In tonight’s new episode of OFF THE MAP, Otis and Lily have their work cut out for them as they attempt to rescue trapped miners. According to series star Jason George (Otis), the situation gets dicey for our guys.

Give Me My Remote chatted with George about his character’s sobriety struggle, who he feels is to blame for the clinic’s problems, the women in Otis’ life and tonight’s “defining moment”…

How is Otis’ sobriety struggle going?
Jason George: It’s an acquired taste for him.

Is this going to be a big part of his arc for the remainder of the season?
JG: When you’re a recovering addict, you never stop being a recovering addict. It’s like being a parent — just because the kids are out in the world, doesn’t mean you stop thinking about them. [Pauses] Did I just equate drugs to being with kids? Did I do that? [Laughs] It circles back to when he gets hurt — and there’s some stuff coming up in the next couple episodes — being conscious of what kind of pain treatments [are okay] and that sort of thing. I think a good portion of getting back on the wagon, or making sure he’s firmly in the wagon because he didn’t completely fall off, is taking care of the clinic.

Understandable. What can you tease about Wednesday’s episode?
JG: Basically, Lily and Otis go into this old abandoned mine to rescue some folks who got themselves trapped down there. This is one of those mines where people might get a few drinks in them and think there’s gold down there, when everyone knows that there’s not. What there is are things that can kill you and make you delusional. So Otis goes down to save these guys and [because of] the aforementioned things that can kill you, Otis doesn’t come out the way he went in. And in next week’s episode, Otis is still dealing with the repercussions of what went down this episode.

Oh, that’s good to hear. I’ve really enjoyed that while there is an obvious “patient of the week” story every episode, there are supporting characters and arcs that play out over multiple episodes. It really makes sense, since they aren’t in a huge city like Los Angeles or New York…they’re dealing with the people who are the locals.
JG: You’re in the world and you’re part of this community. And it’s not a huge community. There are people who pass through because it’s a place where people come for vacations, extreme sports, that kind of thing. But that damn Mateo won’t go away!

He’s causing some trouble for you guys…
JG: I’m just saying, police protection is an [important] thing. He shows up with a gunshot….really?!

And you’d think Otis might feel a little resentment towards him because if Mateo hadn’t gotten shot, the clinic wouldn’t have lost their police protection and might not have been robbed. Which might have meant that your character wouldn’t have had to go looking for the drugs to complete the surgery…
JG: It’s all a house of cards. It’s all a game of dominoes. And all of the problems in the clinic come from Mateo. I’m going to call up Nick [Gonzalez (Mateo)] and tell him.

Is that ever brought up by any of the characters in the first season?
JG: No! And now I’m thinking it needs to be. Now I’m thinking I need to be, “Wait a second, dude. Things were fine before you showed up. Things were real fine for me in particular and then you showed up.”

You might need to call up OFF THE MAP creator Jenna Bans and tell her if the show gets renewed, Otis is going to need to deck Mateo.
JG: Otis decks Mateo! It’s like, come on, man! Help me help me…I’m trying to stay sober here and you’ve got me running out to get drugs!

And you had Mina as your sidekick for that adventure. I’m not sure any other character was less prepared for that than she was.
JG: That was the fun part. That’s why I like that particular bit: because then she gets it done. That’s the cool thing about the show. Everybody has a certain level of fish out of water. Everybody’s got some stuff where they’re like, “Whoa, I’m not supposed to be here!” Mina more than most, though.

There seems to be a little bit of flirtation between her and Otis and he just got out of a relationship with Zee. Are you leaning more towards one girl than the other as the rest of the season plays out?
JG: I think that Mina and Otis have — I’m fascinated by that relationship. I have a blast working with Mamie [Gummer (Mina)]. We have fun together. Even given all the action stuff we do, those scenes with Mamie are some of the most fun for me.

That said…a Latina? Come on. Zee is definitely not out to pasture, I think, as far as Otis is concerned.

So is Otis single in these last few episodes? Or is he romantically entangled with anyone?
JG: Well, you know, I think like [when you are recovering from an addiction], get a plant. If you can handle a plant, if you don’t kill the plant, six months later you can get a dog. And then you can start dating. [Laughs] I think that’s going to be Otis’ mantra. In his mind, one night stands don’t count, pure sex doesn’t count, but don’t make any kind of commitment because you can’t promise that you’re going to be here tomorrow. It’s always been his attitude. That being said, it’s different when you get someone who was your friend, first and foremost. It’s interesting. I think this week will be a defining moment for Otis and how he views relationships. When you’re facing death, all the other stuff goes away.

Very interesting. Speaking of facing death, Otis was the first one to know about Ryan being sick. Now that her secret is out, how is that going to impact the group?
JG: She’s family. It really looms in the air. She tries to keep coming along, but the reality is she has a bad ticker. The heart is damaged. When the news hit…this is what we do, we save people. A heart transplant is a bit more serious than a broken leg. It’s not necessarily the kind of thing that we do. It’s one thing to know that your friend is hurt and there is absolutely nothing you can do. It’s possibly even more painful to know your friend’s hurt and you might be able to help if you had the resources. And I think that’s where we find ourselves for the rest of the season.

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Will you be watching tonight’s OFF THE MAP?

Related:

OFF THE MAP: Rachelle Lefevre Teases an Ethical Problem with Mina, the Ryan-Ben-Lily Triangle and More

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