David McCallum, star of “The Man from UNCLE” and “NCIS,” died in 2023 at age 90. As a result of his long-standing function because the CBS procedural’s first and longest-serving chief health worker Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard deserved a worthy goodbye, “NCIS” devoted all the season 21 episode “The Tales We Depart Behind” to McCallum’s character, with individuals closest to Ducky gathering to recollect their pricey buddy and mentor. Nonetheless, the deep roster of characters and references within the episode has one evident omission. Ducky’s arguably oldest buddy, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), does not seem in individual to pay his respects.
In response to “NCIS” co-showrunner Steven D. Binder, a key motive for omitting Gibbs from the episode was that after Harmon left “NCIS” in 2021, bringing him again for only a fast cameo can be a disservice to the fan-favorite character. Chatting with TV Line, Binder elaborated on this line of considering:
“After all the door is all the time open [for Harmon]. After we deliver him again, we’re not going to deliver him again for 2 minutes. It is bought to be one thing particular.”
The tribute episode nonetheless includes a main cameo, courtesy of Michael Weatherly
What the Ducky tribute episode lacks in Mark Harmon, it makes up with one other sudden return. The top of “The Tales We Depart Behind” options an enormous shock when Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo — final seen in “NCIS” season 13 — turns as much as ship some touching remaining phrases in regards to the dearly departed Dr. Mallard, even throwing in a surprisingly entertaining Ducky imitation for good measure. This, in line with Steven D. Binder, made a substantial quantity of sense. Because the showrunner instructed TV Line, DiNozzo was a pure selection after they tried to determine who’d be the most effective returning character to work together with Ducky’s protégé Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen, who additionally wrote the episode), who discovers Ducky’s physique and shoulders most of the episode’s most mournful moments:
“We gave numerous thought to who Ducky is related to most, which on one degree can be Gibbs. Nevertheless it was Jimmy who was there, so it was [about] who Jimmy would join with, and likewise deliver some levity … and that was Michael Weatherly. It is actually a no brainer.”
As for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, he won’t seem in individual however the former Main Case Response Workforce lead nonetheless makes his presence recognized. After the opening credit, the digital camera takes care to indicate Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) opening a letter from Gibbs that comprises a heartwarming Polaroid picture of the pair and Ducky. Evidently, Gibbs stays firmly within the loop even after retiring to the relative backwoods of Naktok Bay, Alaska.
