NCIS Season 21 makes its entire second episode a tribute to actor David McCallum and his character, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard — and fans would expect nothing less. Not only was Ducky a fan-favorite, but when McCallum died in September 2023, he was the last remaining original NCIS cast member. And in the greater TV history, he was an acting legend whom many viewers had loved since he starred in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He certainly deserved to have a whole hour devoted to him.Season 21, Episode 2, “The Stories We Leave Behind” is completely centered around remembering both Ducky and the man who brought him to life. That approach has both its strengths and weaknesses, but it results in everything that NCIS fans could possibly want out of a David McCallum memorial episode. Co-written by McCallum’s longtime scene partner Brian Dietzen (with Scott Williams) and finding ways to weave many past characters into the mix, it’s a celebration as much as it is a farewell.The plot centers around the NCIS team picking up an investigation that they didn’t know Ducky was working on: trying to clear the name of a late Marine who’s being publicly slandered by a Congressman. The story is very simple: everyone who’s watched NCIS or any other popular TV crime drama knows that the Congressman will turn out to be corrupt, the Marine will be vindicated and his daughter will get a happy ending. But that doesn’t matter because no one is watching “The Stories We Leave Behind” for a mystery; they’re watching it to say goodbye to Ducky, just as the characters are. Centering the episode around a case of Ducky’s creates a clear structure for the plot to follow, but also a reason for the rest of the squad to poke around his office and reflect on his work (including a few light-hearted jokes about him having terrible handwriting, as he’s a doctor).
NCIS Season 21 makes its entire second episode a tribute to actor David McCallum and his character, Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard — and fans would expect nothing less. Not only was Ducky a fan-favorite, but when McCallum died in September 2023, he was the last remaining original NCIS cast member. And in the greater TV history, he was an acting legend whom many viewers had loved since he starred in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He certainly deserved to have a whole hour devoted to him.
Season 21, Episode 2, “The Stories We Leave Behind” is completely centered around remembering both Ducky and the man who brought him to life. That approach has both its strengths and weaknesses, but it results in everything that NCIS fans could possibly want out of a David McCallum memorial episode. Co-written by McCallum’s longtime scene partner Brian Dietzen (with Scott Williams) and finding ways to weave many past characters into the mix, it’s a celebration as much as it is a farewell.
The plot centers around the NCIS team picking up an investigation that they didn’t know Ducky was working on: trying to clear the name of a late Marine who’s being publicly slandered by a Congressman. The story is very simple: everyone who’s watched NCIS or any other popular TV crime drama knows that the Congressman will turn out to be corrupt, the Marine will be vindicated and his daughter will get a happy ending. But that doesn’t matter because no one is watching “The Stories We Leave Behind” for a mystery; they’re watching it to say goodbye to Ducky, just as the characters are. Centering the episode around a case of Ducky’s creates a clear structure for the plot to follow, but also a reason for the rest of the squad to poke around his office and reflect on his work (including a few light-hearted jokes about him having terrible handwriting, as he’s a doctor).
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