{"id":143,"date":"2024-11-04T18:11:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T18:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/?p=143"},"modified":"2024-11-04T18:11:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T18:11:19","slug":"ncis-pays-tribute-to-david-mccallums-role-as-dr-donald-ducky-mallard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/?p=143","title":{"rendered":"\u2018NCIS\u2019 Pays Tribute to David McCallum\u2019s Role as Dr. Donald \u2018Ducky\u2019 Mallard"},"content":{"rendered":"

The February 19, 2024, episode of\u00a0NCIS<\/em>, titled \u201cThe Stories We Leave Behind,\u201d served as a heartfelt tribute to David McCallum, who played Dr. Donald \u201cDucky\u201d Mallard since the show\u2019s inception. McCallum, who passed away on September 25, 2023, at 90, was the last original cast member of\u00a0NCIS<\/em>. Due to industry strikes that year, the memorial episode was delayed, but it delivered a poignant farewell to both McCallum and his beloved character, Ducky.<\/p>\n

Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), who co-wrote the episode, shared that it was important to honor Ducky\u2019s connections not only with current characters but also with former team members. The episode celebrated Ducky\u2019s impact through memorable scenes that highlighted his legacy within\u00a0NCIS<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In the Halloween-themed episode, \u201cThe Trouble with Hal,\u201d the team revisits the question of what to do with Ducky\u2019s now-unused office. Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) pitches the idea of transforming it into a state-of-the-art gym, while Knight (Katrina Law) and McGee (Sean Murray) offer gentle resistance, noting that it might be a sentimental space for some, particularly Jimmy Palmer. When Torres asks Palmer directly, though, he\u2019s surprised to hear Palmer is open to the change, believing Ducky wouldn\u2019t want his office left idle.<\/p>\n

However, not everyone agrees. Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) feels strongly that Ducky\u2019s office should remain untouched as a tribute. Ducky was the one who brought her into\u00a0NCIS<\/em>, and she reveals to Palmer that she\u2019s been using the office for her daily meditation, finding it a peaceful space where she feels connected to Ducky\u2019s spirit. Palmer, who sympathizes with her need for inner peace, suggests she gather input from the team about possible uses for the room.<\/p>\n

Each team member has their own idea: McGee would like a quiet desk to escape the noise of the main room, Parker wants a lunch spot, and Palmer hopes to keep the file cabinets with Ducky\u2019s notes, which he often finds helpful. Ultimately, Torres reveals to Knight his true motivation for the gym: his near-death experience on a recent undercover mission has him focusing on his future and his fitness, hoping to find a renewed sense of purpose\u2014and maybe even love. Knight, supportive as ever, encourages his new outlook.<\/p>\n

By the end of the episode, the team finds a compromise, transforming the space into the \u201cDr. Donald Mallard Memorial Multi-Purpose Room.\u201d There\u2019s a workout area, a quiet table by the window, a meditation corner, and Ducky\u2019s files remain accessible. Palmer is thrilled with the new space, and Kasie suggests playful nicknames, like \u201cthe Duck Pond\u201d or \u201cDucky\u2019s Den.\u201d Ultimately, they settle on \u201cDucky\u2019s\u201d\u2014a fitting name to honor the doctor\u2019s enduring presence.<\/p>\n

NCIS<\/em>\u00a0airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET\/PT on CBS, with episodes streaming the next day on Paramount+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The February 19, 2024, episode of\u00a0NCIS, titled \u201cThe Stories We Leave Behind,\u201d served as a heartfelt tribute to David McCallum, who played Dr. Donald \u201cDucky\u201d Mallard since… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions\/145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}