We knew it was going to happen. Ahead of NCIS: Origins season 2 premiering, we learned that Adam Campbell would reprise his role as Young Ducky. Well, it happens in NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 3.
I still have questions about this, to be honest. Why did Campbell reprise his role, but Shaun Harmon not reprise his role as Young Gibbs? I guess it’s a question that we’ll never really get answered, but there is one thing that we love, and it’s Young Ducky.
Yes, Gibbs remembers Ducky in NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 3
The promo makes it clear that Gibbs and Ducky already know each other, and that fits the NCIS canon. During the 400th episode of NCIS, we got a look back at how the two met, and that came with learning that they met in the 1980s. Well, with NCIS: Origins set in the 1990s, it means that the two would know each other as they cross paths.
This episode could see Campbell eventually become part of the series as a regular. He’s around to see if Pendleton needs an in-house medical examiner, and we know that eventually, that’s the job that Ducky has. What was never made clear was when Ducky first joined the team, and this could be the step into this direction.
He’s already part of NIS in some way, though. He works at the DC Headquarters right now. So, it makes sense that he would arrive at NIS to see what the team needs to make sure they can do their job well.
Why is Ducky really there?
Well, while that’s the story for Ducky to turn up, it turns out that not everyone trusts him. Well, they don’t trust the reason for his visit.
Is it possible that he’s checking up on Gibbs since they already have a short history? Maybe it’s that he’s there to check in on Lala considering her accident and her inability to get behind the wheel of a car just yet.
It’s hard to say with the limited information that we have in the synopsis. I do get a sense that it’s Franks who is more curious than anyone else, and if he has doubts, it will lead to others having doubts. However, it could cause more friction between Gibbs and Franks, as Gibbs is sure to want to see the good in someone that he knows and someone who helped him in the past.
Check out the promo and synopsis for NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 3:
When Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a liaison from D.C. headquarters and an old acquaintance of Gibbs', arrives to evaluate whether Pendleton needs an in-house medical examiner, not everyone trusts that's the real reason behind his visit.
NCIS: Origins airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
Get the latest NCIS: Origins news and more with Precinct TV.