Gibbs and 5 NCIS characters we would have loved to see return for Ducky's tribute episode
The Ducky tribute episode of NCIS was wonderful, but it might have been better had any of these past characters returned for it.
NCIS bid farewell to the beloved Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard in an episode that acted as a tribute to late actor David McCallum. It featured a terrific cameo from a past NCIS face, but there are a few others fans would have loved to have seen appear as well.
Caution: This article contains spoilers for NCIS Season 21 Episode 2
“The Stories We Leave Behind” opened with an emotional moment as Jimmy dropped by to see Ducky, who had just returned from a book tour, only to find he’d passed away in his sleep. As the team mourned, they found that Ducky had been trying to help a young woman clear her late father, who was accused of dying under dark circumstances.
The team used Ducky’s notes to eventually find the truth, clearing the man’s name and taking down the corrupt politician who’d really been involved in this death. They prepared for Ducky’s funeral with a surprise appearance from Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), who helped Jimmy cope with the loss.
It was a great sendoff for Ducky, but given this was a character tied into NCIS from the beginning, it would have been fun to see a few more faces show up to say goodbye.
Gibbs should have been in the NCIS episode
It’s really a letdown that Mark Harmon couldn’t return for this episode. He showed up in a flashback and a note from him, but given he and Ducky had been friends for decades, having Gibbs show up for the event would have been great. It would have been fun to see him tempted to slide back into his leadership role on the case, but at the least, Gibbs would have made more sense than Tony at the end to bid Ducky farewell.
Ziva could have joined Tony
It’s logical Ziva (Cote de Pablo) stayed behind with her and Tony’s child, but having her join Tony for the event would have been better. The pair always had great chemistry, and who wouldn’t want to hear Ziva mess up a funeral-themed idiom like old times? It was likely logistics, but de Pablo joining Tony would have spiced up the cameo.
Abby could have been a great appearance
Pauley Perrette has been pretty vocal about not liking how her NCIS tenure ended, so it’s understandable why Abby didn’t appear. Yet having her pop in via video to talk on Ducky and maybe aid on the case would have been a fun sight. It’d be great to see Abby handling her new job yet still retaining that quirky style and sharing her warm memories of Ducky helping her a lot.
Where is Bishop in NCIS?
It might have been tricky to get Bishop to show up given the last we saw of her, she was heading into a secret CIA mission. But Emily Wickersham making a brief cameo, even via video, could have been good as a reminder of how much she meant to the team. Not to mention bring a bit of closure to her and Torres’s romance and at least remind folks why she was important.
Some late characters could have appeared
It’s a wild idea, but think about it: The camera follows a ghostly Ducky from behind, wandering through an empty NCIS squad room. He hears a familiar voice and turns to see Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander) smiling and saying, “We’ve been waiting for you.” She leads him to Jenny Shepherd (Lauren Holly), Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry), and some other dead characters waving him over.
It might have been tough to get those actors back, yet seeing Ducky enter an afterlife with other departed NCIS faces would have been the most emotional sendoff imaginable for this beloved character and actor.
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NCIS Season 21 airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS and streams the following day on Paramount+.