NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 3 Delivers Perfect Ducky Tribute!

Critic’s Rating: 4.6 / 5.0

4.6

Forgive a girl, because she may or may not be reviewing this hour through blurry vision from the tears — due to allergies, of course. Ahem.

When we learned that NCIS: Origins would deliver its own tribute to fan-favorite Donald “Ducky” Mallard, it was hard to know what to expect from this venture or whether Adam Campbell could reprise the role in a way that aligned with this spinoff.

But it’s safe to say that NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 3 knocks this out of the park on all accounts with this beautiful hour, with just enough of a nostalgic touch while also providing the type of exciting easter eggs that shape not just Ducky and Gibbs, but all the rest of the characters, too.

A Worthwhile Tribute for an Icon

There was no apt way of describing Ducky than Randy professing that Ducky was sharing “Unbelievably interesting stuff in a super delightful way” as well as “sprinkling sunshine.”

Because that’s precisely what a young Ducky did here; nothing deterred him from exuding that same warm, gentle, and inviting essence that disarmed anyone who crossed his path, even someone like Mike.

Truthfully, the hour already had me at Gibbs’ opening voiceover. Ducky’s such an infectious character that I instantly giggled when he chatted during his colleague’s examination, because their styles clashed so dramatically.

And then the hour does one of its first, most delightful, heartwarming, and coolest things ever: they play David McCallum’s iconic “The Edge,” the title of the installment referencing McCallum’s song, which will stand the test of time across many musical genres.

Most famously, Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” And the moment even nods on that specifically with the East/West coast cracks. I freaking adore this series and all the little nods they have towards ’90s culture, and how all-encompassing it can be.

The music always gets me on a good day, and this? Well, it was a great one.

But what works with that intro, not only in how it honors the character’s original portrayer, is that it perfectly encapsulates everything Ducky Mallard always represents, both onscreen and off. He has the kind of universal appeal that charms everyone, regardless of disposition, walk of life, or background.

And characters like that are so scarce that when you experience them, you cling onto them and they never leave you, long after a show ends, or a character or actor passes away.

Sprinkling of Sunshine, Charm, and Insight

The entire hour truly honors everything that Ducky was to those around him and to his profession, and they fold it into the series seamlessly, with our NIS team worried that he was coming over from DC as some spy or to disrupt what they established or how they function.

To be fair to the larger agency, it is inconvenient not having an in-house coroner and having to rely exclusively on an overworked county M.E., but this Cali agency does something different — they are scrappier and edgier, so it works to their advantage for now.

Ducky’s arrival goes about as well as you’d expect, and the way that he instantly charms almost anyone from his first words is so quintessentially Ducky. He makes it impossible to dislike him. And he’s unfazed by anyone who doesn’t on sight, because he knows that he often wins them over in the end anyway.

It warmed my heart that he hadn’t seen Leroy in 12 years, and yet, it didn’t stop him from bringing him a present— a ship in a bottle, which was one more step in Gibbs becoming the man who builds boats in his basement (I am NOT crying, I swear)!

Ducky still cherishes the time he spent day drinking with Gibbs many years ago, and he’s grateful to Gibbs for setting him on the path toward working with NIS. It’s fascinating how that shared experience in NCIS Season 18 Episode 2 leads to a friendship Gibbs never really considered.

Ducky speaks to Gibbs —or rather, Jethro (and his seemingly random tidbits of the name feel more like him speaking prophecy into his friend) — as if they’ve been best friends for their entire lives, and that’s just the magic of Ducky. He makes friends everywhere and in everyone, and it works.

Origins Produces a Compelling Victim that Suits Ducky’s Involvement

The case was utterly fascinating as we had to figure out the truth behind how Mimi Lam died when they found her frozen in the restaurant freezer. It was easy to figure out that her husband killing her was a red herring.

Their fight was innocuous, and he was too heartbroken for it to seem legitimate. Instead, we had Mimi’s background in IT, which made her an unsung hero and whistleblower.

Procedurals rarely produce deceased victims who touch you, and it’s only fitting that in an hour where we get to experience the true origins of Ducky talking to the dead, listening to them, and honoring them in his signature style, we feel this attachment and reverence for Mimi and her bravery.

She had the wherewithal to do everything in her power to blow the whistle on a company producing a deadly nerve gas, even in her final moments. Actively going into the freezer to preserve her blood, writing her password down, and clenching it in her fist?

I can tell you that if I knew I was in the final moments of my life, I probably wouldn’t have that kind of foresight or selflessness.

Ducky’s frustration over missing the signs and not putting it all together until it was too late was heartbreaking, but he’s never down and out for too long. What I appreciated was that it was a touching moment of vulnerability for a character who was so gracious and warm in helping others the entire time, or so positive.

Origins Delivers on Shaping the Ducky We Know

I love seeing the other side of people who are human rays of sunshine, especially when they have someone there to pour into them as much as they pour into others.

The porcelain tooth save was unique and practically had me fist-pumping.

But as fascinating as the case was, it was Ducky’s interactions with the team that were most compelling.

We haven’t had much chance to see how Lala is coping after her accident because she’s not actually confiding in anyone. People like Mike would rather believe that she’s okay as long as she’s back on the job.

And Gibbs is overly protective but not excessively communicative about it, which makes things awkward.

But Lala with Ducky? It was beautiful. I loved the shading and framing of the pair in the storage location because it allowed for an intimacy that worked for all of these scenes. Even when things were dark and cast in blue, the subject matter may have been dark, but the vibes Ducky provided — how his essence permeated — were calming.

He provided a sense of safety, and no one really felt uncomfortable afterward.

Via Ducky, We Finally Get More Insight on Lala Post-Accident

Lala is still struggling with her TBI, and aside from the apparent recklessness and lack of self-preservation we saw in NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 2, it’s the mood swings and other little things we got here.

She was worried about how she doesn’t feel herself since the accident — doesn’t seem to know who she is anymore because of it, and TBIs are still a mystery now, so they were even more so 30 years ago.

Something as simple as no longer having the taste for Kowalski’s sourdough got to her. It used to be her favorite, and now she cannot stomach it.

Anyone who has ever had their taste buds switch up on them, or those poor souls who lost their sense of taste after contracting COVID, knows how much that messes with a person.

But Ducky gives her the kind of assurance she needs and can believe in. I don’t think anyone else would’ve been able to do that. TBIs are about adapting rather than fighting or surrendering, and it made me genuinely smile when she gave Kowalski that pumpernickel recipe.

He likes a challenge and the ability to please her, and she gets to figure out what she does like now.

Mike’s Rare Vulnerability is a Sleeper Hit of the Hour

Of course, not even Mike can resist Ducky’s superpower for very long. And he put up quite a fight.

He was so insistent that Ducky was there to screw them over, but knowing Mike, a large part of the issue was him simply not trusting that someone could be genuinely that positive.

He also wasn’t fond of a chatty Scotsman regaling everyone with the factoids that should seem mundane and boring, but somehow aren’t coming from him.

The entire hour, Mike was more prickly than usual, and we knew it was because he felt something was wrong with Gary Callahan. After taking that surprising clunk to the head (shockingly, without getting a swing in), he found himself in Ducky’s tender hands, both literally and figuratively.

What the hour does well is lean into all sides and facets of Ducky, including his uncanny ability to read people effectively, and take the right approach as a result.

Kyle Schmid once again does some fabulous work portraying the series of emotions flickering across Mike’s face as he takes in Ducky’s assessment that he’s depressed, and thus, Gary is simply mirroring him.

The admission about his brother is shocking because he doesn’t get intimate with anyone that easily, and more than that, he doesn’t seem to regret it, as he typically does during rare bouts of vulnerability.

He can’t quite bring himself to call his brother just yet, doesn’t feel he can “fix” himself in that way, the way he (and Gary) needs.

And that makes his decision to leave Gary with the most positive, happiest person he knows — Randy — so endearing.

All. The. Ducky. Mallard. Feels!

Mike doesn’t mind wallowing in his own hurt and pain, but he can’t do that to Gary, and sacrificing one of the few things that does make him happy is worth it for Gary’s benefit.

Again, I say, I’m not crying or anything.

Some people’s influence is bigger than the whole universe. Small gestures, like ripples, have deeply impactful effects that carry.

Ducky is that type of person. When Ducky is in town, something special happens. And when he leaves? NCIS: Origins is a little better for having had him.

I can’t think of a better tribute than that, can you?

Did you get nostalgic, too? Did NCIS: Origins do right by Ducky? Enjoy this review? Help us out.
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