NCIS Heartbreak: Show Says Final Goodbye to Late Family Member
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NCIS honored the late David McCallum again in the October 28 Season 22 episode, titled “The Trouble with Hal.” McCallum, who played Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, died on September 25, 2023, of natural causes at age 90. The show honored him in the February 19, 2024 memorial episode “The Stories We Leave Behind.”
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What Happened to Ducky’s Office in NCIS?
NCIS paid tribute to McCallum in the October 28 episode, as they determined what to do with his vacant office space. Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) asks Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) for suggestions about how best to use the space. Torres notes his vision: “I want to turn Ducky’s office into a state-of-the-art gym.”
Knight (Katrina Law) points out, “We already have a gym.”
Torres explains, “But that gym is barely a gym. It needs an upgrade. He has all those big windows and the high ceiling. I know exactly where to put the kettlebells.”
McGee (Sean Murray) thinks that Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) might not like the gym idea and may “be too sentimental about Ducky’s office to want to change it to anything.”
When Torres asks Palmer about the gym, he says, “It sounds great,” adding, “I’m not sure how many people would actually use it, but Dr. Mallard wouldn’t want his office just sitting idle forever.”
Knight asks, “I wonder what Ducky would want?”
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Palmer responds, “Knowing him, he would want it to be whatever helps us do our jobs better. Other than that, I can’t imagine anyone minding the change at all.”
Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonver) is more sentimental about the space, wondering if it should be “preserved as a memory.” She explains, “I know it’s irrational, but Ducky’s the one who brought me into NCIS so forgive me if I may be a tad sentimental.”
She runs into Palmer in Ducky’s office later — she’s been using it for a daily meditation. “You know I’m a big fan of anything that gives inner peace,” Palmer tells her.
Kasie explains, “And that’s what Ducky gave me. He taught me the value of ohm time. This office is the perfect place to do it. That is until now.”
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Torres later reveals to Knight why he wants a gym. “Almost getting killed in my last undercover operation made me start thinking about the future,” he explains. “That’s why I’m pushing so hard to get a better gym at work. I’m training hard.”
He notes, “The reason that I’m working out so hard is I’m trying to get my mind right and get back out there, back in the game… the love game. It’s been too long since I’ve had a special person in my life, so I was thinking if I could get myself back out there again maybe I could find that person. In order to do that, I really want to put my best self out there.”
With a variety of ideas for the office, including a gym, a quiet workspace with a desk, a place to eat lunch, and a request to keep the filing cabinets, they repurpose the space as the “Dr. Donald Mallard Memorial Multi-Purpose Room.” It has something for everyone, including gym equipment, a place to eat lunch, a meditation spot, and filing cabinets.
Palmer says Ducky “loves it, too.”
When Vance says the name is too long, Kasie offers up “the Duck Pond or Ducky’s Den” as options and Palmer adds, “How about just Ducky’s?”
Vance tests it out, saying, “As in ‘meet me at Ducky’s?’”
NCIS is available to stream on Paramount+.
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For more on Ducky, check out our gallery below on how the NCIS cast paid tribute to David McCallum after his death.