Did Gibbs return for Ducky’s funeral in NCIS season 21? Mark Harmon’s involvement explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS season 21, episode 2.

Summary

• There’s no Mark Harmon in the Ducky tribute episode, but Gibbs’ role is addressed in an emotional flashback sequence.
• Ducky goes from ME to historian, ending the era as the last original
  NCIS
  character.
• Despite Harmon’s absence,
  NCIS
  Pay tribute to Ducky’s legacy with an emotional final story and the return of Michael Weatherly’s DiNozzo.

He NCIS The Ducky Mallard tribute episode from season 21 did not feature Mark Harmon, but Leroy Jethro Gibbs was involved. David McCallum played the original medical examiner in the long-running procedural. He is known to have a wealth of knowledge in addition to his excellent skills as an established ME for NCIS. However, over time, Ducky’s role on the show diminished to accommodate McCallum’s age and personal request. He wanted to spend more time with his family, so NCIS gave him an equally important but less demanding role as the organization’s historian.

Ducky’s final role kept him as the show’s main character without requiring him to be on set for long days. He was the last original character in NCIS, with former castmates Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Sasha Alexander and Pauly Perrette leaving the show in the years prior. With McCallum dying in 2023, NCIS decides to say goodbye to his beloved character with an emotional tribute episode. In “The Stories We Left Behind,” the team solves Ducky’s latest case. While the circumstances could have been better, it’s also the perfect time for Harmon’s return as Gibbs.

Mark Harmon did not appear in the tribute episode NCIS Ducky

Unfortunately, the former head of NCIS is not returning to Washington.

Despite the theories, Harmon did not appear as Gibbs in the NCIS season 21 episode tribute to Ducky. Instead, the outing focuses on resolving the medical examiner-turned-NCIS historian’s final quest to clear the name of a man who is being used in a propaganda campaign by a high-ranking player in Washington. The outing has Agent Parker’s team review Ducky’s files to understand the details of the case, as his attention turns to fulfilling Dr. Mallard’s final effort. Doing this allows them to remember the time they spent with him.

NCIS Season 21 Gibbs Cameo Explained

NCIS season 21 episode 2 features a special Gibbs and Ducky moment.

Gibbs may not have appeared in the NCIS Homage to Ducky, but that doesn’t mean that the season 21 episode is devoid of any kind of presence on his part. The CBS show incorporates it through a flashback sequence involving the two old friends. The scene begins with the team examining Ducky’s journals throughout the year when Jessica Knight discovers an entry in which she discusses her grudge over Gibbs not telling her about his family, much less his murder, despite them being friends. during decades. To put it in context, Gibbs’ first wife, Shannon, and Kelly were murdered on base by a drug dealer.

Finally, the scene cuts to a flashback of the couple’s conversation about the affair in NCIS season 4, episode 10, “Smoky.” After Gibbs’ near-death experience revealed what had happened to his family, he briefly left the police force and moved to Mexico to spend time with his mentor, Mike Franks. Eventually, she returned, but Ducky took offense at her deliberate move to hide facts about him despite their long friendship. They patched things up and Gibbs apologized.

Why Mark Harmon Didn’t Return as Gibbs in Ducky’s NCIS Tribute Episode

Harmon will return to NCIS, albeit in the future.

For what it’s worth, Harmon has claimed that no one has contacted him about a possible refund. Gibbs came out NCIS season 19 when he decided to retire in Alaska after a case took him there. Already in trouble with the FBI, he decided to move away from the work to which he dedicated himself for decades. Before leaving, he did have one final interaction with Ducky, which in some ways was a great farewell between friends.

The good news is that Harmon is already confirmed to make his return to the NCIS universe with the new spin-off – NCIS: Origins, which will address Gibbs’ early days in the organization. The series will take place in the early ’90s, which means that he and Ducky are already friends at that time. So even though he didn’t go to the DMV for his friend’s final tribute, the pair can still reunite on screen via the new NCIS prequel.

In any case, not bringing Harmon is somewhat offset by Weatherly’s unexpected return as DiNozzo. He NCIS The episode did not include any hints about the actor’s involvement in the special, although he issued a statement following McCallum’s death last year. Ideally, a reunion between Gibbs and DiNozzo would have been better, considering they haven’t shared the screen since Weatherly left the series. That said, the return of “Very Special Agent” is better than no cameo, and it also advances NCIS closer to him as he comes face to face with his former boss.

NCIS

Season 21 airs new episodes every Monday at 9 pm ET on CBS.