NCIS season 16 episode 16 sneak peek: How Ducky returns!
What’s going on? Well, the sneak peek that CarterMatt has for you below demonstrates that Jimmy and Kasie actually seem rather nervous to have him back around. They are jumpy, tentative, and they don’t want him working on an autopsy that they are, allegedly, trying to figure out themselves. What’s going on? The murder victim appears to have died from a bear attack — we don’t see how anything else could be gleamed from some of the scratches that are all over his body! Yet, this is NCIS, and one of the common rules for this show (rules for the show, not Gibbs rules — we’ve already gone over those recently when it comes to him and Sloane) is that no murder case is ever cut-and-dry. That’s especially the case with this one since Palmer is trying to do some sneaky business in this episode — mess a little with evidence for the sake of his father-in-law. We feel for Jimmy entering this episode — he’s wedged between a rock and a hard place, forced to either sneak around on the job or potentially hurt his family, but we really love a good Jimmy-centric episode so it’s going to be a lot of fun to see how he works through his different loyalties.
There’s a reason why Ducky continues to be so effective at his job — he doesn’t make mistakes. He’s wily and sharp as a tack. Having him back is great for the team if they want honest, straight answers. It’s a little less great when he’s going to pick up on something that Palmer wants to keep hidden. We’ve said it before, but we don’t think Jimmy’s doing something so serious as to prevent a murderer from ending up behind bars. He’s not a psychopath here! He may just be a tad misguided and Ducky could help guide him back into place as every great mentor does. He should certainly know something’s off by the cagey way Kasie and Jimmy are acting around him.
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For longtime David McCallum fans his return is something to rejoice! We know he’s going to be in at least a couple of upcoming episodes and maybe we’ll get some sort of substantial Ducky story before the season is out. The frustration with him jumping in and out of the show like a game of hokey-pokey is that it’s really hard for him to have a consistent arc. If you give him one, it loses all steam if he disappears. Our hope is that he’ll be around through the end of the season.
For those wondering, he wasn’t expected back for a few weeks at the lab, but returned early since he’s already in town for a gala. Ducky’s a busy guy, but he can’t stay away from the lab. He’s drawn to it like a moth to a lamp.
If you didn’t see this…
Robert Wagner is back in this episode, as well! Check out a photo preview here and prepared for a great hour of television when “Bears and Cubs” arrives on CBS come Tuesday night.
Excited for NCIS season 16 episode 16 to air? Share your expectations in the comments, and check back tomorrow for a full review. (Photo: CBS.)