'NCIS' Season 18 Episode 2: Show's 400th episode will give the origin story of Gibbs and Ducky’s friendship
This next episode of 'NCIS' is going to be a treat. Airing on Tuesday, November 24, NCIS' 400th episode will make it a part of an elite club of long-running network shows that are still running strong in the TV landscape invaded by streaming platforms. As of 2020, the series is the second-longest-running scripted, non-animated U.S. primetime TV drama series, surpassed only by 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', and is the 7th longest-running scripted US primetime TV series overall.
As the enthusiastic reception of Season 18's premiere showed, the fan following of this series is not abating and most people see it as part of their Tuesday night staple. To reward fans for sticking with the show, 'NCIS' is giving them an episode that is wrapped around two of its most popular characters, Gibbs and Ducky, and fills in some gaps in their legendary friendship.
The strongly nostalgic episode titled 'Everything Starts Somewhere' will give viewers the chance to delve into how Gibbs met Ducky, what they mean to each other, and how this friendship, which has lasted for years, kicked off. The official synopsis of the episode is this: "Flashbacks reveal the murder case that first introduced young Gibbs to NCIS and his introduction to young, new-to-America Ducky on the 400th episode of NCIS". The episode will feature Mark Harmon's son, Sean Harmon, as the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Adam Campbell as the young Donald Mallard. Both actors have already appeared as young Gibbs and Ducky before on the show and so there will be the added comfort factor of nostalgia.
The show's producers have of course known that the 400th episode was coming up and had been brainstorming since the start of Season 17. Back then, they had revealed that they had set up a "400th episode idea bin" on their communication channel so that everybody could share plotlines that could be explored. The Gibbs-Ducky friendship origin story seems to have won out over the other ones. "The goal for this episode was to write a love letter to the longtime fans," show producer Frank Cardea has said. Both Mark Harmon and McCallum's characters have been part of 'NCIS' from the very beginning.
The episode was to be shot in April this year and the script was ready. It was also supposed to be aired as part of Season 17 till COVID-19 forced a shut-down. Like all shows, some adjustments have had to be made to shoot the 400th episode. Some locations might have changed and some guest stars. But David McCallum as the older Ducky will definitely be part of this milestone episode. While Jimmy Palmer has filled in for Ducky as the medical examiner, he doesn't have a history with the fans like McCallum's Ducky has. Nostalgia was always going to be a driving factor for this episode. Aside from an on-screen Tony, Ziva and Tali reunion, there is little to beat a young Gibbs and Ducky combo.
A current case will make them think of a murder case that happened 20 years ago, which resulted in them meeting and pursuing their first case together. There is a strongish possibility that they were unable to solve that case at the time, making them remember it both fondly (because it was how they met) and with some regret about not solving it. The new case might offer clues that will finally help them solve and thus close the book on the 20-year-old one too.
The 400th episode of 'NCIS' will air on November 24 at 8:00 ET on the CBS Television Network.