Let me get this out of the way, this episode is a well deserved masterpiece. This episode serves as the send-off for Ducky, as well as the memorial episode for his actor, David McCallum.
The episode shows the characters dealing with Ducky's death in their own ways. As they try to move through the case of the episode, it's clear that there's now a hole in the group that's hasn't been there before. Through flashbacks, the group describes their favorite memories of Ducky, displaying all sorts of emotions. Through this and other factors, the group express and comfort themselves, really showing how far they have come, not only as a workplace, but as a family.
The subplot of the episode shows the group dealing with an unfinished case of Ducky's, in which a woman seeks vengeance for a politician's views on her father's suspicious death. It has the team reflecting on and replicating Ducky's old habits and methods of work in order to solve the case. The acting from both the cast and supporting characters here is phenomenal, and each performance really fits the character's persona. Everything from the demonstration of political corruption, the showcase of a soldier seeking vengeance, the portrayal of innocent woman who just wants to clear her father's name, down to the emotions of a team going through grief, is done perfectly.
The writing itself is beautiful, which makes sense, because Brian Dietzen, who potrayed Ducky's assistant, cowrote the episode, along with longtime executive producer, Scott Williams. You can really tell that these two writers understand the relationships between the members of the group, evident by the many scenes of different characters interacting with each other on this emotional roller coaster of an episode.
In terms of other factors, such as directing and imagery, everything is amazing. I especially love the ending scene, where Jimmy, McGee, and Tony close up and leave the autopsy lab of NCIS to head to Ducky's funeral, the camera left in the dark, empty room, signifying the end of an era.
Speaking of Tony, his special guest appearance at the end of the episode felt surprising yet natural. The scene really does feel like old friends catching up and having a chat.
Overall, this episode truly displays the family of NCIS grieving a coworker, friend, and mentor, whilst honoring him by solving a case that stumped him. Everything, down to the plot, writing, acting, directing, and scenery, is done masterfully and truly honors David McCallum.
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