S14.E10: The Tie That Binds

[MyAimIsTrue]

After the NCIS team tracks evidence from the murder of a Navy captain to Ducky’s deceased mother, Ducky looks back and questions a pivotal life choice he made 37 years ago. Also, the team exchanges holiday gifts, and Gibbs spends Christmas dinner with Fornell.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Sounds promising.  I hope so because this season has been tedious .

[MyAimIsTrue]

I agree, and in fact I've missed the past two episodes and didn't even care.   NCIS used to be appointment TV for me.

[AntiBeeSpray]

On 12/8/2016 at 0:37 PM, Packerbrewerbadger said:

Sounds promising.  I hope so because this season has been tedious .

Yea it does. As for this season, I haven't minded it too much.

[laredhead]

Loved tonight's episode.  This one was like watching previous seasons.  The writing was better, the characters were great, it was a perfect show for the Christmas episode.  Mark Harmon's smile at the end was fabulous.  Bring on more of this quality.

[JackONeill]

I think why it worked better than most eps this season is because the second-string characters (whatever their names are) were kept in the background. What we had was Gibbs, Fornell and, of course, Ducky. The old-timers are going to always be more enjoyable to watch.

[fifty8th]

I'm liking the new season more than the last few, was sick of Tony, I'm liking all the new characters I just think there are too many now I say phase out Bishop (the character and actress are light-weights) and get rid of the MI6 Guy he feels out of place.

That being said I liked this episode a lot but I've always liked Ducky flashback episodes and the Holiday episodes so this was a two-for.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I wanted to love this episode because of Young Ducky but I got interrupted by a phone call so I feel like I missed a lot.  I'll have to watch again because otherwise I wasn't impressed.

[rhys]

Is Ducky left handed? Young Ducky was and that threw me. I didn't think the elder Ducky was, but my memory iis whacked.

[pcta]

Had to catch the holiday episode.  The rest of this season - gosh awful.  Would have liked more Palmer (a good character being sacrificed at the altar of the demo - at least that is the only reason I can see for the horrible crowd of tedious new characters this season) and Abbie and McGee were somewhat slighted. This episodes had the ghost of heart that this show was known for.  I admit I don't watch much any more but glad I had this opportunity to see the show I actually loved.  Again the episode lacked the tightness of previous seasons because we had to squeeze in all the new crowd.  Perhaps this season would not have been so bad if they had picked only one of the new crowd to add.  But as it is, we neither get to know the new folks nor get to enjoy the old.  The focus of this episode on the big 3 + young Duckie did make it an enjoyable Christmas visit with friends.

[threebluestars]

I'd love to watch Gibbs/Fornell/Ducky episodes with a smattering of Abby and Jimmy. And if they were any kind of smart, the writers would've written Delilah in as a new agent. I love the character and the actress, she fit well with everyone, and there would be so much stuff they could explore with her and McGee working together - not to mention it'd be nice to have a character with a physical disability front and centre (even if it does mirror NCIS New Orleans a little).

Add in some Emily Fornell visits, and I would watch that NCIS all the time always.

(And speaking of McGee ... these uninteresting newbies (and I'm including Bishop in that) have scuttled his screen time so much it's like he isn't even on the show anymore.)

[MortysCleaningLady]

Best episode of this season.    I'm a sucker for Ducky flashbacks.   David McCallom is an outstanding actor and the young man playing him in the days of yore is really good.   I loved seeing Fornell and Emily as well.  

 

That said, I immediately knew who was selling secrets, but the tie to Balthazar was unexpected.   Charles Shaugnessy (Shane from DOOL and Maxwell Sheffield from The Nanny) was a delight in this episode as well.

[stonehaven]

I really enjoyed this one for all the reasons mentioned..and the thought of Gibbs crashing on Fornell's couch is awesome...I really want CBS to do a show built of Gibbs and Fornell...that I would watch because the current NCIS bores me to tears...tonight being the exception...

[snuffles]

Other than another widowed Navy officer killed by his only daughter's boyfriend/husband (I feel like this is the 3rd time they have used this plot), it was a sweet episode. I liked the Navy dad saying he never watched "The Nutcracker" but rather watched his daughter's face the whole time.

Poor Ducky! What a sad life he has had. Even Gibbs got to marry the love of his life and have a daughter. First, there was heartbreak over his half/step younger brother. Now, he feels guilty for taking away his mum's con man.

What is up with Ducky always running to Angus for help in all the flashbacks? No wonder Angus ended up screwing him over, lol.

I loved Gibbs hanging out on Fornell's couch now. The best. They really need their own spin off show.

Edited December 15, 2016 by snuffles
Love Gibbs and Fornell

[JessDVD]

Oh my gracious, Gibbs Fornell Emily Young Ducky minimal Torres/Reeves/whatever the lady's name is SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.

Seriously, they could just get rid of everyone else except McGee and Abby and just have that crew.

Note to self: if I ever use Uber (unlikely, as an Uber driver in my area went on a mass murder spree earlier this year and now paranoid), do not accept any beverages or consumable items from the driver.

Young Ducky. More please. More all the time. Several times per season. Spin-off series. Something.

I don't know why it is that the writing is always better when Fornell is on there, but it always is.

Reeves, Torres, and I still can't remember her name really are superfluous. I think the show pretty much could stand on its own with Gibbs, McGee, Bishop, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, and occasional visits from Vance.

[betsyboo]

On 12/13/2016 at 9:13 PM, laredhead said:

  Mark Harmon's smile at the end was fabulous.  

RIGHT?? <SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNN>

 

9 hours ago, MortysCleaningLady said:

Best episode of this season.    I'm a sucker for Ducky flashbacks.   David McCallom is an outstanding actor and the young man playing him in the days of yore is really good.   I loved seeing Fornell and Emily as well.  

That said, I immediately knew who was selling secrets, but the tie to Balthazar was unexpected.   Charles Shaugnessy (Shane from DOOL and Maxwell Sheffield from The Nanny) was a delight in this episode as well.

Seconded on all counts!!

28 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

Young Ducky. More please. More all the time. Several times per season. Spin-off series. Something.

HE. IS. A. DREAM. BOAT.

[basiltherat]

The actress they got to play Ducky's mum looked so much like she would grow old to look like Nina Foch (the old mum).  Didn't Old Mrs. Mallard flirt with Gibbs back 6 years ago?  so her behavior in this episode was quite in character!

Too many noobs -- they need to have not done a dump of all of them at one time -- one per six months would have been better, depending on how long Mark wants to continue (unless they want to do a Next Gen when he leaves).

[honeydo7]

Loved, loved, loved this week's young Ducky-centered Christmas show & would love to see more of the young character's pre-NCIS adventures, but this is the third time I've fingered the villain, ten minutes into the episode....have I been watching NCIS too long, or are the writers re-cycling old scripts?  Maybe that's the reason NCIS-NOLA  used a mothership story-line, about a naval officer who learned he was dying from plutonium poisoning?

[marina to]

On 12/14/2016 at 10:15 PM, JessDVD said:

Young Ducky. More please. More all the time. Several times per season. Spin-off series. Something.

I'd watch this.

14 hours ago, basiltherat said:

The actress they got to play Ducky's mum looked so much like she would grow old to look like Nina Foch (the old mum).  Didn't Old Mrs. Mallard flirt with Gibbs back 6 years ago?  so her behavior in this episode was quite in character!

She was fantastic.

[ForReal]

Did anyone understand what Gibbs said to Vance upon asking if he'd ever met Ducky's mom? I had repeat about four times and then turn on subtitles. Something about "it really doesn't rank"?

[rainsmom]

52 minutes ago, ForReal said:

Did anyone understand what Gibbs said to Vance upon asking if he'd ever met Ducky's mom? I had repeat about four times and then turn on subtitles. Something about "it really doesn't rank"?

Yes. He was implying that Victoria's mom was so strange or over-the-top that being associated with a terrorist plot (or whatever they called it) didn't compare.

[Rambler]

I wonder who came up with the idea to throw the NCIS Christmas party in the autopsy lab. Yep let's put all the food and presents on the table where a few hours earlier Ducky was cutting up the Navy Captain and Torres was complaining about the smell. That's not creepy at all...

[basiltherat]

The autopsy room is probably the cleanest place in all D.C.!

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am soooo glad that Shane Kilmeany wasn't a murdering bad guy, and I'd like to think he agreed with Young!Ducky because it was the right thing to do.

That said, I totally knew the son-in-law was behind it because he just looked like a bad guy and the beard didn't help.  And sorry, but there was NO resemblance between that turd and Shane.

I don't know if Caroline Lagerfelt is British or not, but I've seen her on other shows (Law and Order, Nash Bridges) that I didn't or couldn't see her as a younger Nina Foch. Maybe they should have gone with an unknown? I will always love Foch's portrayal the first time we met her, demanding to see Kate's "knickers," being awed by Abby's Mass Spectomater-thingie, and banging on the eye recognition thingie that lets one into MTAC, only to have Jethro escort her away.

And more of ❤️?❤️Mark Harmon ❤️?❤️smiling and laughing, please!