"NCIS" season 14 will air its holiday special this week and the Christmas-themed episode will find Ducky (David McCallum) questioning a pivotal life choice he made almost four decades ago. The episode shifts the "NCIS" season 14 focus squarely on Ducky, an original supporting character whose backstory has rarely been visited, as he takes a trip down memory lane.
Following last week's Congresswoman and her murdered personal aid, this week's "NCIS" season 14 episode will find the NCIS team investigating the murder of a Navy captain. In "The Tie that Binds," the agents, led by Gibbs (Mark Harmon), find evidence at the crime scene that leads to a connection with Ducky's deceased mother. Ducky, whose real name is Donald Mallard, lived with his aging mother until her Alzheimer's necessitated a move to an assisted living facility in season 6. In "NCIS" season 7, it was revealed that Ducky's mother had died.
In the upcoming "NCIS" season 14 episode 10, Ducky's late mom will make her presence felt when the team finds Ducky's address in the murder victim's pocket. This leads them to later make a connection between the dead man and the late Victoria Mallard. As the investigation continues, Ducky finds himself recalling his life as a young man and questioning a life-altering decision he made 37 years ago. The episode will reportedly flashback to the days when the NCIS Chief Medical Examiner served as a doctor in the army. Spoiler TV says that Adam Campbell will return to "NCIS" to reprise his role as a young Ducky. Joe Spano will also return as Senior FBI Agent TC Fornell.
Despite the new murder, "NCIS" season 14 episode 10 won't be all death and heartache. According to TV Guide, the upcoming special will also find the NCIS team exchanging holiday gifts, sampling new eggnog concoctions, and Gibbs having Christmas dinner with Fornell and his daughter Emily (Juliette Angelo).
Watch the sneak peek for "NCIS" season 14 episode 10, in which Ducky catches his mother hiding a naked man in her closet. "NCIS" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.