Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 3, "The Trouble with Hal"NCIS season 22 has been a massive installment for the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) so far, and they just took another big step in episode 3. In the NCIS season 22 premiere, Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) held a priest hostage and rejoined the MCRT in the bullpen. In episode 2, NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) moved the ball forward with his love interest after she was held hostage. There’s even reason to believe that a mole has infiltrated NCIS. It will be an enormous season, especially after season 21’s shortened run due to the writer’s strikes.
Still, the team has time for daily matters, too, and the simpler things, like their progress in episode 3, will count when the team is in the thick of it later in the season. The team discusses what to do with Dr. Donald Mallard’s office in NCIS season 22 episode 3, with Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) petitioning the team to make it a gym. The petition inspires a more comprehensive conversation about what the room should be converted to. The discussion causes everyone to put their priorities for NCIS season 22 on the table.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 3 Turns Ducky's Old Office Into MCRT's Multipurpose Room
The Multipurpose Room Is A Tribute To Dr. Mallard
While the team has some competing ideas about what to do with Ducky’s old office, they ultimately coalesce to use it together. While Nick wants to use the office as a gym, and Jimmy is okay with that, Kasie (Diona Reasonover) initially intends to keep it as a memorial to Ducky. Later, Jimmy catches his forensics friend in Ducky’s office when he looks for an old file, and she admits that she uses Ducky’s office to meditate. With a clear mind and a conversation with her closest friend as her guide, Kasie surveys the entire team about what they want.
Parker wants somewhere to eat his lunch other than the bullpen. Despite the others thinking he will be sentimental, Jimmy just wants a place to keep Doctor Mallard’s old files, since he is his predecessor as the MCRT’s Chief Mexican Examiner. After receiving Kasie's consensus report, Vance declares the room the “Doctor Donald Mallard Memorial Multi-Purpose Room,” which includes something for everyone. Torres has a rack of weights, Parker has a lunch table, Kasie has a place to meditate, and Dr. Mallard’s old files remain. The team dubs the multipurpose room “Ducky’s” to quickly refer to their new break room.
Ducky's Multipurpose Room Reflects The Changes In MCRT
Gary Cole's Alden Parker Brings Balance To NCIS
Ducky’s multipurpose room reflects the changes that MCRT has undergone in recent years. Leroy Jethro Gibbs ran a tighter ship than his successor, Alden Parker (Gary Cole), but their contrast has strengthened the show. Introducing Parker after Mark Harmon’s NCIS exit in season 19 was wise, since anyone who tried to be like Gibbs would fall short. Parker was Gibbs’ opposite. He was laid back, and Parker even brought pastries for the team to start their day. While the team was skeptical of Parker at first, they have taken to his more relaxed leadership qualities.
The multipurpose room is the natural conclusion of Parker’s more lax leadership style, which prioritizes balance. Parker is the one who wants to make Ducky’s office a break room, and Parker barely has to compromise on what he wants. Parker just wants to eat his sandwich somewhere other than his desk, and now he has that. Eating at his desk wasn't an issue for Gibbs, who spent late nights at his desk, even falling asleep there. Parker understands that his agents need a place to reset, which wasn’t high on Gibbs’ list of priorities often.
How Ducky's Multipurpose Room Impacts NCIS Moving Forward
The Multipurpose Room Will Be A Place To Gather
Custom image by Yeider Chacon
Ducky’s room will affect the team because they now have a new place to converse. “Ducky’s” will be the team’s metaphorical water cooler, rather than always hanging out around the bullpen. It’s a significant departure from Gibbs’ team in NCIS, who was always either in the bullpen, Abby’s lab, or the autopsy. Jimmy and Kasie will use the room as before, accessing old files and meditating. However, Nick, with his sets of weights, and Parker, with his break room, will have an improved quality of life in season 22, which is excellent because they prioritize their health.
“Ducky’s” means the NCIS season 22 characters can have more private conversations outside their workspaces. There isn't a lot of privacy in the bullpen, and the multipurpose room gives everyone that. While it brings a laid-back element to NCIS, having a break room will reclaim the other shared spaces for work. Gibbs’ NCIS team used the bullpen as a shared space because he pushed his team hard, and they were often at their desks. Parker’s team now has a place to be casual, and the team leader has a place to put his pastries.
NCIS season 22 continues on CBS on Monday.
