Spoiler alert for NCIS season 22, episode 3, ‘The Trouble with Hal’NCIS Season 22 has been a big installment for the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) so far, and they took another big step forward in episode 3. NCIS In the Season 22 premiere, Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) held a priest hostage and returned to 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’s going to be a huge season, especially after Season 21 was cut short due to writers’ strikes.
Still, the team also has time for daily matters, and the simplest things like progress in episode 3 will count when the team is in the thick of it at the end of the season. The team discusses what to do with Dr. Donald Mallard’s office in NCIS episode 3 of season 22, with Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) asking the team to turn it into a gym. The petition inspires a broader conversation about how the room should be converted. The discussion makes everyone put their priorities forward NCIS season 22 on the table.
NCIS Season 22 Episode 3 Transforms Ducky’s Old Office into MCRT’s Multi-Purpose Room
The multipurpose room is a tribute to Dr. Mallard
Although the team has some conflicting ideas about what to do with Ducky’s old office, they eventually come together to use it together. Although Nick wants to use the office as a gym and Jimmy agrees to it, Kasie (Diona Reasonover) initially intends to keep it as a memorial to Ducky. Later, Jimmy meets his forensic friend in Ducky’s office when he is looking 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, Karen surveys the entire team about what they want.
Parker wants another place to have lunch besides the bullpen. Despite the others thinking he will be sentimental, Jimmy just wants a place to store Doctor Mallard’s old files, as he is his predecessor as MCRT’s Chief Mexican Examiner. After receiving Karen’s consensus report, Vance declares the room as “Multifunctional room of the Doctor Donald Mallard Memorial,” which includes something for everyone. Torres has a rack of weights, Parker has a lunch table, Karen has a place to meditate, and Dr. Mallard’s old files remain. The team names the multipurpose room “Duckling” to quickly check your new break room.
Ducky’s multipurpose room reflects changes at MCRT
Gary Cole’s Alden Parker Brings Balance to NCIS
Ducky’s multipurpose room reflects the changes MCRT has undergone in recent years. Leroy Jethro Gibbs ran a tighter ship than his successor, Alden Parker (Gary Cole), but their contrast strengthened the show. Introducing Parker after Mark Harmon NCIS leaving in season 19 was wise, as anyone trying to be like Gibbs would fall short. Parker was Gibbs’ opposite. He was relaxed and Parker even brought candy for the team to start the day. Although the team was initially skeptical of Parker, they embraced his more relaxed leadership qualities.
Parker understands that his agents need a place to reset, which was often not high on Gibbs’ list of priorities.
The multipurpose room is the natural culmination of Parker’s more relaxed leadership style, which prioritizes balance. Parker is the one who wants to make Ducky’s office a break room, and Parker barely needs to commit to 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 a problem for Gibbs, who spent his nights at his desk, even falling asleep there. Parker understands that his agents need a place to reset, which was often not high on Gibbs’ list of priorities.
How Ducky’s Multipurpose Room Impacts NCIS Advancement
The Multipurpose Room Will Be A Meeting Place
Ducky’s room will affect the team because they now have a new place to talk. “Duckling” will be the team’s metaphorical watering hole, instead of always staying near the bullpen. It’s a significant departure from Gibbs’ team in NCIS, who was always in the bullpen, Abby’s lab, or at the autopsy. Jimmy and Karen will use the room as before, accessing old files and meditating. However, Nick, with his 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.
“Duckling” means the NCIS Season 22 characters can have more private conversations outside of their workspaces. There isn’t much privacy in the bullpen, and the multipurpose room gives that to everyone. Although it brings a relaxed element to NCIS, having a break room will reclaim other shared spaces for work. Gibbs’ NCIS team used the bullpen as a shared space because he put a lot of pressure on his team, 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 candy.
NCIS season 22 continues on CBS on Monday.