For a man with such a distinctive nickname, Ducky Mallard conducts himself in an almost grandfatherly manner with most of his colleagues. He can be businesslike and formal, even when he shows a sense of humor at the autopsy table. That’s reflected in what he chooses to call each of them; he prefers to use his friends’ full names. That results in him calling Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) “Abigail,” Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander) being referred to as “Caitlin,” and Tim McGee (Sean Murray) being called “Timothy,” among many others. He also highly disapproves of others shortening his own nickname to “Duck.” Only one former member of the “NCIS” crew can refer to him that way — Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). In return for this touch of casualness, Ducky is allowed to call Gibbs by his own hated middle name.
There’s no word at press time as to how the show will deal with the possible death of Ducky once “NCSI” returns for its 21st Season. He might even remain alive off-screen, forever gently bemused by his old friends, popping up in their conversations now and again. No matter what course of action the writers pick, he’s left behind one wonderful legacy, as has David McCallum himself.
