It’s redundant when you have to keep pointing out how NCIS: Origins is the perfect show to give you warm fuzzies. But it’s true!
NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 13 gave us one of the most unexpected bromances, brought Ducky back into the fold, elevated Tango with his own arc, and gave us two murders (one nearly 200 years old).
And by doing so, we had the perfect combination of warmth, heart, and family that has made everything in this sophomore season really click into place.
So does this mark the official origin of Ducky’s nickname? Randy was determined to have one for Ducky, and he jumped at the chance to call him that and for it to stick.
What’s amusing is the fact that it has. Randy is an interesting character to me because he’s deeply embedded in the NCIS lore, but we never really knew it.
It’s almost like he was destined to be the uncredited soul of the agency, this nameless person who shaped a franchise in ways we never knew. And there’s a tragedy in that, when you think about it.
Consider all the influential figures who have shaped and molded something, who have built something only to barely make it as a footnote, let alone anything at all.
They touch on that a bit when he doesn’t make it into the agency newsletter that featured the Fed Five.
We saw how prominent he was during that investigation during NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 11, yet it’s McClane who gets most of the credit, and Vera and Randy are erased.
What’s lovable about Randy is that he’s not even jealous or resentful about Mike or Gibbs.
And he doesn’t seem that affected by his lack of acknowledgment, but he does struggle with the notion that others don’t take him seriously, which is why he doesn’t get recognition.
It almost circles back around to NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 6 when it touched on his value. During that hour, Mike didn’t want Randy to lose his light.
And here, Wheeler didn’t want Randy to become too “serious.” It’s not his shtick.
What he does and how he does it work for him, and Randy, being anything but what he truly is, would be a loss to everyone. Besides, he is too much fun of a character to be dulled.
Ducky is the same way, and it was great to have him back after the stellar tribute to his character with NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 3. They even pick up a bit on where we leave off with Ducky’s state of mind.
He’s in a different country, living in a new city, and despite his successes in his field and a fantastic promotion, he’s lonely.
Ducky is such a social creature that you can feel the weight of his loneliness, and it makes his friendship with Tango a perfect fit.
What a precious, cute friendship! The montage of Ducky and Tango’s weekly calls made me smile.
Knowing that Ducky lived for those weekly calls, it was no wonder that he hopped on a plane and traveled across the country to help Tango with something as sacred and special as giving his ancestor a proper burial by any means possible.
Hell, it was no wonder he socked Wylde good in the office. Ducky has hands! It was a delicious moment, even if it did land him in an orange jumpsuit sitting right beside Tango. Did I mention how much I love this show?
The hour was great at rounding out Tango a bit more. We don’t see him quite as much, and it was nice to have an installment that gave him some focus and spotlighted his heritage in such a compelling way that still feels prescient.
Sadly, it’s not uncommon for people to stumble upon bones and focus exclusively on how they can profit from the remains rather than respecting those remains and the culture and descendants they may have.
That anyone was following Tango and equating a Native man with an opportunity to stumble upon “Native treasure” worth selling was frustrating.
But I’ll spare you all a rant about artifacts and what amounts to a disgraceful process of wealthy people and establishments profiting further on history.
I loved the context added about Tango’s father, his motivations, and all those elements, but as an hour that centered a bit on a character and gave us more insight into a member of the team in a way we haven’t seen before, Tango’s still felt a bit thin.
Perhaps it was because so much of it also tied into Ducky’s return, and the hour had to juggle other things as well. The murder case itself outshone Tango as an individual character once it got going.
But aside from the dynamic with Ducky, what was most enjoyable was watching Mike lose his shit over Tango. He really is his family, and Mike doesn’t play about his family.
But Tango also represents the part of Tish he still has. And it folds into the undercurrent messaging, not just about homes, but about having things that stay—things you know aren’t going anywhere.
Tish is gone, and Mike can’t do anything else about that. Her absence still weighs on him, but he’s accepted it.
But he still has her family—they’re his family. Tish is gone, but Tango is a stable fixture in his life, and the fear of losing that and him because of this case and an angry park ranger was too much for him.
Even the softness he exuded in Tish’s grandmother’s presence said so much. Tish is the great love Mike will never get over, but he still clings to these pieces of her.
Mike’s culturally insensitive and ignorant ass meeting his match with the park ranger made me chuckle. He was so outraged by that “Cowboy and Indian” crack when that’s exactly something he would’ve said.
And the slow turn of the wheels in his head at the idea that maybe the park ranger was racist, and how Mike ran with it, made me laugh out loud.
It’s always amusing when someone you care about who is either blind to microaggressions or guilty of them suddenly gets outraged when they pick up on them themselves. Gold star for you, Michael!
His attempt to tell Tango to act whiter basically, and Tango’s facial expression, were priceless. Goodness, we totally need more scenes with those two!
It’s cute that Mike thinks that when it comes to possible bigotry, you can reason with or appeal to people. But it wasn’t even about that at all.
The Park Ranger was in his feelings about the constant disrespect he got for being a park ranger and not being valued like other forms of law enforcement.
And he had a chip on his shoulder, the hold time. Mary Jo smoothing it all over and letting both of our beloved ME’s out of the clinker once again reinforces why she’s the MVP.
Chit Chat:
- I still have these exact conversations with my grandmother about voicemail to this day.
- Lala has that smoking hot hunk of a man in her bed, making her food, and just being sexy as hell! And she’s having steamy dreams about Gibbs. Feelings are so embarrassing, y’all.
- I’m shocked that Lala gave Manny a key to her home. She really is serious, and I’m worried that he’s on borrowed time. Gibbs’ jealousy is amusing, though.
- Of course, Lala could casually tell Gibbs exactly why he’s building a boat in his shed without even being prompted. He doesn’t need to move it — the fact that it’s something solid that doesn’t go anywhere is the entire point.
- Phil kicking Gene’s ass was hilarious and so unexpected.
- I love Lala and Randy’s interrogation team-up. Their friendship has been top-tier all season.
- The office shenanigans are just so fun. NCIS: Origins has truly hit its humorous stride this season. I swear, I laugh every episode.
Over to you, NCIS: Origins Fanatics!
Did you love the Ducky/Tango bromance? How about that Tish update? Sound off below!
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