Summary

• Ducky's emotional tribute episode lacked expected cameos but set up the new NCIS expansion show with Tony and Ziva.
• Tony's brief appearance during Ducky's send-off now makes sense as he and Ziva are on the run in the NCIS: Europe spinoff.
• Ziva's absence at Ducky's funeral is explained by the dangerous circumstances of her and Tony being together with their daughter, Tali.

The exciting updates in the bigger NCIS franchise explain why Ducky's tribute episode was disappointing. David McCallum's beloved character was given an emotional send-off in NCIS season 21, episode 2, "The Stories We Leave Behind." Agent Alden Parker and the rest of the team band together to solve the final case that Ducky was working on before ing away, and while there was no doubt that the squad was going to be able to crack the mystery, there was still some disappointment over the lack of cameos in the outing.

Ducky's NCIS tribute isn't bad; it was an emotional and beautiful send-off to the last remaining NCIS original character. That being said, there were certain expectations coming to the outing, considering how much Dr. Mallard meant to the organization — both past and present iterations. Despite being long-time friends, Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs was absent during Ducky's funeral. Instead, NCIS season 21 recruited Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo for a brief cameo. As exciting as it was seeing the "Very Special Agent," however, it was still a let-down. Fortunately, there was a bigger reason why the show only brought back DiNozzo.

NCIS: Europe Spinoff Explains Why Tony DiNozzo Couldn’t Stay

Unraveling the Mystery of Tony DiNozzo's Departure

Not long after Ducky's tribute episode, it was announced that the NCIS franchise is once again expanding via a Tony and Ziva David spinoff. Not much has been revealed about the series currently nicknamed NCIS: Europe, but instead of broadcasting on CBS, it will stream on Paramount+, with production set to start some time in the next several months. According to the show's premise, the offshoot will see Tony and Ziva on the run across the continent, although the reason why remains unclear. Nonetheless, this detail explains why Tony couldn't arrive earlier or stay longer for Ducky's tribute.

Tony's initially seemingly innocuous updates during his NCIS season 21 comeback now make more sense.

Interestingly, Tony's initially seemingly innocuous updates during his NCIS season 21 comeback now make more sense. He mentioned that he grabbed the bow tie he gave Jimmy Palmer during his flight from London, establishing his whereabouts before he landed in Washington DC. He also mentioned in ing that he was just ing through, which fits in with his situation in NCIS: Europe. Since he and Ziva are on the run, they can't really stay in one place for much longer, hence why he didn't have time to hang out with his old buddies.

Ziva’s Absence In Ducky’s Tribute Is Explained By NCIS: Europe’s Premise

The Missing Puzzle Piece

The premise of NCIS: Europe also effectively explains why Ziva couldn't Tony.

The premise of NCIS: Europe also effectively explains why Ziva couldn't Tony. While the series hasn't shown their reunion, the pair has long been together and raising their daughter, Tali. Under normal circumstances, both Ziva and Tony would have attended Ducky's funeral. However, doing a transatlantic flight as a family could be dangerous, especially if they are with Tali. Separating from each other makes it more difficult to track them down, increasing the chances of their survival. Hopefully the trio can make their way to the DMV for NCIS season 21 before they run off again to Europe.

NCIS season 21 airs new episodes every Monday, 9pm ET on CBS.