I feel this is one of the most heart-touching episodes of the entire series. Not a lot of normal NCIS plot, but it fills in a huge chunk of Ducky's back story. It gives a motive for his decision to remove himself from live patients, concentrating on the dead who could no longer suffer. Another reviewer is unhappy that the sister of the torture victim is not prosecuted. How many ways can this be explained (apart from the political problems raised and that clearly Ducky would refuse to press charges)? One way could be a plea bargain, beloved of American legal dramas - charges of assault are dropped against Mosuma Daoub, provided the (admitted) charges of complicity in war crimes are dropped against Dr Mallard. Another way is forgiveness (and here the two probably run together) - that Mosuma recognises that Ducky was not the root cause of her brother's death, although he was the direct cause, and that that was out of mercy. Ducky does not need or want to forgive Mosuma - his self-felt guilt washes her clean of any possible offence. That is made clear at the end as Ducky accepts that Mosuma has forgiven him "for the crime, Jethro. For the act, there is no forgiveness." Many thanks to the writers for this insight into Ducky's long-term pain. I'm disappointed that Jordan Hampton didn't last longer in the series - she seems to supply something missing from Ducky's life.
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