Why doesn’t Agent Carter want to be part of the family on NCIS: New Orleans?

NCIS: New Orleans introduced Special Agent Quentin Carter on Episode 14, and he made it clear he doesn’t want to be part of the family. Why is that?

Special Agent Quentin Carter’s introduction went as well as we could expect considering the character’s personality. We were warned that he was arrogant and doesn’t really fit in well with teams. That certainly seems the case on NCIS: New Orleans. However, some things don’t quite add up.

At the end of NCIS: New Orleans Season 6, Episode 14, Carter told Pride that he didn’t want to be part of a family. That’s what the team is to Pride and the others. It would seem odd that Pride would want someone who doesn’t want to be part of the family to stick around. It’s clear that Pride sees something in Carter; something that we should consider right now.

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One thing that doesn’t add up for me is that Carter is a former Marine. He knows what it’s like to have a brotherhood, a work-family that you will always stick by. It seems odd that he wouldn’t want to find another family unless there was something holding him back; something that is making him put up walls.

I have a feeling something happened to him that made him leave the Marines. Maybe his team was killed. Being a lone survivor would make you hold back, close off from everyone else. It would make him scared to get close to another team in fear of the same thing happening. Instead of embracing a new family, he’d want to avoid getting close and would make sure he pushes people to hate him.

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Another option is that something happened to get him kicked out of his family. Maybe his fellow brothers didn’t back him up on a situation. That doesn’t make all that much sense considering the position he’s in now. I’m going with him being a lone survivor or just losing one or two of his brothers to make the idea of getting close to others a major fear.

It’s clear that he has lost someone. When Lasalle was brought up, Carter had a look of sorrow and empathy. He knows what it’s like to grieve a teammate, a brother. However, he quickly used his cockiness to cover up his own feelings and change the subject.

Pride wouldn’t have brought Carter in if there wasn’t something he could see. Being good at the job is just part of the puzzle. Pride needs to know that Carter brings something that works with the team. He does have a habit of bringing in slightly broken people and helping to fix them, so I could see him doing this for Carter.

I get the sense that we’ll find out something in the next few episodes. There’s a reason for Carter’s attitude, and now we need to give him the chance to feel comfortable to share his story.

We can’t just expect him to share a story with strangers because we know them. He needs time to get to know his new NCIS: New Orleans family. That’s what it will become to him.

What do you think Carter is hiding? What’s holding him back from embracing the family? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

NCIS: New Orleans airs Sundays on CBS.