Season 22 of NCIS left us with more questions than answers when it comes to Agent Alden Parker and his visions of the little blonde girl called Lily.
The season teased a number of potential connections, but since then, showrunner Steven D. Binder made it clear that the enigmatic figure of Lily isn't connected to who the finale made fans all over the world suspect.
NCIS season 22 Lily mystery theories debunked from the inside
The NCIS season 22 finale gave us the impression that there might be some connection between Carla Marino and Lily, perhaps something from Parker's shared past with the Kansas City mob queen. Theories ran wild, with fans believing Carla to be a grown-up version of the little girl tormenting Parker's life.
Yet, according to TVLine, that was nothing more than a red herring, and we still don't have any definite answers as to who Parker's visions are connected to. All we know for sure now is that Binder stated, "It felt like these should be separate stories." Carla and Lily don't mix for the foreseeable future.
NCIS season 23: Can Lily be connected to Agent Parker's sister?
After the NCIS season 23 premiere, we're still wondering what Jimmy Palmer found in Eleanor Parker's death certificate to make him conclude that it didn't match the coroner's report.
Showrunner Binder promised that this mystery would be solved soon enough, although they left us hoping after the season 22 finale that the first episode would provide answers, when it only deepened the enigma.
The only thing we know for a fact, after season 22, episode 15, "Moonlit", is that Lily is a real person and was on site when Parker's mother crashed into that tree. Otherwise, the new season seems determined to keep playing with our emotions and drip information rather than pour it on us all at once.
In the same TVLine interview, Binder teased a potential connection to Parker's sister, Admiral Harriet Parker. Season 23 introduces her through a series of flashbacks of Parker's juvie years, and the drama heightens when she makes the tough call to blow the ship full of explosives her brother is on with Carla and the Nexus cartel.
Although this family drama is a subject in itself, the bigger question is: Could Harriet be Lily? Or will the fan theory according to which Alden and Harriet had a secret sister prove to be true? Once again, we have more question marks than explanations. Still, I'd love to see another Parker family member surface as the mystery surrounding Eleanor's death comes to its [definitely] surprising conclusion.
There's still hope for the coming episode to clear up some things. Catch NCIS season 23 episode 2 on Tuesday, Oct. 21, on CBS at 8/7c.
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