After the explosive NCIS season 22 finale, when we learned that Carla Marino is the new Nexus leader and the heartbreaking very end when Agent Alden Parker comes home to find his father murdered by her, we were left wondering what his revenge will look like.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from the NCIS season 23 premiere
NCIS season 23 is here, and the first episode, "Prodigal Son", already gives us some answers. The title gives it away - this is an episode that dives deep into Parker's past and his family drama, in addition to his vengeance.
NCIS season 23, episode 1 offers a glimpse into Alden Parker's juvie years
A young Alden is sitting in his cell, listening to "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver on a radio, when his father and sister come to "visit". The tension is there from the start—they lost their mother, Alden is angry about moving around where his Navy father gets stationed and accuses him of choosing "a uniform over your own kid".
His sister is no better, blaming Alden first for not being more considerate of their single father's hardships, then for the heart attack Roman Parker suffers, as Harriet Parker claims, because of his son's growing rap sheet.
Older Parker seems as lost as his younger self
After losing his father, just as they were starting to make amends and really talk, Parker would do everything to track Carla down, even illegal stuff. He'd also do anything to keep the grief and guilt at bay. He starts with fake bomb threats that shut down all transport routes and manage to keep Carla in the country.
That soon lands him in a fight with Director Vance, and the tension between them is so thick that it promises to last all through the season, if not longer.
Parker's off-the-book actions escalate into stealing Carla's SUV from Homeland Security custody and tracking down the fake FBI Agent Ford - Carla's guy in the season 22 finale's misleading operation. When they find him, Parker gets information out of Ford through threats and force, enough to land him in jail.
But we have to admit that's effective. The team learn about the shipment on the boat called Quentin, which Ford calls Carla's "last big score".
The NCIS team is like family, through thick and thin
We see McGee, Knight and Torres feel guilty about ever accepting, even pushing to work with Carla to "track down the new Nexus cartel boss" in the season 22 finale. They let themselves fall into her trap despite Parker's warnings, and now they feel guilty.
But it's more than that: they have a history of going rogue when someone on the team—on the family—needs it. They did it for Gibbs, and they're doing it again for Parker. Even when Vance takes them off the case, they gather at Parker's place and make it the new HQ. They keep investigating, proving better than the FBI and Homeland put together.
NCIS season 23 is full of twists and turns
The first twist in the case comes when the ballistics report comes through—Carla used Parker's own weapon to kill Roman. As Kasie and McGee conclude, she wants to make him live with the guilt for his father's death as she did with the death of her son.
When they find Ford, he tells Parker about it. Parker is angry at McGee for keeping it from him. It looks like his grief starts to surface as anger. He promises to go home and get the rest he obviously needs, however.
Not that we believe him. The second twist comes when the team finds out the Quentin ship didn't stick to schedule and is already at sea, with Parker on it. For the grand (episode) finale, Admiral Harriet Parker comes and takes over the operation. The team learns the boat is full of explosives, and Harriet needs to make a difficult decision - protect the country or save Alden.
She gives the fire command, but we know from the trailer that Parker doesn't die. He'll land in jail, yes, but at least he's alive. The team must find another way to get him off that boat.
Whatever that is, we'll learn in NCIS season 23 episode 2, "Prodigal Son II", coming to CBS on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 8/7c.
Get the latest NCIS news and updates with Precinct TV.