The NCIS season 23 premiere left us wondering what Parker's fate would be and how his sister could live with her decision to blow up Carla Marino's ship with her brother on board.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from the NCIS season 23 episode 2
NCIS season 23 episode 2, Prodigal Son part II, brings us answers as to what happened to Parker, advances the investigation into Carla's whereabouts and settles the Parker family drama for good. Or does it?
NCIS season 23 episode 2 eases our worries about Agent Parker
After the explosive cliffhanger "Prodigal Son Part I" left us with, "Part II" opens with the aftermath of the destruction of Carla Marino’s ship. It blew "accidentally" before the Air Force had a chance to follow Harriet Parker's orders.
Everyone on the ship is presumed dead, including Agent Parker. His team thinks so, too—except for Kasie, ever the glimmer of hope. She finds a rigid-hull inflatable boat Parker used to escape, complete with a message: Rule 51, "Sometimes you’re wrong".
NCIS cleverly circles back to Gibbs’s shadow. Parker, operating off the record, retreats to Gibbs’s old cabin, where McGee is already waiting. The two transform the hideout into an impromptu HQ, with solar power, internet, and all, a setup that would make Gibbs himself cringe.
But the real twist comes when Parker reveals the truth behind the explosion: the detonation was a setup, Carla Marino’s attempt to fake her own death. Even the crew had no idea the ship was wired to blow.
Another worry the new episode eased, besides Parker's survival, is Director Vance's decision to assist the team. He lets them keep digging, suspecting Parker is alive and working from the shadows.
The Parker siblings need to work together to take down Carla
Harriet Parker’s reaction to her brother’s reappearance is complicated: anger mixed with a trace of relief. She stays professional, but the cracks in her shell are starting to show.
We finally learn how Parker ends up in jail—his own sister did it. Harriet has him arrested for spreading false information, accessing classified evidence, and interfering with an ongoing investigation. As Agent Knight says, she's making "bending the rules sound like a crime spree".
So far, it looks like Harriet Parker is out for revenge for Roman Parker's death. She still blames Alden, and her visit to him in jail is an echo of his juvie years. But this time, Alden opens up. He admits his guilt and his need for support, not reprimand.
It all goes south when Harriet attempts to bring Carla down legally, only to hit a roadblock. Her frustration breaks free in a moment of vulnerability with Agent Knight, where she admits that both bending and following the rules had the same result.
Knight becomes the bridge between the siblings, convincing Harriet to free Parker so they can track Carla and save her granddaughter, Lauren, together. They both need this—Harriet needs to forgive Alden, and he needs to be useful, to save Lauren where he couldn't save his father.
Carla’s end is inevitable—offered the chance to walk away, she would rather cling to vengeance and is killed. The Parker siblings are free of her and ready to give their father a proper sendoff. Harriet shows Alden a photo their father had carried in his wallet, one of himself and his son, a confirmation of his misunderstood love.
But while the Parker family's past wounds finally start to heal, the episode ends with a fresh twist. Carla did kill Roman Parker, but the lipstick on the wine glass wasn't hers. There was a mystery woman with Roman the night he died.
When will the mystery woman be revealed? What about the inconsistency in Eleanor Parker's death? And finally, is Lily about to surface? Perhaps Roman knew more about her than he let show.
NCIS airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.
Get the latest NCIS news and more with Precinct TV.