Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS episode “Prodigal Son (Part II)” are ahead!
As promised by NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder last month, we came to the end of the series’ Carla Marino storyline early into Season 23. The new season kicked off last week on the 2025 TV schedule with Alden Parker hunting down the woman who killed his father, which brought his sister, Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker, into the mix. Tonight’s episode, “Prodigal Son (Part II),” saw Carla finally being neutralized. However, in the aftermath, there’s a new Parker-centric mystery that’s been thrown into the mix, and I hope it brings some much-needed closure for Gary Cole’s character.
How NCIS Wrapped Up The Carla Marino Storyline
Sorry to those of you who were betting on both Alden Parker and Carla Marino being blown to pieces on the Quentin. While the ship did indeed explode, it wasn’t because of the fighter jets that Vice Admiral Parker ordered to fire upon it, but rather explosives that Carla hid to fake her death. Fortunately for Parker, he figured out her ruse and managed to get off the boat just in time. He also left a secret message to tip off his team that he was still alive.
Eventually everyone discovered Parker was still breathing, though his sister didn’t waste time putting him behind bars because of all the reckless and illegal actions he’d taken trying to find Carla. Speaking of the Kansas City mob boss and head of Nexus, it was discovered that she’d bailed to Cuba with her granddaughter, Lauren Jacobs, to hide out from the Five Families and give up the Nexus infrastructure in exchange for asylum.
Although Carla had managed to groom Lauren from afar and convince her that she just wanted to have her in her life, it soon became clear that Carla was forcing Lauren to go with her to Cuba. And yet, Vice Admiral Parker was told to not pursue Carla because of the arrangement she made with the Cuban government. So instead, Harriet decided to toss out the rule book for once and let her brother and his team discreetly go to Cuba to rescue Lauren.
They successfully accomplished that goal when an unarmed Alden Parker walked into Carla Marino’s hideout (after her men were taken out) and convinced her to give up Lauren so that she’d be safe from the enemies that were coming for Carla. However, when Parker’s persuasion involved trickery with a locket and picture of her late son, she came out for one last shot at her nemesis of years, only to be gunned down by McGee and Torres. Thankfully, Lauren made it out safely and was reunited with her mother.
The New Mystery That Will Affect Alden Parker
Carla Marino is gone, and at the end of “Prodigal Son (Part II),” it looked like Alden and Harriet were taking the first steps to repairing their relationship. However, let’s backtrack to the final moments of the NCIS Season 22 finale, when Alden found his father’s body in his apartment. He figured out Carla Marino did the horrific deed upon seeing a wine glass with some lipstick on it.
Well, it turns out the DNA on that glass didn’t match Carla’s, meaning that another woman visited Roman Parker before Carla showed up. Who was it? That’s unclear, and Kasie told Jimmy that for now, they shouldn’t tell Parker. My hope is that this new NCIS mystery is tied to the Lily mystery, which was set up in the Season 21 finale. Steven D. Binder confirmed ahead of Season 23’s premiere that this storyline is not connected to what’s happening with Carla Marino, and the last major Lily update we got was in “Moonlit,” when Parker learned that little girl was someone real who was at the site where his mother died in a drunk driving accident.
Maybe the adult Lily tracked down Roman and enjoyed a drink with him shortly before his death, or maybe this is a woman who will help Parker find Lily. Or perhaps I’m totally off base and this new mystery has nothing to do with Lily. I hope that’s not the case though, as Parker deserves to have closure with this girl he’s been seeing in his mind, as well as learn the truth about his mother’s death, as there’s still that discrepancy with her birth certificate that hasn’t been addressed. I guess we’ll see as NCIS Season 23 continues airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.