NCIS Wrapped Up Its Carla Marino Storyline, But Now There’s Another Mystery That I Hope Will Lead To Much-Needed Closure For Parker

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Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS episode “Prodigal Son (Part II)” are ahead!

As NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder predicted last month, the storyline involving Carla Marino concluded early in Season 23. The season began last week with Alden Parker investigating the murder of his father, which also involved his sister, Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker. Tonight’s episode, “Prodigal Son (Part II),” finally resolved the Carla Marino case. However, a new mystery focusing on the Parker family has emerged, and hopefully it will provide some satisfying answers for Gary Cole’s character.

How NCIS Wrapped Up The Carla Marino Storyline

We apologize to anyone who thought Alden Parker and Carla Marino would be destroyed when the Quentin exploded. While the ship did explode, it wasn’t from the fighter jets Vice Admiral Parker ordered. Instead, Carla had planted explosives to make it look like she died. Luckily, Parker realized her plan and escaped just in time. He also left a hidden message to let his team know he was still alive.

Everyone eventually realized Parker was alive, but his sister immediately had him arrested due to his dangerous and unlawful behavior while searching for Carla. As for Carla, the leader of the Kansas City mob and Nexus, she had fled to Cuba with her granddaughter, Lauren Jacobs, hoping to find safety from the Five Families and offering to dismantle the Nexus organization in return for protection.

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Carla had skillfully manipulated Lauren from a distance, making her believe Carla simply wanted her in her life. However, it quickly became apparent that Carla was actually forcing Lauren to travel to Cuba with her. Despite this, Vice Admiral Parker was instructed to stand down due to an agreement Carla had made with the Cuban government. Frustrated by this order, Harriet decided to ignore protocol and authorized her brother and his team to secretly travel to Cuba to rescue Lauren.

The team achieved their objective when Alden Parker, without a weapon, entered Carla Marino’s hideout – after her associates had been subdued – and talked her into surrendering Lauren to protect her from the people pursuing Carla. However, Parker used a misleading tactic involving a locket and photo of her deceased son, which prompted Carla to attempt one final attack on her long-time rival, only to be fatally shot by McGee and Torres. Fortunately, Lauren was rescued unharmed and returned to her mother.

The New Mystery That Will Affect Alden Parker

Carla Marino is dead, and the season finale of NCIS showed Alden and Harriet beginning to rebuild their relationship. However, the most shocking moment came when Alden discovered his father’s body at home. He quickly realized Carla Marino was responsible, noticing lipstick on a wine glass that gave her away.

The DNA found on the glass didn’t belong to Carla, meaning another woman was with Roman Parker before she arrived. Investigators aren’t yet sure who this woman is, and they’ve decided to keep this information from Parker for now. There’s hope this new case will connect to the mystery surrounding Lily, which was introduced at the end of Season 21. However, the showrunner confirmed this storyline isn’t related to Carla Marino’s situation. The last update on Lily came in the episode “Moonlit,” where Parker discovered she was a real person who was present at the location where his mother died in a drunk driving accident.

I’m really curious about this new woman, Lily! I wonder if she’s the one Parker finally tracked down, maybe even had a last drink with Roman before he died? Or could she be the key to helping Parker find her himself? Honestly, I’m hoping she’s connected to Lily somehow, because Parker deserves answers. He’s been searching for her for so long, and he also needs to finally understand what happened to his mother – that weird thing with her birth certificate still bothers me. I can’t wait to find out what happens next when NCIS Season 23 continues, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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2025-10-22 04:08