NCIS Season 23 opens at full throttle as Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) life hangs in the balance during the hunt for Kansas City mob boss Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay). After Carla murd3red Parker’s father in the Season 22 finale, Parker is consumed by vengeance – a mission that may cost him his life.

Carla Marino Strikes Back

Carla, a powerful cr1me boss, blames Parker for her son’s death. In last season’s finale, she kidnapped Parker and k1lled his father, Roman (Francis X. McCarthy). Now, in the new season, Parker’s obsession with revenge shows a darker side as he defies orders and goes rogue.

A Desperate Mission

Ignoring Timothy McGee’s (Sean Murray) pleas to rest, Parker stays awake for days tracking Carla. When Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) benches him, Parker continues off the books, even calling in false bomb threats to stop Carla from escaping the country.

The team – McGee, Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) – locates Carla’s SUV, leading them to her accomplice, who reveals she’s planning one last big score aboard a ship called The Quentin. Security footage confirms both Carla and Parker are onboard, setting up a high-stakes confrontation.

Family vs. Duty

When the Navy takes over the mission, Parker’s sister, Admiral Harriet Parker (Nancy Travis), insists on following orders. Despite begging Vance for another option, she ultimately commands the strike team to destroy the ship – with Parker still aboard. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as missiles launch toward The Quentin.

The Parker Sibling Rift

Flashbacks to 1977 show the roots of Alden and Harriet’s strained relationship. As kids, Harriet resented her brother’s juvenile arrest and the stress it caused their father. Decades later, that tension remains – Harriet, now a three-star admiral, still questions her brother’s judgment.

Their emotional conflict becomes the episode’s core, as Harriet must choose between family loyalty and duty. Her decision to fire exposes the deep divide between their values and sets up a powerful reckoning to come.

Can Parker Survive?

With The Quentin under att4ck, Parker’s fate is uncertain. While NCIS rarely k1lls off main characters without warning, Parker’s situation seems dire. The last scene shows him discovering something shocking aboard the ship – a possible clue to his survival.

Fans can expect a dramatic continuation next week as NCIS resolves the fallout from Roman Parker’s murd3r and reveals whether Alden survives to face his sister again.