SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for NCIS Season 23, Episode 1.
It’s no surprise that NCIS Season 23, Episode 1 picks up quickly after the Season 22 finale, since that ended on a cliffhanger in which Alden Parker’s father was killed. It is interesting that the CBS show returns with a two-part story. “Prodigal Son, Part 1” never stops feeling like the middle of a book that’s still unfinished.
The general plot of a main character crossing lines in order to avenge or save a loved one is a very common idea, because it works. Audiences get to see their heroes in a heightened emotional state, which means the actors get more to play with, too. This remains true on NCIS, as Gary Cole gets to lose his cool a few times—most notably when Parker doesn’t like being sent home by Director Leon Vance. Cole and Rocky Carroll expertly handle the scene that the audience knows is coming. Everything is about how far Parker will go in his father’s name, while the rest of the team tries to either help or caution him.
“Prodigal Son, Part 1” hits all the notes that this kind of story uses, from the arguments to the angst and people doing things that are questionable at best. But because it’s labeled as a “Part 1,” the viewer knows that they’re not going to get a resolution—which makes it feel somewhat like a lame duck. What doesn’t help is that this is now the third Carla Marino episode, with at least one more to go. Parker having an enemy is well and good, but there’s only so long NCIS can stretch that out. Plot-wise, this episode boils down to the team trying to catch up to Parker, and then a second consecutive cliffhanger.
NCIS somewhat makes up for this by trying to introduce an emotional arc between Parker and his estranged sister Harriet, portrayed by Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing). Harriet, as it turns out, is a Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy—and given orders to disable or destroy the vessel with her brother on it. The new cliffhanger for this episode involves Harriet issuing those orders while everyone waits to see if Parker and/or Carla survives. Gary Cole hasn’t been said to be leaving the show, so it’s hard to think NCIS is going to kill him off. And it would be dramatically antithetical to kill Carla without Parker getting one last shot at her, so while the episode has the best of intentions, it doesn’t quite succeed.
And therein lies the issue. Rather than the huge season premiere event fans may be expecting, “Prodigal Son, Part 1” never stops feeling like the middle part of the story. It’s the legwork necessary to get the plot from the end of Season 22 to the real ending in “Part 2.” While the NCIS cast are as reliable as ever—plus All Rise alum Shalim Ortiz makes a memorable guest appearance as the forger Fernando—the show would be wise to wrap this plot up and move on to other things. Parker has been tormented by his past long enough, whether it’s Lily or his dad or the mystery of his mom, and this solid but not memorable episode is treading on very familiar ground.
