Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS season 22, episode 20, "Nexus."The NCIS season 22 finale was filled with many exciting moments but also left a few questions unanswered. NCIS season 22 started off strong following the NCIS season 21 finale, which teased Katrina Law's exit and Knight's breakup with Palmer. The season followed these storylines but not without adding some excitement to the mix.
NCIS season 22 also saw the MCRT deal with Parker's Lily mystery as well as encounter a few season villains. While LaRoche and Marino were the big names for the season, there were other notable villains as well, including the poet and Fletcher Voss. The season finale included some of the most exciting moments of the season while also setting up NCIS season 23.
LaRoche Was Working As A Double Agent
LaRoche Was Working Both Sides
The biggest reveal of the season finale was the explanation behind LaRoche's actions. From the first episode of NCIS season 22, Seamus Dever's Gabriel LaRoche was set up as the season villain and McGee's nemesis after he received a promotion over McGee. For the entirety of the season, LaRoche was seen as a mole and traitor, but NCIS season 22, episode 20, "Nexus," finally cleared him of wrongdoing.
"Nexus" revealed that LaRoche was working as a double agent for both the Nexus cartel and the Department of Defense, all under SecDef's instruction. The Department of Defense reached out to LaRoche while he was still working in the Department of Justice, urging him to leak Torres' identity to the cartel and betray NCIS for the greater good. LaRoche's NCIS season 22 twist means he was a good guy all along but could not reveal his true motivators until he was caught.
McGee Is Struggling To Grow
While LaRoche's reveal should have been exciting for the MCRT and NCIS as a whole, it was actually insulting to Sean Murray's Timothy McGee. As the show's longest-running cast member, Murray's Mcgee has been on the MCRT for years, working alongside both Gibbs and Parker. However, his veteran status should have given him impeccable investigative skills by now, and LaRoche's twist has revealed McGee still has struggles.As a result, NCIS season 23 needs to decide what to do with McGee. He has been part of the team for so long that there is not much room for his character to grow. He needs to either be promoted, like he should have been before LaRoche came along, or he needs to leave NCIS altogether. I love McGee, but his time on the show is stunting his character and NCIS needs to find a way to move forward.
Marino Is The True Nexus Leader (Her Motivations Against Parker Explained)
Marino Wants To Be At The Top Of The Criminal World
LaRoche's twist was not the only interesting reveal in the NCIS season 22 finale. "Nexus" also revealed that Carla Marino was not only working alongside LaRoche in the Nexus cartel but that she was the leader. Her connection to LaRoche and the cartel was unclear up until this point, but the NCIS season 22 finale made it clear that Marino is dangerous and is willing to do whatever it takes to reach the top of the criminal world.
"Nexus" also referred back to Parker's days in the FBI where he first started to investigate Marino. The connection between their shared past and NCIS season 22 was finally made clear in the finale when Marino revealed that she always blamed Parker for her son's death years ago. It was Parker who revealed to Jason, Marino's son, the extent of his mom's crime spree, which led him to flee and get into a motorcycle accident. Ultimately, this is what brought Marino back into Parker's life. She wanted to seek her revenge.
NCIS Season 22 Leaves Lily's Mystery Unresolved (What It Means For Season 23)
Lily's Appearances Have To Do With Parker's Mom
One of the more frustrating aspects of the finale is that it got so close to revealing who Lily is and what Parker's mother's death has to do with her, only to back out at the last second. Lily was first introduced in the NCIS season 21 finale and NCIS season 22 was set up so that Parker's NCIS Lily mystery was one of the key storylines. Throughout the season, Parker even reached out to his father, Dr. Grace Confalone, and Palmer to help figure out his hallucinations.
How Roman's Death Sets Up Parker's NCIS Season 23 Arc
Parker Will Have A Dark Storyline In NCIS Season 23
The NCIS season 22 finale was devastating for Parker. Known for being an understanding, relaxed leader, Parker will likely experience significant changes in NCIS season 23. He will likely feel responsible for Roman's death because he was the one who let Marino into his home, which gave her access to meet and kill Roman. Parker already hated Marino for her actions and the murders of several of his coworkers and friends from his days in the FBI, but the murder of Parker's father is on another level.
How Else The NCIS Season 22 Finale Sets Up Season 23
There Is Still A Lot To Look Forward To
While most of the NCIS season 22 finale centered on Marino's involvement in the Nexus cartel, the finale also set up NCIS season 23 in a few other ways. One major way was through the introduction to the Messiahs of Purity, a new white supremacist terrorist organization in the NCIS universe. While they were only mentioned for a brief scene where their leader gives Torres and Knight some valuable information regarding the Nexus cartel's interest in uranium, the fact that they were even introduced signifies danger for NCIS season 23.
