Warning! Spoilers ahead for the NCIS season 22 finale.NCIS season 22 has come to an end, but not all of its stories have closed the chapter yet. The NCIS season 22 finale gave some kind of closure to several storylines introduced throughout the season, including Carla Marino's return to Parker's life as well as the truth behind Gabriel LaRoche's mysterious behavior. However, the season still left many unanswered questions.
NCIS season 22 tackled the fallout from the previous year's cliffhanger, and it is highly likely that NCIS season 23 will do the same thing. However, if its previous seasons have revealed anything, it is that NCIS loves long arcs and slow burns. While the show still has many unanswered questions, there is some hope that they might be answered in the next season premiere.
9 What Did Palmer Discover About Parker's Mom?
Palmer Had Just Discovered Something Strange
Throughout NCIS season 22, Parker reaches out to his father and Dr. Grace Confalone to get answers about Lily and her connection to Parker's mother's death. However, Parker's mother's body had been lost over the years when the local government needed to dig up the cemetery to develop a highway. As a result, Parker reaches out to Palmer to use his connections in the mortuary world to get his help in finding her again.
Palmer's search appears to be pointless at first, but the NCIS season 22 finale introduces an intriguing development to the investigation. A friend of Palmer's helps him locate Parker's mother's original death certificate in hopes of finding her new burial place. While this should seem mundane, if not a little morbid, Palmer has an unusual reaction to reading Parker's mom's death certificate. Unfortunately, the episode ends before Palmer can reveal what he has discovered.
8 Who Really Is Lily?
Lily's Identity Remains A Mystery
Parker's biggest storyline in NCIS season 22 has been trying to discover the meaning behind his hallucinations and the identity behind the little girl. The only thing he is certain of is that her name is Lily. Interestingly, Parker comes close to discovering more about her when he begins to look into his mother's death. While looking at archived newspapers, he sees that the young girl in his hallucinations appears in one of the photos in the report about his mother's accident.
While Palmer has learned more about Parker's mother and Lily's identity is close to being revealed, there is still no concrete answer about who Lily is. The photograph proved that Lily was not Parker's long-lost sister and NCIS' showrunner, Steven D. Binder, debunked the rumor that Carla was a grown-up Lily. With two of the biggest theories about Lily being proven wrong, the possibilities of her identity shrink but her mystery grows.
7 How Will Roman's Death Set Up Parker's Arc In NCIS Season 23?
Parker Will Likely Change His Leadership Style
The NCIS season 22 finale leaves a devastating mark on Parker's character, but how that will manifest itself remains to be seen. The finale shows Parker's dad, Roman, was stabbed in the chest and killed by a murderer wearing lipstick. Given the tone of the finale and Carla Marino's vengeful nature, it is safe to assume that it was Marino who killed Roman as a way to get back at Parker for having a part in her son's death.
Parker's father being murdered is the heaviest plot line that Parker has had to face so far as the MCRT's Special Agent in Charge ever since he took over in season 19. As a result, it is likely that we will see the darkest and scariest version of Parker yet, as his rage overcomes him, and he uses his anger as fuel to put Marino behind bars. Her crime spree has just turned personal, which will likely propel Parker's hate for Marino even more.
6 Who Were The Other Crime Leaders Marino Tried To Kill?
Marino's Crimes Have No Boundaries
When the Nexus cartel and Marino gained access to the uranium, she attempted to use it on her nemeses, other major crime leaders, by luring them all in under false pretenses. If she had succeeded, she would have been the only major leader left alive. However, NCIS season 22, episode 20 never revealed who those leaders were or what they were a part of. Marino's hate against them was apparent, but their identities remain a mystery.
5 Will LaRoche Return In NCIS Season 23?
Gabriel LaRoche's Storyline Is Over
Seamus Dever's Gabriel LaRoche was set up as the season villain ever since the NCIS season 22 premiere. However, the finale has cleared him of all charges by revealing he was working undercover the whole time. LaRoche was working as a double agent for the Nexus cartel and the Department of Defense as a way to gain valuable information about what the Nexus cartel was planning next. This makes his story exciting but also does not leave much room to expand on his character in the next season.
The NCIS season 22 finale showed LaRoche getting all the credit for stopping the uranium bomb explosion after the MCRT did all the work. However, that is a sign of the bureaucracy in the agency rather than a personal vendetta against the team. It seems like he is on good terms with everyone again, but there does not seem to be much more that he can do other than appear occasionally as NCIS' Deputy Director.
4 Who Will Be The New NCIS Deputy Director?
LaRoche Could Return Or Someone New Could Take Over
While LaRoche could return as the Deputy Director of NCIS, the closure of his story leaves the possibility open for a new and exciting change. In addition, LaRoche's involvement in an underground and undercover operation leaves some questions about the sanctity of government work. NCIS has not always been an entirely accurate representation of police work, but it is possible that LaRoche will have to step down while he answers some questions about his involvement in the Nexus cartel.
3 What Happens To McGee In NCIS Season 23?
McGee Needs To Grow In The Next Season
Of all NCIS characters this season, McGee had the least amount of growth and may have even had a small decline. His major NCIS season 22 storyline revolved around his distrust of LaRoche and his disappointment that his new enemy got the Deputy Director position over himself. As the current longest-running character in NCIS, McGee should have seen the signs of undercover work, but he failed to see the truth behind LaRoche's actions.
As a result, NCIS season 23 needs to change his character in some way. His time on NCIS is stunting his growth, but giving McGee a new position or challenge could bring him back to becoming one of the best NCIS characters again. NCIS season 23 could see him be promoted or even gain the deputy director position. Whatever the case, it is clear that McGee needs a positive change.
NCIS Season 22 Left Things Open
After the frustrating NCIS season 21 finale, Knight left NCIS and broke up with Palmer, only to return shortly after to an awkward professional relationship. NCIS season 22 has even teased their reunion several times through the mention of dating apps, love confessions, and the sight of jealousy from both characters. However, they remain broken up.
Knight and Palmer's split was shocking, but their continued separation is even more surprising. Binder even teased Knight and Palmer's NCIS reunion by hinting at how exciting it would be to see them separate before seeing them together again. However, nothing has come of their relationship since then. NCIS loves slow-burns, but the teases about Knight and Palmer's reunion have seemingly turned into taunts since it does not seem like they will get together again any time soon.
1 Will NCIS Season 23 Connect To Tony & Ziva's Spinoff?
The NCIS Franchise Is Closer Than Ever
One of the biggest questions about NCIS season 23 has been how it will connect to the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva. While the NCIS season 22 finale did not provide any answers, the franchise has. NCIS season 22 did more work at combining the NCIS franchise than usual, which is a good sign for Tony and Ziva's spinoff in the future.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva will be notably different from any other NCIS spinoff so far because it will center on two people in an unconventional love story. However, NCIS season 22 has revealed that the MCRT stays in touch with their satellite offices and old friends, so it is safe to assume that Tony and Ziva's old coworkers still keep in touch with them, as much as they can at least. If anything, Tony and Ziva will always be welcomed back to NCIS if they need help or if they just want to say hi.
