After seasons of unanswered questions, NCIS Season 23 delivers long-awaited closure for Alden Parker. Episode 9 uncovers the devastating truth behind the death of his mother, Eleanor, after a DNA test reveals that the woman buried in her grave was not actually her. What follows is a quiet but powerful unraveling of a decades-old cover-up tied to a state trooper’s falsified accident report.
The investigation reveals that Eleanor helped a friend escape an abusive marriage, an act of courage that ultimately put her in danger. Lies, misplaced identities, and hidden survivors shaped Alden’s childhood more than he ever knew. The episode carefully pieces together what happened — and why Alden was never told the truth.
By the end, justice is finally served, Eleanor’s remains are recovered, and Alden gains the closure he’s carried for most of his life. It’s one of NCIS’s most emotional character-driven episodes in years.
