Despite the already wide variety of relationship dynamics that NCIS has been able to explore with more than twenty seasons under its belt, the series missed an opportunity for a romance that could have been unlike any other in the show’s history. And while there’s still possibility for a series-first romance in NCIS season 23, the chances currently appear slim to none that it will actually happen. In fact, it currently seems as if one couple’s potential future together could be entirely non-existent after the events of the NCIS season 22 finale.
The finale had wide-reaching consequences for a few major players in the NCIS cast of characters. After the team learned that LaRoche wasn’t actually the traitor McGee thought him to be, Parker and the MCRT finally identified the crime boss truly pulling the strings behind Nexus. Moreover, they learned that Nexus planned on using a dirty bomb to eradicate the leaders of all rival criminal organizations. But, while they were able to stop the attack, the finale’s ultimate fallout put a damper on the hopes of any fans who wanted to see the series’ most unlikely romance play out.
NCIS Season 22 Felt Like It Was Setting Up A Potential Romance Between Parker And Carla
It Would Have Been The Series’ First Successful Villain Romance
Outside of Parker’s NCIS Lily storyline, which has done a lot to strengthen his relationship with Jess, the most important woman in Parker’s life by the end of NCIS season 22 is Carla Marino. Parker’s been hunting the Kansas City mob boss for a long time, although their interactions with each other have been surprisingly flirty considering they operate at such opposing ends of the legal system. Although Parker’s refusal to flirt back has kept Carla just on the other side of arm’s reach, his MCRT colleagues have nonetheless taken note of the apparent chemistry between the two.
Naturally, it would be hard to justify Parker entering into anything resembling a true romance with a woman he’s sworn to put behind bars. However, the chance for a romantic future between Alden and Carla presents itself in the season 22 finale when she voices her plans to retire from crime. In exchange for immunity, Carla offers to help Parker bring down Nexus. Had things gone according to plan, embarking on a mission together might have allowed the relationship between Parker and Carla to soften and develop. It’s a shame that Carla had a slightly different card up her sleeve.
The NCIS Season 22 Finale’s Ending Cements Parker’s Hatred For Carla Even Further
Roman’s Death Put An End To Their Romance Before It Even Began
Carla Marino now has the potential to become one of the best NCIS villains after making things personal by ostensibly murdering Parker’s father, Roman, in the season 22 finale. Had she been true to her word concerning retirement, Carla could have become the first reformed villain to enter a successful relationship with a main NCIS character. The series did previously feature a relationship between Ziva David and Michael Rivkin, but betrayal and bloodshed resulted in one faking their death while the other was laid to rest for real.
A relationship with Carla would already have been a hard sell, requiring deep character growth and development on both sides in order to make Parker’s change of heart believable. After finding lipstick on a glass in front of his father’s body in the same room where Alden, Roman, and Carla previously shared a conversation together, Parker’s more likely to holster his cuffs and shoot Carla on sight than to care about seeing the best in her. It’s not impossible for that to still change, but it would require an almost unreasonably specific set of circumstances.
How NCIS Season 23 Could Still Explore Parker And Carla’s Unlikely Romantic Potential
Their Union Would Rely On At Least One Major NCIS Season 23 Plot Twist
Even if bashing his head in and leaving him on the side of the road hadn’t ruined their future potential, Carla Marino’s villain role in NCIS seems like it can only escalate after Roman’s murder. That said, there hasn’t technically been any confirmation that the lipstick on the glass actually belongs to Carla. Were that evidence established to be a red herring, there’s a chance that Carla could redeem herself by assisting Parker in finding the real killer. But even if they were to work together in this fashion, there are still massive hurdles to developing an actual romance.
The first is that their enmity isn’t one-sided. Carla blames Parker for the death of her son in a road accident. She’s smart enough to recognize that Alden didn’t cause the crash directly, but that knowledge hasn’t quieted her resentments in twenty years. Additionally, her NCIS season 22 immunity deal was thoroughly destroyed when she assaulted Parker and tried to bomb a building. Even with enough plot twists and character development to somehow establish a bond of forgiveness between them, the uphill climb toward an actual relationship between Carla and Parker appears more insurmountable than ever.
