Alden Parker’s storyline in NCIS season 23 may take him to some dark places, but it could also open the door to a possible crossover with NCIS: Origins, despite the two series currently taking place 34 years apart. With the sheer number of NCIS franchise spinoffs released over the years, the flagship could theoretically make every other episode a crossover if enough actors had the availability. However, most fans would naturally write off the possibility of seeing anyone from the NCIS: Origins cast in the flagship since they’d be aged up three decades before meeting Parker and the current MCRT.
However, casting an actor from the prequel series in a cameo isn’t the only way to execute a crossover between Origins and the flagship. Fans may have enjoyed LL Cool J’s return as Sam Hanna in NCIS season 22, but the same season also paid tribute to several NCIS spinoffs by offering small updates about other team members when Kasie contacted them all to help McGee sell coffee for a school fundraiser. And, depending on what happens at the start of NCIS: Origins season 2, the prequel’s crossover with the flagship could happen in several ways.
NCIS Season 23 Will Put Parker On A Revenge Path Against Carla Marino
He’ll Be Out For Blood After What She Did To Roman
The biggest bait-and-switch in the NCIS season 22 finale was the reveal that not only was LaRoche only pretending to work with Nexus as a double agent, but the real crime boss was Parker’s Kansas City mob nemesis, Carla Marino, all along. On top of that, Carla promised to help NCIS bring Nexus down just to set up her revenge against Parker for his role in her son’s death. After betraying him and knocking him out on the roadside while the team struggled to find a bomb Carla planted, Parker was already likely to come after her with a vengeance.
Alden’s hunt became personal in the finale’s last moments, when he returned home to find his father, Roman, shot to death through the heart. Although it wasn’t hard to guess the murderer, lipstick on a glass in front of the same seat Carla used when visiting Parker’s house earlier confirmed her as the killer. Alden and Carla had been somewhat flirty before, and it briefly seemed as if her alleged retirement from crime could even set up an unexpected romance arc. If Parker hopes to win Carla’s heart now, it’s only so he can see it on Jimmy’s autopsy table.
NCIS: Origins Just Explored The Emptiness Of Revenge With Gibbs’ Story
Leroy Reaped More Losses Than Gains From His Vendetta
It’s not entirely confirmed at the end of the NCIS: Origins season 1 finale whether Lala survives her car crash on the way to see Gibbs, but it’s her reason for driving so quickly to see him in the first place that’s likely to hurt him, whether she survives her injuries or not. Lala was injured trying to let Gibbs know that he wouldn’t be facing charges for murdering his family’s killer, something Lara Macy wanted to bring him down for in hopes of winning a position with JAG.
Not only did murdering Pedro Hernandez set off the event chain leading to Lala’s crash, but it also failed to bring Gibbs peace in the first place. One of the biggest reveals of NCIS: Origins was that, despite his apparent obsession with getting justice for his family, Gibbs had already tracked down and sniped Pedro months before the series picked up. Every rage-filled outburst and depressive breakdown Gibbs experienced outside of flashbacks occurred after Leroy carried out the hit. Keeping the murder a secret only made it harder to be transparent with those offering truly helpful emotional support.
Gibbs’ Experience With Pedro Hernandez Can Help Parker’s Story In NCIS Season 23
He’s Seen The Folly Of Vengeance From Two Different Angles
There are plenty of NCIS characters who deserve better fates, and Roman Parker could easily make the list. Not only did he die off-screen as a tool to light a fire under Alden’s hunt for Carla, but Roman died right as he and Alden were starting to connect more openly about old family pains. That’s going to make it a lot more difficult for Parker to move on, and putting Carla behind bars might not be enough for Parker anymore. A talk with Gibbs, however, could help him see the situation more objectively.
NCIS Season 22 Wasted Its Most Exciting Villain In Years With Its Cop-Out Finale
Not only has Gibbs seen firsthand how his revenge hurt those around him while failing to provide any real closure, but he’s also witnessed Mike Franks obsess over finding Tish’s attacker in the back half of NCIS: Origins season 1. Although Franks never goes as far as taking a life, the obsession itself is still encompassing enough that it pushes Tish to leave him. Mike isn’t presently alive to share that story himself, but Gibbs can use both of their stories to enlighten Parker about the futility of revenge if Parker’s disdain for Carla ever takes him that far.
How NCIS Season 23 & Origins Season 2 Can Do A Crossover Despite The Shows’ Respective Timelines
Mark Harmon Doesn’t Necessarily Have To Appear As Jethro Gibbs
With Gibbs’ experience going after somebody who took the lives of family, having Mark Harmon reprise his role to address the foolishness of revenge directly would be the obvious crossover route. This would also allow modern-day Gibbs to experience new character growth if he ties it into the effect his revenge story had on Lala since Gibbs and Lala’s NCIS: Origins romance is something Gibbs explicitly refers to in the prequel as a story he never tells. Dialogue from his talk with Parker could even be repeated in his Origins season 2 narration, making for a true story crossover.
However, the main problem with bringing Harmon back for that sort of cameo is that Alden and Jethro weren’t that close when they met in NCIS. Gibbs would need another reason to come back from retirement than to give Parker a motivational speech, especially when it’s not clear that he keeps in touch enough to know about Roman’s death in the first place. However, Vance knows Gibbs well enough that he could likely tell the story about Pedro Hernandez. His rendition might leave out the bit about Lala, but he could still hit the most important themes.
Most intriguingly, NCIS could also feature older versions of other NCIS: Origins characters, even if their appearance isn’t initially for Parker’s benefit. It would be great for the flagship to cast a future Randy or even Lala if she survives. Vera has also been established on the flagship, and her psychological background would give her added insight into Gibbs’ story. Since neither the newer prequel characters nor Vera’s profiling background have been featured on the flagship before, having Parker learn Gibbs’ story through any of those characters would be a beautiful way of tying both series’ stories together.
