Contains spoilers for “NCIS” Season 22, Episode 20 — “Nexus”

It’s been announced as a pivotal event for the “NCIS” team, particularly for one of its members. In the episode “Nexus,” beloved character Alden Parker (played by Gary Cole) faces the sudden and tragic murder of his father, Roman (portrayed by Francis Xavier McCarthy). The perpetrator is Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay), head of the largest Mafia syndicate in the Midwest and Alden’s longtime adversary. The death is made even more heart-wrenching by the timing—occurring soon after Roman expresses his love and pride for Alden. Overcome with grief, Alden bursts into tears, unleashes his fury, and then takes his frustration out on his father’s cherished TV set.

Carla, however, has her motives for killing Roman and leaving behind only a lipstick-marked wine glass as a clue. She seeks vengeance against Alden, whom she holds responsible for her son Jason’s death. Years ago, Alden was tasked with investigating Carla and revealed her extensive criminal activities to Jason. Believing he was escaping the consequences, Jason fled, only to meet his demise in a motorcycle accident—at least, that’s how Carla perceives the situation.

This sets the stage for Season 23 to largely revolve around Alden’s pursuit of revenge against Carla for Roman’s murder. However, even if Alden manages to avenge his father’s death, he bears significant guilt. Unknowingly, he allowed Carla into his life and home during the Nexus investigation, giving her access to his father. This adds another layer to Alden’s anguish and fuels his profound rage, promising to reveal a more intense side of him in the upcoming season.

Expect Alden Parker’s quest for revenge against Carla to darken the characters’ typically placid behavior. One of the drama’s producers promises he will be anything but calm as he chases down his old foe. According to “NCIS” executive producer Steven D. Binder, the writer’s room hoped to upend the character’s behavior by putting him through the wringer, with the angst and rage he feels over Roman’ death providing his main character arc during Season 23. Binder says that deciding to kill Roman to motivate the storyline was ultimately an easy choice.

“You’ve got this arch-nemesis of Parker’s who blames him for — losing a dad’s bad, but losing a child’s considerably worse, and [she] blames Parker for this and is vindictive and evil enough that she doesn’t want to just kill him and end that, she wants to torture him and this is the person she’s chosen to torture him with,” he told TV Insider. He added that Parker will be very destabilized by his father’s death and will walk a fine line between unremitting fury and supporting the team. Fans will have to wait until fall 2025 to find out how Parker manages it when the 23rd season of “NCIS” takes its bow.