The second episode of NCIS Season 23 brought the two-part premiere storyline to a close, and it was packed with emotional family drama, high-stakes action, and some surprising new mysteries. “Prodigal Son (Part II)” which aired on October 21, 2025 on CBS, saw the team racing to save Alden Parker from himself and from the criminals who killed his father. The hour was written by Christopher J. Waild and directed by James Whitmore, Jr.
The episode delivered intense moments as Parker’s hunt for mob boss Carla Marino reached its breaking point. Viewers got to see the NCIS team operate at full capacity, with each member playing a crucial role in bringing Parker back from the edge. The installment also introduced a major guest star who is set to shake up Parker’s personal life in a big way.
Here is a complete breakdown of who played who in NCIS Season 23 Episode 2.
The Main NCIS Team Returns for Action
The core team of agents and support staff were all back in action for this episode, working together to track down Carla Marino and save Parker from making a fatal mistake. Their chemistry was on full display as they balanced following orders with protecting one of their own.
Gary Cole leads the cast as NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker. In this episode, Parker’s quest for vengeance after his father’s murder put him on a collision course with both the law and his own conscience. Cole delivered a powerful performance showing a man pushed to his absolute limits. Viewers saw Parker grapple with grief, guilt, and the desperate need for justice. He famously followed Gibbs’ Rule Number 51 (“Sometimes you’re wrong”) and hid out at Gibbs’ cabin to fake his own death in the explosion, allowing him to continue his hunt for Carla off the books . Cole has been a steady presence on the show since Season 19, and this episode gave him some of his most challenging material yet.
Sean Murray plays Special Agent Timothy McGee, the senior field agent and the team’s tech wizard. McGee was deeply involved in helping Parker behind the scenes, even when it meant going against protocol. He was the one who communicated with Parker while he was in hiding, proving once again that team loyalty runs deep. Murray has been with NCIS since the very first episode back in 2003, making him the longest-running cast member currently on the show.
Wilmer Valderrama portrays Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres, the former undercover agent whose skills were put to the test. Torres was part of the team that ultimately took down Carla Marino. Valderrama even got to speak a line in Spanish during the episode, a nice nod to his character’s heritage . Torres continues to be one of the more impulsive members of the team, but his loyalty to Parker was unwavering.
Katrina Law plays Special Agent Jessica Knight, a former REACT agent who brings intense physicality to the role. Knight played a pivotal role in the episode by appealing directly to Parker’s sister, Harriet, to let the team go after Carla. She made her case while sitting in autopsy near where Parker’s father was in one of the drawers, a setting that added emotional weight to her argument . Knight’s negotiation skills and her ability to connect with people under pressure were key to moving the plot forward.
Brian Dietzen returns as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, the Chief Medical Examiner. Palmer had a lighter but important role in the episode. He was the one who discovered a major discrepancy: the coroner’s report and death certificate for Parker’s mother do not match, suggesting someone is hiding something about her death . This discovery sets up a major mystery for the rest of the season. Dietzen’s Palmer continues to be the heart of the team, balancing his professional duties with his personal caring nature.
Diona Reasonover plays Kasie Hines, the team’s forensic scientist. Kasie made a chilling discovery at the end of the episode. While analyzing the lipstick on the glasses found in Parker’s apartment (the evidence that pointed to Carla killing his dad), she found no familial DNA match between the lipstick and Lauren, Carla’s granddaughter. This means the lipstick belonged to another woman who was in Parker’s apartment the night he was killed, someone before Carla arrived . Reasonover’s Kasie is often the one who uncovers the small details that lead to big breaks in cases.
Rocky Carroll portrays NCIS Director Leon Vance. Vance had a complicated role in this episode. He had to balance his duty to the agency with his understanding of what Parker was going through. After Carla was dealt with, Vance gathered the team and delivered a cryptic message about a compass going bad, suggesting he’s worried about Parker’s judgment. He then kept Torres behind for a private conversation, the content of which was not shown to viewers . This moment has fans speculating about what Vance is planning.
Major Guest Star: Nancy Travis Joins as Parker’s Sister
The most significant addition to the cast for this episode was Nancy Travis as Navy Vice Admiral Harriet Parker, Alden Parker’s younger sister .
Travis, known for her roles in “Last Man Standing” and “The Kominsky Method,” brought a complex energy to the character. Harriet is a high-ranking military officer, a Vice Admiral in the Navy, which puts her in a position of immense authority . Her arrival created immediate tension because she and Parker have a difficult history.
The episode revealed that when they were teenagers, Harriet was the one who reported Parker for stealing a car, which landed him in juvenile detention . She defended her actions by saying he was spiraling and she did what she had to do to make sure he survived. This backstory added layers to their strained relationship in the present day.
Harriet faced an impossible choice in the episode. She had given the order to bomb the ship she believed Carla Marino was on, not knowing her brother was also onboard . When she learned Parker was alive, she arrested him for interfering with a federal investigation, claiming it was “for his own good” . The emotional peak of their storyline came when Parker, sitting in a cell, told her, “I don’t need another lesson, I need a sister” . This line broke through Harriet’s professional exterior, and she eventually relented, freeing Parker to help rescue Carla’s granddaughter.
Travis’ performance added a whole new dimension to Parker’s backstory and opened the door for future appearances.
The Villain and Other Guest Appearances
Rebecca De Mornay guest-starred as the episode’s primary antagonist, Carla Marino, the mob boss responsible for murdering Parker’s father . De Mornay, famous for her roles in “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” and “Risky Business,” played Carla as a cunning and ruthless criminal who used her grandmotherly image as a cover. She faked her own death in the ship explosion to escape with her granddaughter, Lauren, whom she planned to bring into her criminal organization. The character met her end when she raised a gun at Parker, and McGee and Torres shot and killed her . De Mornay’s brief but impactful appearance gave the season premiere its central conflict.
Tabitha Brownstone appeared as Lauren Jacobs, Carla Marino’s young granddaughter . Lauren was an innocent caught in the middle, believing her grandmother was just a nice old lady. Her kidnapping by Carla was the trigger for the team’s final rescue mission. Parker was able to appeal to Carla’s maternal instincts to save Lauren, using words he claimed came from Carla’s late son to distract her long enough for the team to move in .
The episode also featured Joy Cooper as Officer of the Navy and Brett Wagner as a Driver, among other smaller roles that filled out the world of the naval investigation .
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Two New Mysteries Set Up
While the episode resolved the Carla Marino storyline, it introduced two major questions that will drive NCIS Season 23 forward.
First, Vance’s secret meeting with Torres. After dismissing McGee and Knight, Vance kept Torres behind. The show did not reveal what he said . Is Vance asking Torres to keep an eye on Parker? Is there a secret mission in the works? This mystery has fans of the show buzzing with theories.
Second, and even more intriguing, is the mystery of the lipstick. Kasie’s discovery that the lipstick on the glasses in Parker’s apartment did not belong to Carla Marino proves there was another woman in Parker’s father’s apartment the night he was killed, and she arrived before Carla . Who is she? Could it be that Parker’s mother, whose death certificate doesn’t match the coroner’s report, is actually alive? Or could it be connected to the mysterious “Lily” that Parker hallucinated in previous seasons? Palmer and Kasie are keeping this secret for now, vowing to find out more before telling Parker .
The episode ended on a somber but hopeful note, with Parker and his sister Harriet standing together over their father’s coffin as he was given full honors at sea. The team joined in singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” a moment of unity after the chaos .
NCIS Season 23 continues to air on Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS. New episodes are available for streaming on Paramount+ the day after they air. For viewers in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India, the show is available through various local broadcasters and streaming platforms that carry CBS and Paramount+ content. International release dates may vary by region, but the show typically becomes available shortly after the US broadcast.
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