Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 8, “Out of Control”
NCISseason 22, episode 8, gives the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) an interesting case while putting Alden Parker’s psyche at the forefront of its storytelling. Thus far,NCISseason 22 has revealed developments for the team, following up on many storylines from season 21.NCISseason 22 is making up for lost time, highlighting Alden Parker in episode 8, with the case triggering a massive development from the season 21 finale. As such, theNCISseason 22 storyhones in on Parker.
The former FBI agent took over as supervisor for the MCRT afterMark Harmon’s exit from the series as Leroy Jethro Gibbs inNCISseason 19. The season has highlighted other agents, with Jess (Katrina Law) returning to the team and McGee (Sean Murray) seeking a new position within NCIS in theNCISseason 22 premiere. Jess worked on a special case inNCISseason 22, episode 6, and the series focused on Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) in the following installment. Thus, Parker was overdue for a deeper exploration, andNCISseason 22 delivers by revisiting a forgotten mystery.
9NCIS Investigates Navy Lieutenant Mason Winslow After His Car Is Stolen With AI
A Navy Lieutenant Is Missing In NCIS Season 22, Episode 8
InNCISseason 22, episode 8,MCRT investigates a mysterious carjacking when a couple’s AI driving system goes awry. The episode’s opening shows a couple fighting about how to load the dishwasher. It quickly escalates as the modern car begins to pilot itself using its intelligence system, overriding its manual controls. The car drives into a mysterious garage, where the team later arrives to investigate Navy Lieutenant Mason Winslow, who is missing from the scene.
While the team initially believes it all leads to an elaborate carjacking ring, things aren’t always what they appear onNCIS.
After the team discovers that someone murdered the Navy Lieutenant,Kasie (Diona Reasonover) links the case to several other carjackings in the area, and they all appear to be connected. Kasie also finds the hot spot used to control Winslow’s car, registered to a girl in prison who suggests the cartel she works for could be using her old hacking equipment. While the team initially believes it all leads to an elaborate carjacking ring, things aren’t always what they appear onNCIS.
8McGee References Abby In NCIS Season 22
McGee References Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto
InNCISseason 22,Timothy McGee references Abby Sciuto, a fan-favorite character and the team’s former Chief Forensic Scientist. Pauley Perrette played the character in the series for 15 seasons, establishingNCISas a television institution with the help of her spunky, upbeat goth character. Despite the perfect setup,Pauley Perrette gave a definitive update about Abby’sNCISreturnin an October 2024 interview withHELLO!,saying she was committed to staying retired from acting.
NCIS Subtly Reveals How Much Gibbs Really Needed Abby 12 Years Before They Met
Somehow, the NCIS franchise is able to show how much Gibbs would rely on Abby in the flagship series, 12 years before they actually shared the screen.
NCIS highlights Abby when McGee and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) discuss blood spatter at the crime scene. Torres remarks that"nobody likes blood splatter.“Correcting the record,McGee notes Abby liked blood spatter. The callback immediately rings a bell for fans of the character who made an art of her science, even hanging pictures of blood and other relics from crime scenes in her lab. It’s good to see season 22 honor Abby sinceNCISdisrespected Gibbs' inaugural teamin the past.
7NCIS Season 22, Episode 8 Finally Remembers Parker’s Lily
Parker Experiences Mysterious Visions Of A Girl Named Lily
While the team investigates the connection to their missing car,Parker hallucinates a little girl at the hospital, where the team interviews the Navy Lieutenant’s wife. The hallucinations call back to a moment in theNCISseason 21 finalewhen Parker and Agent Knight struggle to escape a Navy ship’s engine room after someone locks them inside. After Knight frees Parker’s leg from a large piece of metal, the supervisory agent loses blood.
Parker’s Lily mystery inNCISbegins with her running around the ship as Parker struggles to maintain consciousness. After Knight goes for help, Parker experiences a vision with Lily in which he is a child, and his mother, who calls him"Aldie,“appears. Parker’s mother reminds him to pay attention to the rope attached to Agent Knight, waking him up. However, Parker sees Lily a few times after the initial trauma on the ship, and she makes a comeback inNCISseason 22, episode 8.
6Parker Confirms His Connection To FBI Agent Sweeney
Parker Has A New Ally In The FBI
A small moment inNCISseason 22, episode 8, reveals a significant development with how the team operates. Before MCRT finds out that someone murdered their missing carjacking victim, they discover Mason Winslow comes from a wealthy family, and the team prepares for a hostage negotiation. The supervisory agent instructs Agent Knight to go to the FBI and work with them on the talks, to which Knight hesitates, suggesting they won’t appreciate her presence.Parker suggests he call Sweeney (Erik Passoja)to smooth things out if anything goes wrong.
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Parker’s comment refers to FBI Deputy Director Wayne Sweeney, who appears inNCISseason 22, episode 4, as he and the FBI official work together to prevent World War III. After Parker and Sweeney’s contentious but successful team-up, neutralizing a massive world conflict, Vance (Rocky Carroll) tells the agents they will be awarded the Medal of Public Service, and a conversation between them signals an alliance forming.Parker’s comments inNCISseason 22, episode 8 confirm he’s on good terms with Sweeney, with their alliance surfacing in short order after it formed.
5Parker Is Haunted By The Memory Of Lily
Parker Continues To Hallucinate Lily
While Parker has experienced flashbacks to his hallucinations of Lily before, they typically come and go. However,Parker’s Lily flashbacks haunt him inNCISepisode 8, with the case triggering something that causes him to see her vision repeatedly. Parker hallucinates Lily in the hospital, completely spacing out on Agent Knight. He sees her again in the bullpen. Parker’s visions come to a head when he sees Lily on the side of the road, causing him to miss a stop sign and swerve into traffic with Jess and Nick in the car.
The moment signals that whatever happened to Parker when he was on board the Navy ship profoundly impacted his psyche.
The moment signals that whatever happened to Parker when he was on board the Navy ship profoundly impacted his psyche and that something inNCISseason 22 is causing the trauma to resurface. Agent Knight was on the Navy ship when Parker experienced his Lily hallucination, so she knows first-hand that Parker is holding back on something. Throughout the outing, she positions herself in a watchful position, highlighting her connection to Cole’s character as MCRT’s new loyal member.
4Dr. Grace Confalone Returns To NCIS For Parker
Dr. Grace Confalone Returns In NCIS Season 22
Laura San Giacomo’sDr. Grace Confalone surfaces inNCISseason 22. Dr. Grace hasn’t been around sinceNCISseason 20 due to a shortenedNCISseason 21from the dual writer’s strikes. However, Parker’s trauma is the perfect reason to bring Grace back, and her appearance suggests that she has been working behind the scenes for the NCIS characters despite not appearing in the previous outing. The agency’s therapist has a significant role in “Out of Control.”
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InNCISseason 22, episode 8,Dr. Grace makes a house call to discuss Parker’s experiences. She suggests she could tell Parker was holding back on his mandatory psychological evaluation performed after his experience on the ship, and Grace says she can tell Parker is withholding something. The details suggest that Grace met with Parker and Knight after their incident, and Nick also implies that he’s been working with the agency’s mental health professional.
3NCIS Reveals New Details About Parker’s Family
Dr. Grace Digs Into Parker’s Family History
While speaking to Dr. Grace amid the lavish plants within the scenic, enclosed entryway to his home,Parker reveals new details about his family inNCISseason 22, episode 8. Parker tells Grace that he asked his father about any Lilys in their past, showing, at least according to his father, that Lily isn’t Parker’s relative. However, the narrative previously positioned Lily as a potential relative. Dr. Grace notes that Parker talks about his father without hesitation but doesn’t want to talk about his mother.
NCISseason 22, episode 8, hints at a potential romance between Parker and Dr. Grace. While Parker may be out of sorts, he innocently kisses Grace on the side of the head as he thanks her for the session, teasing a potential connection.
Parker tells Grace that while there isn’t any bad blood with his father, his mother died after she left them. When Grace presses him on what happened, he refuses to talk about it, suggestingParker has unresolved conflicts with his mother. Grace has to leave quickly, so Parker makes an early appointment with her the following day but then skips it. However, Grace and Parker eventually catch up. While Parker won’t reveal more about his mom anytime soon,NCISseason 22, episode 8 shows an unresolved conflict that could explain his Lily mystery.
2NCIS’ Car Gets Stolen From McGee And Knight
NCIS Becomes A Carjacking Victim
As Knight and McGee investigate, someone steals their car from under their noses. Jess goes to unlock the car, but it locks her out before driving away. McGee and Jess conclude that whoever is stealing cars targeted NCIS.Knight and McGee look on in disbelief as their car drives away, proving that no one is safe from the carjacking scheme, including NCIS. The development ties back to MCRT’s case, which has an eerie warning to its viewers.
you’re able to catch up with the rest ofNCISseason 22 on Paramount+.
MCRT’s carjacking case highlights the danger of our modern, interconnected world for viewers. The NCIS agents discuss how, since their car’s navigation system was online, it was vulnerable to someone hacking in and compromising it. Between the team discovering the other vehicles that were stolen in the connection cases and Kasie being able to trace their carjacker once the culprit involves NCIS, the forensic scientist finds the break in their case.
1Kasie Reverse Engineers Their Hacker’s Work To Bring Their Criminal Into NCIS
The Carjacking Leads Kasie To Their Killers
After NCIS has their car stolen, Jess, McGee, and Nick fail to get their vehicle back, making a laughingstock of NCIS with other agencies. However, Kasie reverse engineers their hacker’s work, revealing the needed lead in their case. Kasie’s hack traces back to the system used to conduct the attacks, and she connects it to a smart car driving through Washington, D.C. With her clever tactics,Kasie reveals she has control of the culprit’s carand can bring them into NCIS.
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Kasie’s plan works, and she brings their criminal to where the team waits with guns drawn. When their culprit pulls up, MCRT recognizes him as the lawyer representing the criminal whose hot spot was used to control the cars. The development reveals that the lawyer is having an affair with Mason Winslow’s wife, and they are working together to stage Mason’s murder so they can get away with his money. As the relatively straightforward case concludes, Jess tells Parker she will respect his privacy, but Parker’s Lily mystery will doubtlessly surface inNCISagain soon.
NCIS
Cast
NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
