Aahana Swrup
‘NCIS’ season 23 is off to an intense start as the storyline deals with the aftermath of the death of Roman Parker. Naturally, his son, Agent Alden Parker, has a hard time dealing with the situation, choosing to avoid the inevitable weight of his grief to instead pursue vengeance. Thus, the woman behind the murder, Carla Morino, a cartel leader, becomes his prime target. Fortunately for him, while Vance seems to have made up his mind about benching him, his colleagues Torres, Jess, and McGee have no qualms about overlooking orders to help him in his personally sanctioned mission. As a result, while this chase remains active, it gives the Agent the ideal excuse to ignore communications with his Admiral Harriet Parker. However, as episode 1 comes to an end, it seems the admiral is the only one who can save Alden from a life-and-death situation. Consequently, the new character’s prominent role in the storyline is bound to attract some attention from the viewers. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Admiral Harriet Parker is Alden’s Sister
Although fans have heard of Alden’s sister in passing before, episode 1 of season 23, titled ‘Prodigal Son (Part 1),’ brings the first official on-screen introduction of the character to the series. Through the story and interspersed flashbacks, the narrative forms a unique image of Vice Admiral Alden, which remains distinct from her brother’s well-established characterizations in many ways. For instance, where Alden dealt with his tumultuous childhood by developing a bitter relationship with his father and frequently inviting delinquent trouble, Harriet seems to have been an empathetic and responsible young girl who idolized her father. Therefore, it’s no surprise that she continued to carry forward his legacy by wearing the US Navy uniform and rising through the ranks throughout her military career. However, it seems that as these two siblings grew up in their own ways, they also ended up drifting farther and farther away from each other.
For the same reason, Alden is eager to ignore his sister’s calls when Harriet tries to reach out to him prior to arriving at the NCIS headquarters to pick up her deceased father’s personal belongings. The NCIS agent believes the latter would only find ways to blame him for the incident rather than extend any sort of familial support. Furthermore, he’s increasingly more interested in serving justice, even if it comes at the cost of disobeying orders. Consequently, by the end of the episode, Alden finds himself aboard the Quentin ship in an attempt to catch Carla. However, little does he know, his sister has eyes on the same boat through the NCIS HQ, where she has just received orders to destroy the vessel. Ultimately, the episode ends on a cliffhanger, leaving Alden’s fate uncertain. Still, it provides plenty of context about the tense relationship between the Parker siblings.
Nancy Travis Debuts in NCIS, Bringing Harriet Parker to Life
Nancy Travis joins NCIS in its 23rd season, stepping into the role of Admiral Harriet Parker. After graduating from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, the actress began her thespian journey through a career in Off-Broadway theater. She was also featured in memorable advertisements for household name brands like Twinkies and Levi’s. Eventually, following a Broadway debut, she began acting on the screen in 1985, when she starred in the TV movie’ Malice in Wonderland.’ Next came a number of television appearances before she finally made her feature film debut as Sylvia in the beloved 1987 film ‘Three Men and a Baby.’ Since then, Travis’ career has bloomed, adding exceptional and well-known titles to her filmography.
Some fans may recognize her from shows like ‘Almost Perfect,’ ‘Becker,’ ‘The Kominsky Method,’ or ‘Last Man Standing,’ wherein she played the co-lead role of Vanessa Baxter. Additionally, Travis has also been in many films over the years, including ‘Medium,’ ‘Ordinary Angels,’ and ‘Sovereign.’ The addition of her character in NCIS presents an exciting new storyline for Agent Alden Parker, who has been helming the narrative as a protagonist for several seasons now. However, with Harriet Parker entering the scene, the narrative finally gets the opportunity to delve deeper into some of Alden’s more family-driven storylines. In a conversation with Pop Culture, Actor Gary Cole spoke about his experience on set acting opposite Travis. He said, “I’ve always been a fan of her (Nancy Travis). She’s done great work. She’s very personal. She was great in this part. I felt an immediate kind of bond and closeness with her. So we were believable, I think, as brother and sister that way, and I hope we see her back.”
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