Shocking deaths are part of the game on procedural television. It’s important for shows to keep us on our toes, and remind us that characters, particularly our favorite ones, are subject to the same mortal danger as the people they investigate. Sometimes, though, the hype can get to be too much, and the reveal that materializes proves to be a let down. This is what happened in the NCIS season 22 finale.
The show made good on its promise to kill off a character in shocking fashion. It was the familiarity, or lack-thereof, however, that many several viewers, including us, a little underwhelmed. We were told by NCIS Wilmer Valderrama that the finale death would be “earth-shattering” and “someone close to us,” but in the end, it turned out to be a peripheral character: Alden Parker’s dad (Francis X. McCarthy). Sad, but nobody’s earth was shattered as a result.
Steven D. Binder claims the death devastated the team
NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder spoke with TV Line about this death, and the ways in which he felt the Valderrama hype leading into the finale was actually valid. Binder felt that the actor was speaking from the perspective of his character, Nick Torres, who views every member of the NCIS team as part of his family.
“Well, clearly, Wilmer has become more attached to Parker’s father than you have,” the showrunner opined. “I think that he, to be more precise, meant it would be ‘earth-shattering’ for one of our team members.” Hmm, ok. Binder added to this rationale, noting that the emotional trauma that will come from this death will be extremely impactful on Parker (Gary Cole).
“I think that’s where [Wilmer] was going with that, and that is what this is for Parker,” he noted. “His father’s been murdered by his long-time nemesis.” Binder does make some valid points here, in terms of what Valderrama promised, but we have to admit that we were expecting someone with more of an NCIS history onscreen to be claimed, making this admittedly very sad development underwhelming from a dramatic standpoint.
The finale death may have greater story implications
Binder did intrigue us, however, when he noted that the death of Parker’s father may have greater implications historically. The character’s death coincided with a discovery being made about the agent’s mother, and her death years earlier. Could there be a connection? Binder says maybe.
The showrunner was hesitant to give the outlet a direct answer, which is fair given that season 23 is several months out. Still, he admitted that he was excited for the ramifications of Parker’s dad’s death on Parker and the rest of the NCIS team. “I can tell you definitively that we love the idea of connecting those two,” he asserted. “And we’re going to work to do it. But maybe we won’t.”
We can’t fault Binder for being vague here, and in truth, if the death of Parker’s father does open a can of worms about the agent’s past, then we could be looking at a season 22 finale that actually gets better with time. As it stands, we are still, admittedly, underwhelmed.
