When Lily first appeared to Alden Parker (Gary Cole) in the NCIS Season 21 finale, many fans speculated that she could be his sister, who had died in a boating accident. The timing of his visions seemed to align with this idea. However, it quickly became apparent that Parker had no memory of who Lily was. It wasn’t until NCIS Season 22 that Parker started uncovering truths about his past, including more about Lily’s connection to him.
In NCIS Season 22, Episode 15, Parker has a pivotal conversation with his father, Roman Parker, about the death of his mother. To his surprise, Parker learns that the stories he had grown up hearing about his mother’s death were far from accurate. His mother didn’t die in some tragic way; instead, she crashed her car while driving drunk. As Parker digs deeper, he also learns that Lily was a child who was present at the scene of the accident.
This revelation raises the question: If Parker didn’t know Lily and she was only at the scene of the crash, why is he seeing her in visions? Could there be something more from his past that he’s forgotten?
One possible explanation is that Lily’s presence at the accident scene might bethe key. It’s possible that Lily was playing in the street, causing Parker’s mother to swerve her car in an attempt to avoid hitting her. This could have led to the crash that took Parker’s mother’s life. Emergency services likely arrived soon after, and Lily could have stayed at the scene, potentially feeling guilt or confusion over the incident. If she was emotionally impacted by the crash, it could explain why she’s now appearing in Parker’s visions—even though he doesn’t consciously remember her.
This theory suggests that Lily’s appearances aren’t merely a random haunting but may be tied to unresolved trauma and emotions from a pivotal moment in Parker’s past—one that he may have suppressed or forgotten.
