NCIS Season 23, Episode 7 ‘God Only Knows’ is a very good episode about Parker and about the decisions we make from the point of view of grief. It’s a particularly great hour for Gary Cole, who has never really felt like a Gibbs wannabe, but who has done a tremendous job of taking the role of team leader and making it his own lately. But it’s also an episode that sets up what this character—and team—are going to be going forward.
Everyone’s a little worried about Parker this hour, with good reason. He reacts very badly to Jimmy suggesting his mom might have been murdered, and the whole thing deserves a second look. But Parker’s reaction isn’t all that surprising. He was looking for closure, but what he got was another mystery. And after what happened with his dad, Parker isn’t sure he can handle that.
It doesn’t excuse the way he treated poor Jimmy, who was just trying to help. But it’s not hard to understand how someone desperate to look forward as Parker is these days can react unfavorably to the idea of digging up more of his past.
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HELP YOURSELF
This episode uses faith, or at least a chaplain, to underscore something very important that Parker has lost sight of: you need to get your own house in order before you can help others. It’s the same principle as when they explain the safety procedures on an airplanes. First, put on your own mask before helping others. Because you cannot really help those around you while your own house is burning. And Parker’s house? It’s been burning.
Of course, everything from his reaction to how hard it has been for him to put out the proverbial fire in his house is understandable. He just lost his father, and not from old age, but to murder. And catching Carla Marino wasn’t easy, but at least while he had that as his goal, he didn’t have to think about what his relationship with his father was, how things could have been different or how much he wished he could have said.
Afterwards, though, that’s all Parker can probably focus on. And it’s making him a little reckless on the job, in a way only Vance is calling him out on. So yeah, hearing that there might just be another flame that he has to deal with probably felt like the breaking point. The problem, of course, is that Jimmy didn’t deserve that kind of treatment from Parker just for trying to help—especially when he only started looking into his mom because Parker asked.
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I’M GONNA NEED YOU ON THIS ONE
In the end, all’s well that ends well. Jimmy is certainly not going to keep a grudge, and he spent most of the episode feeling genuinely bad for hurting Parker’s feelings. But Jimmy’s first instinct was right. A Parker in his right mind would want to pursue it further. And wouldn’t that be the same for any of us in his place? Would we be able to live with those doubts, never doing anything to answer the numerous questions that have arisen? For me, the answer is clearly no.
But where this takes Parker and Jimmy, and Jimmy by himself, it’s hard to conceptualize yet. We know this is going to be important to Parker, but this is also a very good storyline for Jimmy, and he has long deserved one. For a while, the only storylines outside of the lab he had involved Jessica or his daughter, and with less Jessica, we’ve also gotten less of Jimmy as a father.
We want more Jimmy and Jessica, without a doubt. The season started with a lot of promise in that regard and has kind of stalled. But we also want more of Jimmy as a character, and being in the middle of this investigation about Parker’s mother will probably give us more Brian Dietzen. We won’t complain about that.
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Things I think I think:
- Very glad we didn’t waste any more time on this matter. Parker deserved to know.
- “You think my mom was murdered?”
- I don’t think Parker was necessarily mad at Jimmy, but that doesn’t excuse the way he reacted.
- “I wanted to close an old wound, not open a new one.”
- Let us be clear here: Jimmy did the right thing.
- “Don’t bother. We don’t need you in this one.”
- OUCH.
- Protect Jimmy at all costs. He’s too pure for this.
- “I messed up, Tim.” McGee, you tried, but your comforting could use some work.
- No, I don’t think you did, Jimmy.
- I appreciate Kasie defending Jimmy! Even if it’s from Jimmy.
- “Oh, man. We’re getting struck by lightning.”
- Sometimes the Latino will come out of Nick Torres, and it’s kinda hilarious.
- Vance is right to be worried about Parker. What can I say?
- FIVE MONTHS OF TRAINING WITH ELITE ALREADY? Whaaat?
- “Help yourself so you can better help others.”
- That picture of Parker’s mom!
- “If I am only for myself, what am I?”
- And then “if you’re truly looking for answers, then you have to be prepared to not like what you find.”
- “Not yet, Jimmy. I’m gonna need you on this one.”
- Fine, the callback was good, Parker. It was good.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS Season 23, Episode 7 ‘God Only Knows’? Please share with us in the comments below! And if you have any thoughts about the show, leave a review/rating of your own in our NCIS hub!
NCIS airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.
