NCIS spoilers about what’s to come on the show have been subtly revealed by actor Gary Cole.
Cole joined the NCIS cast as FBI Special Agent Alden Parker, but Parker got fired from that post earlier in the current season.
Now, with the new NCIS episode called False Start, we are going to see Parker take the chair left vacant by Gibbs.
The show is in this situation because Mark Harmon wanted to leave the NCIS cast after nearly 20 years of work. He was simply ready to move on to new things and the writers gave his character (Gibbs) the perfect ending.
Gary Cole speaks about his character on the NCIS cast
“Parker isn’t overly chatty, but he is more verbal. He’s not as old school; he tries to get his hands on new tech gadgets and impress everybody. He’s trying to fit in with the rest of the team. Although he may be reluctant to voice it, he admires that Gibbs breaks rules. Parker bends them. We’ll see if it gets to the point of breaking,” Cole said in a new interview about how he is making this new job his own.
In addition to letting everyone know that he isn’t into technology and that he has no social media accounts, Cole also spoke about how the NCIS writers have leaned heavily into some of the comedy roles he has done in the past. He admits to being sarcastic, so when Parker does it — like we have seen a bit during recent episodes — that is Cole coming through in the character.
And as for what we can expect from the character of Alden Parker, Cole revealed some interesting NCIS spoilers in a really subtle way.
“There’s a situation that did not go according to plan, and something tragic happened. He’s purposely kind of an enigma,” Cole said when addressing Parker’s past on the show.
So what are those secrets from his past? We will just have to keep tuning in to find out.
As for joining the NCIS cast, Cole stated that “Part of my job description is to get comfortable, whatever that takes. I’m not trying to be [Gibbs]. The writers made that distinction.”
More new episodes of NCIS Season 19 this fall
After taking a week off between new episodes, NCIS Season 19 returns with a brand new episode on Monday, November 1. This is where we are going to officially see Alden Parker accept the job at NCIS and take over Gibbs’ team.
Having someone take over for Gibbs is a necessary step within the show, even if there are a lot of NCIS fans who would still prefer Timothy McGee (played by Sean Murray) to be the one who gets to run the team. Maybe that could change in the future, but the writers set it up so that McGee was comfortable continuing in his current job.
It seems that Torres is also finally on board with Parker being a part of the team, but that could be explored a bit further down the road if Torres gets frustrated by a decision that his new boss makes.
Before Parker takes over for Gibbs, NCIS fans have a chance to go back and watch the first few episodes of Season 19 again. Watching it through a new lens, with the information already in hand that Gibbs is leaving, shines some new light on the content and the new lead character.
NCIS airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.