NCIS season 22, episode 10, “Baker’s Man,” featured a surprising romance with Special Agent Alden Parker that was cut short but was still great news for the MCRT leader. The episode centered on Eleni, a local baker who gets caught up in a drug ring under unfortunate circumstances. The team gains jurisdiction in the case after one of Eleni’s employees reaches out to Parker for help. As the NCIS season 22 cast investigates, they realize that not everything is as it seems.
While the NCIS team follows up on lab results and interrogations, Parker deals with his own personal feelings for Eleni, as he has developed some kind of attraction to her. The introduction even reveals that Parker has been purchasing sweets from her shop for several days in a row, much to the enjoyment of his colleagues. NCIS season 22 has featured a few romances so far, but this is the first one of the season for Parker. While it did not go anywhere, the romance on its own is a great sign for Parker’s character.
Parker’s Romantic Arc Shows How More Attuned He Is To His Emotions Now
Parker Is Learning To Be Vulnerable
When Parker first joined NCIS in season 19, he was met with some skepticism. As a new character, it took some time for the team to warm up to him after Gibbs left. Fortunately, Parker has proven to be an excellent leader and trusting teammate. However, up until now, he has lacked much character depth. He has kept things to himself, and he rarely shares information about his personal life. His inability to share personal information about himself even occurred as recently as the NCIS season 21 finale when he seemed to refuse to tell Knight about his hallucinations.
Opening up about his personal life has made a positive impact on Parker…
NCIS season 22 has signified a change in Parker. With the introduction of Eleni in NCIS season 22, episode 10, Parker is finally opening up and showing a more vulnerable side to him. As he developed feelings for Eleni, he made an effort to stay in her life and try to get to know her by repeatedly returning to visit her bakery. Although Eleni revealed she is going back to Greece, it is clear that Parker’s vulnerable moments paid off as he and Eleni share a sweet moment eating baklava at the end of “Baker’s Man.”
Parker’s Therapy Sessions With Dr. Grace Could Be The Reason For This Change
Parker Has Been Attending Therapy For His Lily Hallucinations
Because of Parker’s NCIS Lily mystery, he has been regularly attending therapy sessions with the on-call NCIS therapist, Dr. Grace. Parker’s sessions started as a way to give him insight into why he hallucinated a young girl in the season 21 finale. Parker has continued to see Lily in the new year, and while he does not have any answers yet, Grace’s help has been unparalleled. Parker is starting to gain some control over his hallucinations, and he is closer than ever to figuring out the cause. These improvements also strongly tie in with his emotional growth.
Opening up about his personal life has made a positive impact on Parker as it has allowed him to become vulnerable with strangers, like Eleni.
Since starting his therapy sessions, Parker has begun talking about his family history and his relationship with his parents. Opening up about his personal life has made a positive impact on Parker as it has allowed him to become vulnerable with strangers, like Eleni. Parker and Eleni may not have had a chance to develop their relationship, but the short romance is a sign that Parker has grown a lot in NCIS.
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