Who is Carla Marino in NCIS Season 22? Alden Parker’s New Enemy Explained

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers for NCIS season 22, episode 6, “Knight and Day.”

NCIS season 22 has a new villain for the characters to face, and she has an intriguing connection with one of them. The CBS military police procedural TV series, created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, follows a team of special agents associated with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Washington, D.C., and chronicles the various cases and challenges they face. Over the years, the cast of NCIS has changed drastically, which is understandable given its 22-season run, and a new face has been added to the roster in 2024.

The cast of NCIS Season 22 includes Sean Murray as Timothy McGee, Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres, Katrina Law as Jessica Knight, Brian Dietzen as Dr. Jimmy Palmer, Diona Reasonover as Kasie Hines, Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance and Gary Cole as Alden Parker. Cole’s Parker joined the team following the departure of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS season 19. Since then, Parker has taken on the position of Supervisory Special Agent, and his experience has come in handy on several occasions. Happily, Parker’s connection to Season 22’s new villain could be just what the team needs to stop her.

Carla Marino is the boss of the Kansas City mob on NCIS

Carla is introduced in NCIS season 22, episode 6

NCIS Season 22, Episode 6, “Knight and Day,” features the debut of Rebecca De Mornay as Carla Marino, the newest villain on the CBS Military Police procedural. The hour only introduces her character halfway through, and it’s clear that Carla is a force to be reckoned with. According to Parker, Carla is “the matriarch of the largest organized crime family in the Midwest.” aka she is the boss of the Kansas City Mafia. Some of Carla’s known crimes include gun trafficking, extortion, drugs, and more.

Episode 6 reveals that the NCIS the season 22 villain has ties to a woman (Melinda Martin, whose real name is April Day) involved in one of the team’s last cases. Melinda dated Carla’s son, Jason Marino, who wanted nothing to do with his family’s business in high school. The two teenagers tried to run away from their Kansas City home to escape Carla. Unfortunately, Jason was killed, leaving Melinda pregnant with his baby. Melinda later gave birth to their daughter, who she gave up for adoption so that the baby’s grandmother (Carla) could never get to her.

How is Parker connected to Carla?

Parker was tracking Carla while he was at the FBI

Gary Cole’s Parker is the one who identifies Jason in the photo with Melinda in NCIS season 22, episode 6 because he has a history with Jason’s mother. Parker explains that he spent years trying to take Carla down when he was working with the FBI. He was even part of a special task force dedicated to capturing Carla, who Parker describes as “ruthless.” However, every time Parker and his team came close to accomplishing their mission, a confidential informant was mysteriously killed.

Carla is apparently the one who escaped from Parker in the NCIS TV program. Almost every character in a police procedural has that one criminal who always finds a way to escape, and for Parker, that’s Carla. Parker can’t even keep Carla in custody NCIS season 22, episode 6, because one of her henchmen takes responsibility for her. Hence, episode 6 certainly won’t be the last time the mob boss appears. Cole’s character will continue to keep an eye on Carla (literally, since he hung her photo in his cubicle).

Who plays Carla on NCIS? Rebecca De Mornay TV Shows and Movies

De Mornay’s discovery was a risky business

Before joining the cast of NCIS season 22, Rebecca De Mornay has starred in a wide variety of films and TV shows. Most notably, De Mornay’s best performance was in the 1983 comedy Risky business with Tom Cruise. She played Lana, Cruise’s character’s love interest, in the film. However, some NCIS fans may also recognize De Mornay from his roles in Throwback, The hand that rocks the cradle, wedding crashersMarvel Jessica Jonesand much more.