NCIS season 23 episode 9 recap: Parker uncovers the truth about his mother, Lily’s secret revealed, and Knight’s Elite mission begins

NCIS season 23 episode 9, called “Heaven and Nature,” aired on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, bringing a very emotional hour to CBS. The show mixed a Christmas-themed investigation with a secret, forcing one team member to face hurting facts hidden for many years while the other workers moved fast to finish their job.

The show’s main story was about Parker’s long-lasting questions about his mother’s passing. What at first looked like broken memories and ghostly images slowly turned into a much more serious truth. As parts finally joined together, the search changed the view of Parker’s history and changed everything he thought about losing someone, giving things up, and relatives. 

Alongside that emotional journey, the team tackled a lighter but still urgent case involving stolen Christmas toys meant for Navy families. The contrast between goodwill and cruelty underscored the episode’s themes, while Knight’s storyline hinted at major consequences ahead as she stepped toward a dangerous new chapter.

NCIS season 23 episode 9: Parker learns the truth about his mother

Parker’s search for answers about his mother’s passing grew more serious when his memories from being a child of a girl named Lily came back. At first, he believed these visions were imagined, until a picture linked Lily straight to a newspaper story about his mother’s reported crash while drinking.

That finding created worrying questions about the police report and made Parker dig up the burial place thought to contain his mother’s body. The final results proved his greatest fears the person put in the ground there was not his mother. Instead, the lady had been killed and on purpose given the wrong name.

With Kasie doing tests on the body and Jimmy rebuilding the person's face, the group worked to find out who she actually was and why the facts had been hidden for such a long time. Eleanor Parker was no longer thought to be deceased, but lost.

Their search brought them to a former police officer Lester Burm, whose broken memories and old pictures revealed a very scary link. The killed woman was found to be the first wife of Burm, Judy, and the small girl from Parker’s mind was the daughter of Burm named Lily.

Parker slowly understood his mother had attempted to rescue Judy and Lily from the violence of Burm, starting a series of things that in the end caused Eleanor to die.

NCIS season 23 episode 9: Lily’s story and Eleanor Parker’s sacrifice

As Parker tracked down Lily, who was now using the name Penelope Johnson, the entire story at last came out. Lily revealed that Eleanor Parker had stepped in after learning about the mean and hurtful actions of Burm. When Burm took Lily by force, Eleanor followed him, causing a car accident that killed Judy and left Lily very scared.

Eleanor lived through it and was able to hide Lily, planning to bring her back to relatives far away. That plan ended tragically when Burm caught up to them again. Lily remembered seeing her father pull Eleanor away from a small hotel near a lake, which was the final time she ever saw her.

Parker understood his mother had been killed to prevent her from telling everyone the secret. With the boss Vance’s permission, the lake was searched deeply, and Eleanor’s car was finally found, proving what had happened to her.

The new information changed the way Parker viewed his whole young life. His mother had never left her family behind, she had died while keeping a child safe from danger. That fact provided both an end to the mystery and sadness, especially knowing Parker’s father had also passed away before finding out the real truth.

The show finished this part with a serious but important burial service, celebrating Eleanor Parker as a brave person whose actions kept affecting people long after she was gone.

Other highlights of NCIS season 23 episode 9

While Parker’s storyline carried emotional weight, the episode balanced it with a case centered on compassion and community. The group worked to find a stolen truck full of toys intended for the Navy’s yearly holiday gift event. The mission underscored the importance of small acts of kindness, especially for children who had lost loved ones in military service.

Their source of information and old friend Sammy played an important part in finding the holiday gifts. He was physically hurt for assisting the group, getting hit and injured during the events, but he never stopped doing what was correct. Although he did not get the gift he was promised for his young niece, Sammy’s faithfulness supported the show's point that being honest was more important than getting prizes.

The last surprise was about Knight, who got proof that she had been picked for her first NCIS: Elite job. Her task included following a person who used to be an NCIS agent, showing a very dangerous story is coming next.

The moment was a big change for Knight, ending the show with a feeling of excitement and reminding the audience that even after emotional endings, new problems were already starting to appear.

Fans can watch the new episodes of NCIS season 23 on CBS and Paramount Plus