We open with a youthful Parker getting busted for hubcap theft alongside his buddy Billy Doyle.

Then Sean turns up dead himself.

She also hands over a backpack and beeper Sean left with her.

NCIS Recap

Sonja Flemming/CBS

Yes, a beeper in 2022.

Parker reads Billy the riot act about interfering.

His old friend declares that Parker never had the stomach to do what needed to be done.

But McGee’s optimistic that Billy will surprise him.

Parker kicks big dents into his desk at hearing the news, then apologizes for the unprofessionalism.

So Parker offers to kill Colin himself under the guise of self-defense.

Afterward Parker confirms what we all knew (or at least hoped!

): there’s no way he was actually going to kill Colin in cold blood.

But he does threaten to shoot Billy if his friend ever takes the law into his own hands again.