Was Lt. Max Winger framed?


NCIS Season 23 Episode 7 shows how Parker's family history connects to the investigation of the SEALs' actions. Throughout the hour-long episode, the audience is introduced to Lt. Max Winger, who we see parachuting into the middle of a neighborhood street, leading to the kidnapping of a teenager. Winger quickly becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Captain David Cruz.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the show. Reader discretion is advised.

The investigation takes agents to locations including a church, a police station and an ammunition depot, with hints of possible radicalisation, blackmail and possible cover-ups linked to the combat base that was once located in Afghanistan. The research in NCIS Season 23 Episode 7 also takes the agents down paths that ultimately reveal that Winger had been wrongly accused and was in fact motivated by fear, not malice. Ultimately, the real perpetrator used Winger's secret confessions to exploit Cruz's weaknesses for profit.


Lt. Max Winger was framed NCIS season 23 episode 7?

Max Winger (Image via Instagram/@stevengnorfleet)Max Winger (Image via Instagram/@stevengnorfleet)
Max Winger (Image via Instagram/@stevengnorfleet)

Max Winger initially appears to be a volatile kidnapper who murdered Cruz in a jealous rage after discovering an affair. However, this theory falls apart once his wife denies any infidelity and his behavior does not match a crime of passion profile in NCIS season 23 episode 7

The investigation leads to connections between Winger, Cruz and Liam O'Brien, which point to a secret location known as the OK Corral, where exposure to toxic waste had left them all sick, creating reasons for others to cover up the situation. Max Winger's act of running away initially appears to be an attempt to evade justice, but through his actions it becomes clear that this was intended to protect and provide safety for his family and secure evidence, rather than an effort to escape a charge of murder.

The hostage call created by an AI system, which forced Winger to return to his home, and the soil he had removed from the ammunition depot, are part of the evidence that convicts him of the crime. With Marine Morris exposed as the mastermind behind the blackmail, and Cruz being killed for not meeting ransom demands, Winger is no longer charged with the murder and is reunited with his family, but continues to live with the terminal diagnosis.


NCIS Season 23 Episode 7: Exploring Parker's Story

The cast of NCIS Season 23 (Image via Instagram/@ncisverse)The cast of NCIS Season 23 (Image via Instagram/@ncisverse)
The cast of NCIS Season 23 (Image via Instagram/@ncisverse)

After Jimmy presents major discrepancies in forensic evidence that may indicate Parker's mother's death was not simply an accident, Parker is filled with rage and grief for what he has lost. Palmer gives Parker an explanation about the injuries located at the base of his mother's skull that do not match the pattern that would be created by a front-end collision of a car with another vehicle.

This provides possible evidence of murder and the possibility that someone else was involved in creating the appearance of an accident. He just lost his father faced with the same violence that caused the death of his mother, Parker's frustration becomes evident in the Winger case.

During Parker's questioning of Winger, he crosses the boundaries established for the investigators and experiences confrontations with the priest due to the latter's unwillingness to break the seal of confession. He goes so far as to try to physically force Director Vance to allow him back into the interrogation room.

The relationship between Parker's search for the unvarnished truth about the OK Corral and Winger's desperate desire to know the truth about his mother serves as an emotional undercurrent throughout the hour. Witnessing firsthand the devastating impact withholding information has had on Winger's life, Parker's emotions gradually evolve from denial to acceptance of a truth he has long avoided.

Towards the end of NCIS episode 7 of season 23, returns to Jimmy, not with anger but with determination, asking him to continue investigating his mother's death even if the answers are painful.


Other highlights of NCIS episode 7 of season 23

In addition to Parker's personal journey and the conspiracy surrounding the chapel, there are major developments NCIS episode 7 of season 23 that affect Winger's character due to the effects of his past trauma. One of the revelations NCIS It turned out that Winger, Cruz and Liam O'Brien had been stationed together at a top secret location in Afghanistan called the OK Corral.

The OK Corral was once a Russian military base that was later contaminated due to the use of toxic soil. All three soldiers had experienced significant exposure to this soil, and Winger had taken soil samples to provide proof. His initial attempt to skydive ended because he had received an AI phone call suggesting that both his wife and son had been kidnapped, part of a larger plan to cover up the contamination of the site.

Due to Winger's continued decline in fitness, he was motivated by a sense of desperation to make a profit for his family while he was still able to perform. When he was cleared, he returned to his family, with the Pentagon launching an investigation into the area's contamination.

The bravery Winger showed in coming forward with information about what happened will now allow hundreds of other service members who were stationed at the base the opportunity to undergo early detection and treatment for any health problems they may experience as a result of being exposed to toxic soil.


catch NCIS episode 7 of season 23, along with previous episodes of the show CBS and Paramount+.