S15.E06: Trapped

[MyAimIsTrue]

After a petty officer is found murdered on a golf course, McGee spends hours on the victim's ham radio trying to locate a key witness. Also, Palmer asks his co-workers to donate to a charity that builds playgrounds for kids of all abilities, and Torres surprises them with his generosity.

[Katy M]

I usually find the scenes where totally unrelated people find the body at the beginning, but for some odd reason, I liked those golfers.  I like that profiler less and less every week. She's so obnoxious.  And, sorry, but there are no wrong answers to a rorscach (sp?) ink thingie. 

[enoughcats]

There are so many characters on the recurring NCIS payroll that the potential murderers are limited to about five each week.  

I really wonder how Abby's one or two minutes a week are going to tell her story this season.  And Jimmy....who has a child.....who may need the special playground or did I doze off or ..........

I think there are too many characters to tell a story in 40some minutes.  And they needed the dog. 

[JessDVD]

Called that the lady was in on it again.

I've allocated one feel for the bit at the end that had nothing to do with anything as far as canon or storyline or character, that has never been mentioned before nor will be again.

They've been writing Jimmy better since Ducky left. I'll accept David McCallum's imminent retirement if it means we get competent Jimmy.

I am sooooo over the new person who everyone hates and we're clearly supposed to hate as well schtick, that is currently on ALL THREE blessed NCIS shows. It's been done a million times before and is never enjoyable.

[HurricaneVal]

I really like Maria Bello, and I actually do think she and Mark Harmon have some chemistry, but I think her character is having an awkward entry to the show.  Maybe that's on purpose...and if so, the writers are playing a deep game.  I actually do like that people are having a paranoid reaction around her--afraid she'll read something about them, or pry into private spaces.  I think that would be a natural reaction to someone with her discerning skills suddenly intruding on your life.  I also liked the bit where she hung the wave picture crookedly on purpose presumably to unsettle folks.  Add that in with the giant Rorsarch blot over her desk, and I'm not so sure the paranoia is unfounded.  Jack does come off as someone constantly testing and evaluating the people around her--even though she professes she's not.

 

But I agree.  There are too many cooks in the NCIS kitchen right now.

[pally]

The show is better than it was last year which is a positive.  They aren't trying to be all things to all people all at the same time which is a good thing.  Jack isn't being shoved down our throats like Torres and Quinn were. And she is more likable than Quinn.  But it is very clear they are still searching for that #2 lead to Mark Harmon that Michael Weatherly was.   Tim is the only character that has the longevity to take over that role but he doesn't have the personality (nor does Sean Murray have it) to move into it so they have to bring it in from the outside.  I actually think Jack could be an interesting character but the writers have to tread carefully.  The other challenge they have is not to make the storylines too simplistic.  The earlier cast had the chemistry and personalities to pull off lighter stories...this one isn't there yet which shines the spotlight on the writing more than in the past.  In the case of this episode, the minute they went into the sand place we knew they were involved and that it likely involved drug smuggling.  And they fell back into their old trope of "small town cops are fat and dumb; small towns must be full of hicks"

Gibbs and Abby didn't interact in person.  Is this a first step into weaning her dependency on him?
I like competent Palmer.  Did the writers forget he was married with a child?  Just seems like the opening of the playground would be something they would be at.
Tim (Sean Murray) is either rebounding from his months of starvation or putting on sympathy pregnancy weight or maybe we are just used to the skinny Timmy we've seen more recently because it looked like to me that Timmy was sporting a bit of a pot belly. 
Next week we get Fornell...yay!!!!

[Katy M]

5 minutes ago, pally said:

Jack isn't being shoved down our throats like Torres and Quinn were. And she is more likable than Quinn.

Really?  I feel just the opposite.  She may not be in as many scenes, but I definitely feel the cram.  Maybe that's why I feel the cram. It feels like they're trying to stick her in there when she doesn't need to be there.  I think she's the only character on this show that I have ever hated.  I just want to jump into my TV and strangle her.

 

7 minutes ago, pally said:

Did the writers forget he was married with a child?  Just seems like the opening of the playground would be something they would be at.

I was also thinking this would be something Tim and Delilah would have been more interested in.  Since, they are also expecting a child and Delilah is in a wheelchair. No, she wasn't when she was a kid, and there is no reason to think that their child will have disabilities, but still, she knows what it's like to have the impediments of a wheelchair. 

[Aliconehead]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Really?  I feel just the opposite.  She may not be in as many scenes, but I definitely feel the cram.  Maybe that's why I feel the cram. It feels like they're trying to stick her in there when she doesn't need to be there.  I think she's the only character on this show that I have ever hated.  I just want to jump into my TV and strangle her.

 

I was also thinking this would be something Tim and Delilah would have been more interested in.  Since, they are also expecting a child and Delilah is in a wheelchair. No, she wasn't when she was a kid, and there is no reason to think that their child will have disabilities, but still, she knows what it's like to have the impediments of a wheelchair. 

Plus an inclusion playground would be easier for Delilah to take her child to.  

[jzygayle]

2 hours ago, pally said:

  And they fell back into their old trope of "small town cops are fat and dumb; small towns must be full of hicks"

Yeah, I had to do a quick rewind (I wasn't paying full attention) to be sure they weren't in Carroll County, MD for that.  Apparently, CC killed NCIS's dog or something, because they HATE us! :D

[Katy M]

Why would a person who appears to basically be a hermit, and looked to have at least a fair bit of land need a dog walker?

[stuckin60s]

noticing how Gibbs hair is growing out, still a bad cut.

I liked the old cut better

[jzygayle]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Why would a person who appears to basically be a hermit, and looked to have at least a fair bit of land need a dog walker?

So his dog could solve a case!  Duh!  ;)

[VinceW]

On 11/1/2017 at 0:05 PM, Aliconehead said:

Plus an inclusion playground would be easier for Delilah to take her child to.  

Delilah still not included in November sweeps period (Oct 26 - Nov 22), but show runner promised baby arrival in October. There must have been a firm decision to not cover much of her pregnancy after all while in a wheelchair given so much buildup at the end of last season.

ETA:

Spoiler

Just in time for sweeps:

Nov 14, 2017  "Voices"
An NCIS person of interest in a bribery and fraud case is found murdered after a runner is led to his body by a strange voice. Also, McGee and Delilah disagree on whether to find out the baby’s sex or keep it a surprise.

Nov 21, 2017  "Ready or Not"
The team’s Thanksgiving plans are put on hold while they track an elusive international arms dealer in D.C. who recently murdered an MI6 officer who was Sloane’s close friend. Also, Abby races Delilah to the hospital when her labor starts three weeks early.

Edited November 4, 2017 by VinceW

[eel2178]

5 hours ago, Katy M said:

Why would a person who appears to basically be a hermit, and looked to have at least a fair bit of land need a dog walker?

I was wondering the same thing.

[enoughcats]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

  6 hours ago, Katy M said:

Why would a person who appears to basically be a hermit, and looked to have at least a fair bit of land need a dog walker?

My question is more basic than why would he need a dog walker.  I wondered what he did to afford housing in the DC metro area AND how he could afford a dog walker for many hours a week.

[LakeGal]

I am probably the only person that watches this show that does not care for McGee.  I don't know what it is but I have never cared for the character/actor.

[Notwisconsin]

The Charity thing was insipid. I'm sorry it just was. It was like Jimmy was stealing money. Torres should have gotten SOME of his money back.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Notwisconsin said:

The Charity thing was insipid. I'm sorry it just was. It was like Jimmy was stealing money. Torres should have gotten SOME of his money back.

Torres would have gotten all of his money back (minus the $50) had he but asked for it.  But, when he saw the kids, he changed his mind and let the charity keep it.  Please explain the stealing aspect.

 

11 hours ago, enoughcats said:

My question is more basic than why would he need a dog walker.  I wondered what he did to afford housing in the DC metro area AND how he could afford a dog walker for many hours a week.

Inheritance?  Lottery winning?  Hacking?  Writing computer software?

[Notwisconsin]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

Torres would have gotten all of his money back (minus the $50) had he but asked for it.  But, when he saw the kids, he changed his mind and let the charity keep it.  Please explain the stealing aspect.

Jimmy put on a great deal of pressure, even putting the "charity's" WEBSITE ON HIS COMPUTER, and pretty much forced him to give the money. It was not voluntary, as Jimmy had gotten everyone else to SHAME him into doing it. He was not only unable to make a proper decision, but forced away from his computer while he was making the 'voluntary' payment so he couldn't rectify the mistake. The money was being saved for YEARS in order to pay for something he had been dreaming about, and he was unable pay his regular bills.

ALL of it, including the $50, was stolen. The side-plot was an advertisement for the charity, and a bad one at that. It was a disservice to both legitimate charities and the integrity of the characters. It's an example of poor hackneyed writing.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Notwisconsin

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, Notwisconsin said:

Jimmy put on a great deal of pressure, even putting the "charity's" WEBSITE ON HIS COMPUTER, and pretty much forced him to give the money. It was not voluntary, as Jimmy had gotten everyone else to SHAME him into doing it. He was not only unable to make a proper decision, but forced away from his computer while he was making the 'voluntary' payment so he couldn't rectify the mistake. The money was being saved for YEARS in order to pay for something he had been dreaming about, and he was unable pay his regular bills.

ALL of it, including the $50, was stolen. The side-plot was an advertisement for the charity, and a bad one at that. It was a disservice to both legitimate charities and the integrity of the characters. It's an example of poor hackneyed writing.

Torres is a big boy.  If he can't say no, that's on him.  Peer pressure is not the same as stealing.  Just put your foot down and say no.  At the very least when Gibbs is calling you away, shut down the window so you can do it later when you have time to concentrate.  But, again, he could have gotten the extra refunded by just explaining what had happened.  He was told this by Jimmy and the woman in charge.  He chose not to when he saw the good his money was doing.

[Notwisconsin]

28 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Torres is a big boy.  If he can't say no, that's on him.  Peer pressure is not the same as stealing.  Just put your foot down and say no.  At the very least when Gibbs is calling you away, shut down the window so you can do it later when you have time to concentrate.  But, again, he could have gotten the extra refunded by just explaining what had happened.  He was told this by Jimmy and the woman in charge.  He chose not to when he saw the good his money was doing.

Bad writing is bad writing. Torres is a fictional character and the message is" if it's a good cause, it's alright to force someone to give you money." It's a bad message and it hurt the plot.

[MortysCleaningLady]

I am so glad others aren't loving Jack.  She is trying too hard.  And why does she get an office?  And the Abby scene was painful....

 

Still hate Bishop, too.  Is the profiling everything profiler supposed to make her almost tolerable?

 

So Torres doesn't get a perk for which he has been saving because of guilt?  Low blow, show!

 

I liked the cocaine in the sand and the golfers.  McGee as the Timinator was sweet as well.  I should just give up and watch the Tony seasons (pre-Bishop) and give up.

[Kelda Feegle]

Jack doesn't float my boat either. She hasn't brought anything to a case that the team would not have had without her.

Still love McGee.

Torres was guilt tripped in a big way.

The pommy guy was ummmm there I guess? Meh Bishop.

[rainsmom]

So what exactly has Torres been spending his money on? He was undercover for years -- and should have drawn a paycheck and had zero expenses. (100% reimbursed.) He has no family to support. He has little "stuff."

Why was it so hard for him to save for this perk he wanted?

[Clanstarling]

On 10/31/2017 at 6:01 PM, Katy M said:

I usually find the scenes where totally unrelated people find the body at the beginning, but for some odd reason, I liked those golfers.  I like that profiler less and less every week. She's so obnoxious.  And, sorry, but there are no wrong answers to a rorscach (sp?) ink thingie. 

I know, right? She seemed to imply there was something Gibbs should actively be trying to do to "answer" the test. The answers themselves are supposed to give the insights.

I like Maria Bello's character, I think she has good chemistry with Gibbs (and actually everyone), and I think having a profiler might be interesting.

That being said, they are not using her very well. Her expert insight were things even  even a moderately skilled cop could come up with. Or someone who's watched a lot of tv <grin>. Plus, the case was a paint by numbers case that didn't need any particular psychological insight. It was a little fun to see Abby and Brit be upset about her presence, but otherwise she didn't add anything to this episode.

Taking down the drug lord was exceptionally easy - but I didn't mind seeing Torres in his outfit.

The playground scene was touching. I kept wondering, though, if Palmer's kid had a disability. I remember there was some kind of drama way back when, but not the details. I agree with @Katy M, succumbing to peer pressure is on the adult who succumbs to it. I have a pretty strong policy of just saying no at the office unless it's something I truly want to help with.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Clanstarling

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I kept wondering, though, if Palmer's kid had a disability. I remember there was some kind of drama way back when, but not the details.

They were in the process of adopting a baby when the birth mother changed her mind. Later, Bree became pregnant, so now they have a child. No drama about any disabilities or anything.

[enoughcats]

is Jimmy still married?  With the many minutes of programming to fill, wouldn't he mention his family once or twice a season?

[GHScorpiosRule]

10 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

is Jimmy still married?  With the many minutes of programming to fill, wouldn't he mention his family once or twice a season?

Yes.

[secnarf]

8 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

They were in the process of adopting a baby when the birth mother changed her mind. Later, Bree became pregnant, so now they have a child. No drama about any disabilities or anything.

I thought there was some drama for an episode while Bree was pregnant. Something about the kid maybe being blind or deaf or something? Or is that another show?

[rainsmom]

24 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I thought there was some drama for an episode while Bree was pregnant. Something about the kid maybe being blind or deaf or something? Or is that another show?

Did you watch Bones? There was drama around Angela and Hodgins' baby -- that he might be blind.

[GHScorpiosRule]

46 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I thought there was some drama for an episode while Bree was pregnant. Something about the kid maybe being blind or deaf or something? Or is that another show?

Another show. After they lost the chance to adopt, Jimmy was all depressed until Gibbs snapped him out of it.  I think they thought Bree couldn’t get pregnant. And then...she did.

[ForReal]

This episode was inconsistent for me. I like Jack a little better, although I didn't find her insights as remarkable as her coworkers did. I think they are straining that point -- Gibbs is completely on board with her as a teammate, and he's made many others prove themselves far more than this in the past -- and McGee acted like a little kid with his mommy, asking her to listen to the tape and provide him with her opinions. That kind of jarred me, like when did he get so dependent on her and trust her judgment so much?

That Abby and Clayton were the most suspicious of her makes me wonder if they have the most to hide...could prove interesting.

I understood how Fez I mean Torres got guilted into letting the donation stand, but I thought he could have given $500 and still been a hero, and had his bike in another month or two.

[secnarf]

1 hour ago, rainsmom said:

Did you watch Bones? There was drama around Angela and Hodgins' baby -- that he might be blind.

Yes! Thank you :) Good to know I'm only partially going crazy.

[Clanstarling]

12 hours ago, ForReal said:

That Abby and Clayton were the most suspicious of her makes me wonder if they have the most to hide...could prove interesting.

I think they have more to hide psychology wise. We know Clayton had an abusive childhood, and I'm not sure what we know about Abby, but she's the quirkiest of them all, and quirky sometimes comes with a mess of baggage.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

I think they have more to hide psychology wise. We know Clayton had an abusive childhood, and I'm not sure what we know about Abby, but she's the quirkiest of them all, and quirky sometimes comes with a mess of baggage.

We know Abby was adopted, which she found out as an adult.  She has an adopted brother and a "real" brother.  She helped out some little girl with a teddy bear when she was a kid.  And, she sleeps in a coffin, I think.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

We know Abby was adopted, which she found out as an adult.  She has an adopted brother and a "real" brother.  She helped out some little girl with a teddy bear when she was a kid.  And, she sleeps in a coffin, I think.

I should have phrased it "what I know about Abby" - because I tend to forget. I did remember the coffin (quirky), but not the adoption and two brothers (I remember one). 

[MissLucas]

I absolutely hated the Jimmy-Torres plot. Jimmy pulled a classic 'Abby' there - first time I really disliked Palmer (no Doctor for you this week). But as mentioned above it's bad writing - both were acting OOC.

I actually liked Jack and McGee working together. In my opinion they have the best (non-romantic) chemistry. Everybody else seems to be slightly paranoid and tense around her - well except Gibbs, who keeps it slightly antagonistic - probably as well-deserved payback for her introduction. The scene at Ricochet's house where Jack was calming him down by talking about his dog was great - especially when she admitted to McGee that's she's not exactly a dog person.

[secnarf]

10 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I should have phrased it "what I know about Abby" - because I tend to forget. I did remember the coffin (quirky), but not the adoption and two brothers (I remember one). 

Just to add - her parents were deaf (Abby and her brother Luca know how to sign), and Abby has described them as amazing, loving parents (they have since died, I don't remember if we know the circumstances). She seems to have had a happy childhood, though. She is from New Orleans, I think.

[GHScorpiosRule]

5 minutes ago, secnarf said:

Just to add - her parents were deaf (Abby and her brother Luca know how to sign), and Abby has described them as amazing, loving parents (they have since died, I don't remember if we know the circumstances). She seems to have had a happy childhood, though. She is from New Orleans, I think.

Yes. Aside from learning she was adopted-which threw her for a loop ( something I hate because every damn show treats adoption as something horrible-when it’s not; otherwise why does EVERY CHARACTER act as if they’ve lost their identity and MUST find their birth parents to fix something that was never broken?), but she’s had a relatively happy childhood.

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Yes. Aside from learning she was adopted-which threw her for a loop ( something I hate because every damn show treats adoption as something horrible-when it’s not; otherwise why does EVERY CHARACTER act as if they’ve lost their identity and MUST find their birth parents to fix something that was never broken?), but she’s had a relatively happy childhood.

I remember she found out because she was a close match with another donor of some body part or something, but I don't remember her really being thrown for a loop by it.  She just wanted to meet her brother and get to know him.  But, based on the number of posts you see on Facebook and elsewhere saying something like "I was left in a bus depot on (date) in (city) and want to find my parents" it must be somewhat realistic that adopted children want to find their real parents.

When I was a kid, I told my mom I thought I was switched in the hospital (ridicoulous as I look exactly like both my parents).  My mother said I wasn't.  I told her it was OK, because I didn't want to meet my real parents, anyway (which makes me wonder why I brought it up in the first place).

[DJG1122]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

  But, based on the number of posts you see on Facebook and elsewhere saying something like "I was left in a bus depot on (date) in (city) and want to find my parents" it must be somewhat realistic that adopted children want to find their real parents.

 

Yes. Non-adopted people know the relatives going back a long way. They may know that they have Mom's nose, Dad's smile and Uncle Bob's eyebrows. They know their history, which is something adoptees don't know. We don't know anything about our pasts. It can be very lonely, not having any "blood' relatives. I know who I am, I wanted to know my past. (And, yes I do now).

[Gothish520]

On 11/2/2017 at 0:46 AM, LakeGal said:

I am probably the only person that watches this show that does not care for McGee.  I don't know what it is but I have never cared for the character/actor.

He's...ok. I never really developed the warm-and-fuzzies for him, but he and Delilah are cute together.

[HurricaneVal]

On 11/3/2017 at 6:38 AM, rainsmom said:

So what exactly has Torres been spending his money on? He was undercover for years -- and should have drawn a paycheck and had zero expenses. (100% reimbursed.) He has no family to support. He has little "stuff."

Why was it so hard for him to save for this perk he wanted?

Yes!  This, exactly.  I was boggled that Torres--who lives a pretty small profile lifestyle, like Callen from NCIS: LA--doesn't have the dough to go out and get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.  Perhaps he's being very scrupulous with his paychecks because he's making massive investments in his retirement accounts...I dunno.  It would be believable if he was pinching pennies and saving up if he had a normal career as a regular agent, with all the regular expenses that would have eaten up his monthly paychecks.  You know, like happens for most of the population!  But all his backpay from his UC days probably piled up somewhere, leaving him a nice lump sum to come out of the cold to. 

[Katy M]

22 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Yes!  This, exactly.  I was boggled that Torres--who lives a pretty small profile lifestyle, like Callen from NCIS: LA--doesn't have the dough to go out and get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it.  Perhaps he's being very scrupulous with his paychecks because he's making massive investments in his retirement accounts...I dunno.  It would be believable if he was pinching pennies and saving up if he had a normal career as a regular agent, with all the regular expenses that would have eaten up his monthly paychecks.  You know, like happens for most of the population!  But all his backpay from his UC days probably piled up somewhere, leaving him a nice lump sum to come out of the cold to. 

Maybe he went on a wild Vegas weekend and lost 10s of thousands.  Or maybe he invested it all in Enron (OK, I couldn't think of a more current really bad investment off the top of my head, so change it to something better).  Or maybe he got conned out of all his money.

[MissLucas]

I almost wish he had an old fragile nana in a nursing home he has to support all on his own - he could reverse guilt-trip Jimmy by revealing that info.

Seriously - why was him giving the same amount as everybody else (per Reid) not good enough? Why were Bishop, Reid and the rest not also invited to the playground to make them cough up more than 50 bucks?

[secnarf]

2 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I almost wish he had an old fragile nana in a nursing home he has to support all on his own - he could reverse guilt-trip Jimmy by revealing that info.

Seriously - why was him giving the same amount as everybody else (per Reid) not good enough? Why were Bishop, Reid and the rest not also invited to the playground to make them cough up more than 50 bucks?

Who is Reid?

I think Torres was invited to the playground *because* he had donated ("donated") a large amount.

[MissLucas]

Oops, Reeves not Reid. Yes, the invitation happened before the overdonation was revealed. But still - Jimmy said he had thought something was not right yet he had said nothing. And then he behaved like a kicked puppy when all Torres did was telling him he had intended to give the same amount as everybody else. But of course Torres can donate more because all he wanted to do with that money was buying a dirt bike. It was a bit of judgemental and manipulative writing.