NCIS (TV Series) Trapped (2017) User Reviews

Torres' money situation

[babsiep · 7/10 · 17 August 2020]

In this episode Torres is saving for a motorcycle and then accidentally donates most of his savings fund to Jimmy's charity.

However, in another episode (don't know if it's prior to or after this one) Tim is amazed about how much money Torres has put away and he explains it by not having to use much money while he was under cover.

So wjich is it, does he have money or not?

Meh but nice B story

[rickwright-94893 · 7/10 · 28 April 2021]

Main story was okay. I rather liked the B story with Palmer's charity. I think Palmer has been largely mistreated as a character in this series. Then there was the episode where he dealt with a suicidal person. Respect. And in this episode we see a side of Jimmy that shows him as a tender hearted man. Torres is also growing on me.

Trapped

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 4 November 2017]

The stuff with Torres and the charity donation was good and as someone who does give money to positive causes I know how much it can effect people.

But McGee being a geek with the ham radio just isn't the same without Tony around. You need him to mock McGee's shenanigans for that kind of plot to be effective.

An okay episode, just not a great one.

getting sloppy

[gillulu · 4/10 · 3 November 2017]

so there's the above mentioned issues with the HAM radios. Then lets be serious, who would sift drugs without a mask at the very least. especially with the recent issues with opiates. I know its TV and fans want to see the actors faces but come on. Then they pull a gun on the landscape owner to get her to call the boss. You're telling me the writers think that would fly in court? How would this interview be any different than if located in an interrogation room?

10 minutes of research would have helped a lot!

[mgoday · 5/10 · 2 December 2017]

I am a long time fan of the show. I am also a licensed Amateur Radio operator. The way ham radio was depicted was not in any way realistic. It makes me wonder what other story lines have gone ridiculously wrong. Ham radio operators DO NOT, EVER, use "handles". They are required to use the call sign issued by the FCC. For example, McGee's would have started with W4, as US zone 4 includes the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

And thanks for making us all look like a pack of raging agoraphobic shut-ins. Must come as quite a shock to astronauts like Tony England (W0ORE), Ron Parise (WA4SIR) or Owen Garriot (WA4SIR). How about musicians like Chet Atkins (W4CGP), Ronnie Milsap (WB4KCG) or Joe Walsh (WB6ACU)? Then there is former Arizona senator Barry Goldwater (K7UGA) and long time CBS TV journalist Walter Cronkite (KB2GSD). Not to mention the MIT Radio Society (W1MX). Sorry for the rant, but come on folks. In the age of the internet you could have easily had the real basics for your story, instead of apparently binge watching "Convoy" and all the "Smokey and The Bandit" movies.

Terrible Science

[geenathegeek · 1/10 · 5 November 2017]

I normally love NCIS, but this episode had a total science/technology illiterate for a writer. There was total confusion between Ham Radio and CB, which, by the way, was totally unnecessary since the ARRL would have helped them out for free. The "call-signs" used were not legal Ham call-signs in the US (must have only one digit). Hams to not use "handles" -- that is CB. The station pictured would have world-wide communications ability, not the limited range pictured.

Spoiler section: Finally, cocaine is water soluble. Using a sieve would grind some sand into finer particles and still contaminate the coke. Simply running water through it and evaporation would separate it. I know that the writers do not want to disclose how to do something illegal but this info is available on-line.

Ham Radio Not at all Believable

[nymormon · 31 October 2017]

Knowing a little bit about ham radio, I found the credibility of this episode a bit lacking. First, all ham radio licenses have only 1 (one) number. The number represents the area of the country where the license was issued. When talking on the ham radio, one is required to identify themself with their call sign (aka license), not with a handle! As a matter of fact, people on ham radio do not ever use a handle, only their call sign, possibly followed by their first name. Handles are used on CBs. It appears the writers got ham radio mixed up with CBs. I was really disappointed that the writers screwed up so badly with this episode.

Has NCIS jumped the shark?

[sslavine · 1/10 · 4 November 2017]

I am a licensed Amateur Radio Operator and agree with all of the previous posts. 1. Amateur Radio Licenses have only one number. 2. Calling stations must use their call sign when calling and responding to another station. If known, when calling a specific station, the must use that station's call sign. 3. CB like "Handles" are not used.

The lack of simple technical oversight supports my feeling that the quality of NCIS writing has taken a big drop. Along with the drop in quality of the new series actors and loss of some of the principal characters signals it's time to put this show out of our misery.

Facts are incoorect about Ham Radio

[va3grp · 5/10 · 1 November 2017]

I watched this episode, as was surprised in it's reference to Ham Radio. As a licensed Ham operator, I had to chuckle regarding the use of what Magee referred to, and explained as "Handles". That fact of the episode is not true at all, period!. "Handles" are used with the lower grade radio group called "CB operators", and has nothing to do with the real world of Amateur Radio usage. Ham operators never use what CB operators use, called "Handles", besides there's a huge difference between Ham Radio, and the small time, lower grade radio operators of CB. CB can never compete, nor come anywhere close to Ham Radio, and what ham can do (although they like to play a game, that makes them appear as if they are a licensed Ham Operator, by using illegal surplus ham radio equipment, to expand their signal distances, over an above what the law allows them to be used. Ham operators are legally allowed to talk around the world, while CBer's are only allowed to talk at a max. range of 30 to 50 miles from their stations. CBer's can't in anyway, make connections with the "International Space Station", like hams can, and do often. Hams are all licensed by the government, CBer's are not. It's too bad, that this episode of NCSI referred to using "Handle names" in Amateur Radio, because they are never used in Ham Radio. Just wanted to make this point very clear to all that watched this episode. Use of a "Handle" in ham Radio, is a big NO, NO. Don't confuse "Real Ham Radio", with their smaller lower grade counterpart ("Ham want a be's"), of the CB world. CB will never match the real world of Ham Radio. I might also add, The show used a two number call-sign, where only "one number" is used in amateur call-signs. That part was also wrong in this episode.

The 15th season continues average!

[harrykivi · 5/10 · 15 March 2020]

After being underwhelmed by the 14th season, I expected much more from the 15th, which is definitely better than the previous series, though still not great. In my mind "Trapped" continues this season with an average note.

There are some good things about this episode.

. As usual, the humor is wonderful, character work's mostly well done and action scenes are intense. Acting I thought was rather fine too. The story of this episode can be pretty interesting at times, but there is nothing very new here.

Now to cons.

. The biggest issue here's that the story about drugs is quite forgettable and doesn't have enough clever twists and turns in it, which is sad, because Brendan Fehey (the writer of this one) has been pretty innovative with them in his previous work.

Also the subplot about Torres donating money to children had too predictable for its own good conclusion.

I don't know much about technology as the previous reviewers, but it is nice that we mostly agree: "Trapped" was an okay episode.

5/10 HK