Troll is the twenty-second episode of NCIS Season 12 and also the 280th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
The NCIS team investigate the death of a Navy Ensign who worked in the Office of Naval Intelligence and soon discover that something much bigger is on the horizon, leading them to reunite with Ned Dorneget who is now working for the NCIS Cyber Operations Division with Dorneget returning to help with the case while the team discover that Jake and Gibbs have become good friends.
Prologue
A street cleaner drives by.
In a café titled "All-Nite Pie" with the shop stating that it's open 24 hours, a couple sit in the café with the girl or Maggie wondering if her male companion or boyfriend is going to help her out here because it feels like she's eating the whole thing.
The boyfriend states that he's helping.
The girl doesn't believe him, though.
"And it's your turn", the boyfriend says.
The girl wonders if he loves her more than his truck?
The boyfriend admits that that's a tough one before saying, "But, heck, yeah, I do".
The girl chuckles.
The boyfriend wonders if she love shim more than her dog.
"Now that's not fair", the girl states and that she loves her Betty with the boyfriend adding in that he loves his truck.
"Then I guess I love you both equally", the girl adds.
As she does that, she slips some pie into her mouth before adding in that it's in very different ways, of course.
The boyfriend just nods.
Suddenly, the girl begins choking and coughing with the boyfriend patting her on the back, wondering if she's okay.
The boyfriend apologizes.
The girl wonders why he's sorry before she hold something up, quickly realizing that it's a ring.
The boyfriend states that it was his grandmother's.
The girl looks down.
"Too soon?", the boyfriend wonders.
"By years", the girl says and that this is their 11th date before announcing that he hasn't even met her parents.
"Well, guess this couldn't have gone any worse", the boyfriend grumbles.
Seconds later, tires are heard screeching and the girl looks up to see a car heading for the café, causing her to yell "Look out!" which in turn prompts everyone to duck for cover.
The car, a small blue Volkswagen polo then crashes into the café.
The boyfriend helps the girl up with the two looking stunned.
Suddenly, the girl rushes over and opens the door.
The driver's right hand which is covered in blood then slumps forward, revealing that the driver has a wound on the right side of her neck.
The girl looks stunned.
It then cuts to the driver who sits there, dead.
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Bishop during a conversation with Jake.
Act Four
Act Five
On the bus, Mrs. Simek asks if her son's there and tells Bradley to talk to her, before she tells him that she knows he's there and that she can hear him breathing.
She wants him to answer her.
Bradley just sits there, the phone to his ear, unwilling to say anything.
Mrs. Simek then desperately begs for Bradley to come home and that she's so worried...
Bradley then removes the phone away and abruptly ends the call.
Meanwhile, in an NCIS Dodge Charger, the team are racing to the scene.
In the car, Gibbs is behind the wheel as usual with McGee sitting opposite Gibbs in the passenger seat while Bishop and DiNozzo are in the back, Bishop behind McGee and DiNozzo behind Gibbs.
Not taking his eyes off the road for a single second, Gibbs asks for a sitrep.
Meanwhile, someone tells Bishop that they're ready to roll before she hangs up, telling Gibbs and the others that the bomb squad's on stand-by, waiting for a location.
In the passenger seat, McGee remarks that the location keeps changing.
Via an iPad, a map shows Bradley's destination with McGee remarking that the kid's cell signal is moving fast and that it's too fast to be on foot.
DiNozzo wonders if Bradley ditched the car for someone else's and is heading across town?
McGee then shows DiNozzo and Bishop the information.
Bishop quickly realizes that the road is a bus line, 6 Eastbound.
Gibbs remarks to Bishop that he needs a bus number and that she should tell the driver to pull over and stay put.
In downtown D.C, the bus with its destination labelled "City Center" is still roaming across the road.
In the bus, Bradley sits in his seat, downhearted and with bags under his eyes. He glances over and sees one man wearing a cap looking elsewhere and a young woman with an orange scarf looking ahead.
Bradley then sees a mother talking to her young daughter.
Looking behind, Bradley sees another mother looking at a baby in a pram and his gaze finally focuses on an elderly African-American woman.
Bradley then turns back, obviously annoyed.
It then cuts to show Bradley's red backpack which sits right next to Bradley.
Bradley keeps glancing out the window, lost in thought but finds his thoughts interrupted when the bus comes to an abrupt stop.
The bus doors then part, revealing Gibbs who holds up his NCIS ID card to the driver with Gibbs telling the driver to open the side door.
The driver does so.
Bradley then glances around.
As the side doors open, Bishop and DiNozzo are outside, both Agents with their guns drawn.
On the bus, Bradley looks back and forth.
At the top of the bus, Gibbs tells the driver to get off while McGee stands there, serving as Gibbs's back-up.
The driver then gets up from his seat.
As he does that, Bradley slips his right hand into his backpack before he pulls out a detonator.
As the driver leaves, McGee guides the driver to safety while standing outside the bus.
Gibbs arrives onto the bus and holding his ID card, tells everyone to get off.
This in turn prompts the passengers to get to their feet and begin leaving the bus.
Gibbs then looks at Bradley who stares back, Bradley's own face full of anger.
As this happens, Bishop and McGee are escorting the passengers off the bus while DiNozzo stands guard.
Seconds later, Bradley gets up from his seat, holding the detonator while yelling "No! Nobody move!".
This has Gibbs drawing his gun and stating "Don't!" while the other passengers just stand there, everyone completely frozen, one girl even shrieking with fear.
"Don't", Gibbs states again, aiming his SIG at Bradley.
He then tells Bradley to let the passengers go and that they haven't done anything to Bradley while something, presumably a dog is heard howling in the background.
Bradley just stares back at Gibbs, the detonator still in Bradley's own grasp.
"Stay back", Bradley orders.
"Go on", Gibbs states. "Get out of here".
His command gives the other passengers the motivation they need and with that, they all move, leaving the bus quickly and quietly as possible until it's just Bradley and Gibbs on the bus, the two now engaged in a very tense stand-off.
"Easy", Gibbs urges.
As the remaining passengers flee, Bishop and McGee are helping with McGee stating, "Come on", obviously wanting the passengers off the bus as quick as possible.
When the passengers are gone, Bishop slips away while DiNozzo stands there.
Back on the bus, Gibbs tells Bradley that he's made his point.
Bradley just stands there, holding the detonator.
His gun still aimed at Bradley, Gibbs brings up Bradley's username, "Hellbent".
Bradley just looks at Gibbs, stunned at the fact that Gibbs knows Bradley's own username.
Gibbs then asks about the coach, presumably Navy Ensign Janine Wilt.
Flustered by the revelation, Bradley stammers that it wasn't him and corrects himself by stating that while it was his knife, he didn't do it.
"Well, don't do this", Gibbs urges. "Your dad wouldn't want to do this".
Gibbs then brings up Mrs. Simek, Bradley's mother who Gibbs reveals is just outside.
Bradley looks at Gibbs.
Gibbs eventually lowers his gun and tells Bradley, "Come on".
Outside, DiNozzo is presumably attempting to find a way to get a shot but he can't due to the glass and seats.
Back inside the bus, Bradley just stands there, holding the detonator.
"Come on", Gibbs urges before suggesting that they go talk to Mrs. Simek with Gibbs telling Bradley to follow him out.
Gibbs then urges Bradley to follow him.
Outside, McGee retreats to a safe distance.
On the bus, Gibbs tells Bradley that it's okay while Bradley stands there, shaking, his hand firmly clenched on the detonator.
Gibbs tells Bradley that they should go talk to Mrs. Simek before he asks Bradley to follow him and to come on.
As Bradley cautiously walks up, Gibbs tells Bradley, "That's it" and that Bradley is doing good, Gibbs obviously encouraging the troubled teenager.
This continues until Gibbs is standing right the bus and Bradley is close to the steps.
Gibbs then tells Bradley that's good and that Bradley should drop the bag.
Bradley hesitates.
"Just put it down", Gibbs says softly.
Bradley then begins to put the backpack down but stops upon hearing a siren and outside, it's shown that a new patrol car has arrived with another officer on scene.
Bradley looks stunned.
Not wanting the moment to slip, Gibbs tells Bradley to look at him.
Bradley looks out the window again and then glances at the back of the bus.
"You're a good kid", Gibbs states.
Bradley then glances at Gibbs and mutters, "No, I'm not" in a tone of self-loathing and hate.
Gibbs just looks stunned.
Bradley simply stands there, calm.
Seconds later, Bradley then starts running to the back of the bus, causing Gibbs to yell "NO!" with Gibbs also rushing forward, presumably to get on board the bus to stop Bradley.
As Gibbs attempts to do that, a huge explosion then rips through the bus, sending flames and fire everywhere with the impact engulfing the bus and also completely destroying the inside of the bus while also killing Bradley with DiNozzo and Gibbs both caught in the blast while Gibbs takes most of the blast.
Bishop and McGee, having looked on duck for cover as everyone else in the background does the same.
As the last of the smoke blenches out of the bus, Gibbs falls to the ground.
As everyone begins screaming, Bishop and McGee race forward to help Gibbs and as they run to Gibbs, an African-American police officer is seen talking to his walkie-talkie, presumably informing someone of the blast.
It then cuts to DiNozzo who picks himself up from the ground and just sits there, horrified at the impact of the explosion while two people run across the street in the background as various car alarms, having been set off by the blast are heard echoing loudly into the distant.
Major Events
- Ned Dorneget returns to aid the team and it's revealed that he's become an official NCIS Special Agent who now works for the NCIS Cyber Operations unit.
- Dorneget meets Bishop for the first time.
- It is revealed that Eleanor Bishop was seriously affected by the events of Lost in Translation (episode), as she revealed that those events that took place in the previous episode greatly affected her and her relationship with her husband Jake Malloy.
Trivia
- This episode marks the beginning of the storyline involving the terrorist group, The Calling.
Cast
Series Regulars
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | Special Agent in charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Anthony DiNozzo Junior | Michael Weatherly | Senior Special Agent and second-in-command of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray (actor) | Special Agent of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Abigail Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | Chief Forensic Specialist for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| James Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Assistant Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Eleanor Bishop | Emily Wickersham | Probationary Agent for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director of NCIS. |
| Donald Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
Recurring Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Ned Dorneget | Matt L. Jones | NCIS Special Agent who now works in NCIS Cyber Operations. |
| Jake Malloy | Jamie Bamber | A NSA agent and Eleanor Bishop's husband. |
Other Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Layna Korkmaz | Jessica Garza | Adem Korkmaz's daughter. |
| Adem Korkmaz | Anil Kumar | Layna Korkmaz's father. |
| Alfredo Montez | Bernardo De Paula | A man who appears in the episode. |
| Maggie | Heather Sossaman | A woman who appears in the episode. |
| Boyfriend (Troll) | Kevin Fonteyne | |
| Bradley Simek | Cody Sullivan | A teenager who is also the son of Mrs. Simek. |
| Mrs. Simek | Marci Simon | Bradley Simek's mother. |
| Curry | Erica Tazel | A woman who appears in the episode. |
| Bus Passenger | David Donah | A male passenger on the bus. Uncredited role. |
| Janine Wilt | Ashley Scharf | The main murder victim and an Ensign in the Navy. Uncredited role. |
| Unnamed Captain (Troll) | Ryan Sands | Janine Wilt's Commanding Officer. |