On Halloween, the NCIS team is called in to investigate a strange case: a Marine comes home to find someone else living in his house. In NCIS Season 22, Episode 3, titled “The Trouble with Hal,” things get complicated when Hal’s girlfriend plans a surprise Halloween celebration but mistakenly decorates the wrong house. CBS released some sneak peeks that reveal the team’s Halloween night is full of twists as they try to figure out the situation. At one point, Jimmy arrives in costume, prompting laughs and questions from his team about his unique Halloween look.
In the episode, Hal’s girlfriend explains to the team, “This is my boyfriend Hal’s house. I was just trying to surprise him with a little party, and then some lunatic broke in, acting crazy.” She had already decorated the house—all that was missing was Hal himself. But the Marine, the actual resident, fires back: “This is my house, not Hal’s! I knew something was wrong when the door wouldn’t open—it’s the first thing these squatters do: change the key codes.” Just as they begin piecing things together, the doorbell rings, and Jessica answers it to find trick-or-treaters, adding to the Halloween chaos.
Later, another scene shows the team investigating a crime scene with a body present. “Sorry to pull you away on Halloween, Jimmy,” McGee tells him as Jimmy arrives in his costume—he was chaperoning his daughter’s Halloween dance. His costume, which he proudly describes as a “Medical Examiner Man” superhero look, features a large “M.E.” on his chest. But the team has trouble figuring it out until he explains it.
Halloween isn’t the only holiday the team will tackle this season. In Episode 9, titled “Humbug,” airing closer to Christmas, they face a festive but urgent case. A tell-all book threatens to ruin Christmas for a decorated Marine, and the team must work to uncover the truth before the book releases and taints a hero’s legacy.
Is Hal hiding the truth about his living situation from his girlfriend? Or is the Marine mistaken about whose house it really is? Tune in to find out when NCIS airs “The Trouble with Hal” on Monday, October 28, and catch up on Paramount+.
