(S06E11) *Warning, spoilers ahead*

Holy presidential secrets, Batman.

House arrest?

After conspiring to have a president killed?

And the public doesn't know about it?

I know that the White House press corps really hates being kept in the dark, but when the reporters find out about this doozy of a secret, boy are they gonna be angry. Keeping a secret of this magnitude under wraps, even in the wake of a nuclear bomb blast, is going to make run-of-the-mill White House leaks look like child's play in future seasons.

My mouth fell open, literally, when viewers of the latest installment of 24 were told, via CTU chief Bill Buchanan, that former President Charles Logan had only been placed under house arrest at his retreat in Hidden Valley, California (how apropos) after he brokered a closed-door deal with the feds where he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for his role in President David Palmer's assassination, as well as his involvement in the shenanigans with the nerve gas canisters last season. The public was never informed of Logan's treasonous behavior, nor of the reason why he's such the homebody. Sweet deal.

As I watched the episode unfold, including each riveting moment with Logan, I kept thinking, "This is more like it." We don't need any stinkin' Bauer family players or power drills to make 24 interesting. This episode was a huge improvement over the past few, which seemed bogged down by family melodrama. They seemed to forgot the key fact that, hel-lo folks, a nuclear bomb went off. Tens of thousands of Americans were vaporized. People are talking about offing another president. Who cares if Marilyn Bauer is still in love with her brother-in-love who has an affinity for caressing her cheek at inappropriate moments? Or whether or not Jack Bauer sired a love child.

Watching the now-rugged-looking Logan in his jeans, plaid shirt and gray beard -- a far cry from the wimp he was last season -- take advantage of his upper-hand with Jack Bauer was great TV. When Logan told Jack that he could quickly get him intel on the Russian general who worked with Phillip Bauer and was believed to be in cahoots with the "bad" terrorist in possession of three suitcase nukes, Jack growled, "I don't trust you." But Logan cooly said that he had connections to the general, Gredenko, courtesy of the failed nerve gas plotters two years ago. The wily former president then added that he had to meet face-to-face with his contact, Markoff. Inside the Russian consulate. Where, of course, the Americans have no jurisdiction.

Tricky, tricky, tricky. It harkens back to the Chinese embassy debacle. Could it be that Logan is going to lure Jack into the Russian consulate and then stay there himself, where he can't be prosecuted or apprehended? He'd still be under house arrest, only he'd be in a Russian house, not his wooden paneled one with horse pictures and a cross on the wall at his retreat. But if Logan had anything to do with the attack on President Palmer II, being on the equivalent of foreign soil might be a good strategy.

However before Jack could take Logan to the Russian consulate to seek information on the location of the general and the nukes, Jack had to persuade President Palmer II to approve Logan's release from house arrest. This was one highly entertaining telephone call. It was the most animated I've seen Wayne Palmer all season, including the moment when he watched a mushroom cloud envelope a California neighborhood on live TV. Though Palmer II called Logan a criminal who killed his brother, told Jack that he didn't trust Logan and thought this was "a maneuver to gain his freedom," the president nonetheless authorized Logan's release.

Scenes for the previews for next week showed Jack barging into the consulate and threatening to take off that Markoff guy's fingers if he didn't give Jack the info he needed. (So much for the lightening up on the torture.) Even though President Palmer II hasn't been right about much this season, I'll bet he's right about Logan wanting to escape U.S. custody. I don't for a second believe that Logan has changed as he claims he has, or that he's doing this with no ulterior motive.

Back in the White House bunker, the other compelling story line was unfolding as Chief of Staff Tom "The Biscuit" Lennox struggled against duct tape to get free and try to stop the attempted assassination of another Palmer president. Sadly, Lennox is no Jack Bauer, who would've been free from the tape before you can say, "Drill bit." (Sorry, I just can't let this drill thing go.) Lennox had to helplessly sit on the boiler room floor, duct-taped to pipes, and listen to this season's weasel, the deputy chief of staff, Reed Pollock argue with the bomb maker he got into the bunker.

Though Pollock didn't look like he had the intestinal fortitude of an assassin, Pollock made his way to the room where the "good" terrorist was going to give his peace-pleading speech with President Palmer II standing nearby. Just before a dress rehearsal for the speech, Pollock planted a bomb, disguised as a handheld recorder, underneath the top of the presidential podium. However Hamri Al-Assad, experienced terrorist that he is, quickly noticed the device and shouted, "Bomb!" just as it detonated and everyone in the room was diving for cover. Pollock was standing safely outside the room, having just dialed in the remote code to activate the bomb.

It was unclear whether Palmer II survived, though the smart money would be on his survival. The show's creators would not kill off both Palmer brothers. They just wouldn't. As for the "good" terrorist, the prognosis does not look good, and, frankly, I don't care what happens to him. I still didn't see how his speech was going to do anything to prevent the 'bad" terrorist, Abu Fayed -- who is already running around the United States with three armed nukes -- from doing more damage. The speech idea just seemed like it was wasting time and giving Palmer II something to do until Pollock was ready to try to kill him.

Vice President Daniels, who had been in favor of Lennox's plans to dramatically curtail civil liberties and intern Islamic segments of the population in the wake of the string of terror attacks, was shown in previews as being placed in charge while President Palmer II remains unconscious. This may be the perfect segue to signal the return of a favorite character of commenters on the blog . . . that's right, Sandra Palmer.

Predictions? Anyone think Logan's angling to stay in the Russian consulate? Think Palmer II survived? Think Lennox will ever pry himself loose from the duct tape?