Just when many viewers feared that “House” (7 p.m., Fox) had run out of steam and seemed destined to wallow in melodrama, along comes a can’t-miss episode.

Mos Def guest stars as Lee, a patient who arrives in the hospital after a bike accident without the ability to move or communicate. His condition, known as “locked-in” syndrome, has been the subject of the excellent book and recent movie “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Like the patient in that story, Lee can communicate only by blinking his eye twice for yes and once for no. And around that very basic communications code, a treatment plan takes shape.

A great deal of the episode is shown from Lee’s perspective. His interior monologue offers us a harrowing view of a patient’s vulnerability, fear and frustration. His commentary also offers a whimsically objective take on the odd relationships between his caretakers and his changing feelings about House and his team as they offer consolation and even possible salvation along with mixed messages about their competence, emotional stability and ability to agree on a solution. Highly recommended.

• Rumor has it that Mac geeks have devised some wonky application to keep The Woz (Steve Wozniak) wobbling on “Dancing with the Stars” (7 p.m., ABC) long after his due date. As Shakespeare (and Nick Lowe) taught us, “You’ve got to be cruel to be kind.” Give this Segway driver the hook.

• With so much economic gloom on television, viewers may find some comfort in the old-fashioned political treachery found on “24” (8 p.m., Fox). As fans of this thriller know, the U.S. government is now under attack by a very Blackwater-like American corporation that’s a tad irked by the fact that the government has pulled the plug on its mercenary army and lucrative contracts. And its evil leader is played by none other than Jon Voight. Joe Buck himself. Angelina Jolie’s dad!

Kiefer Sutherland recently announced that he’s up for another hitch on this nail-biter. But you can’t help feeling that the writers have rung all the bells and blown all the whistles several times. I’m always amused how no matter how earth-shattering the crisis, it’s always a family affair. This season it’s between the president (Cherry Jones) and her scheming daughter.

A sure sign that a soap opera has overtaken your favorite drama is when characters previously assumed to be dead start showing up. Tony Almeida’s (Carlos Bernard) back, but he’s just not the same. But don’t go looking for his murdered wife, Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth), any time soon. She’s busy on “Lost” working for the Dharma Initiative. And we know that they’re already dead. It just hasn’t happened yet. Again.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Sarah falls under scrutiny on “Chuck” (7 p.m., NBC).

• Two seek solace south of the border on “Heroes” (8 p.m., NBC).

• Ryan makes a difficult choice on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

• Allison’s dreams focus on a TV game show on “Medium” (9 p.m., NBC), making this show about a medium, the media and the message.

• A politician’s murder may be linked to corruption on “Castle” (9 p.m., ABC).

Cult choice

While many thought “Godfather, Part II,” was better than “The Godfather” (7 p.m., AMC), the same can’t be said for “Ghostbusters II” (6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Bravo).