In this second episode, "Dollhouse" hits its stride as it answers some questions while raising others that could keep the series going for the season.

There are two stories being told: one in flashback -- of when Boyd Langton (Harry Lennix) is brought on board to be Echo's (Eliza Dushku) handler -- the other of Echo's current assignment.

Early on in Echo's time with the Dollhouse, one of the actives "accessed multiple imprints" and went on a killing rampage. Called "Alpha," he killed Echo's handler, as well as several of the actives, while leaving Echo untouched. In fact, Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond), the head of security for Dollhouse, found her in the shower surrounded by dead bodies.

"They won't wake up," Echo says.

Langton is brought in to be Echo's new handler. He's a bit skeptical, as he goes through the "bonding" process, but you can see that Echo's un-imprinted innocence is getting under his skin.

In present time, a handsome young huntsman, Richard O'Connell (Matt Keeslar) has hired the Dollhouse for his dream date. He has to pay extra because the assignment he wants includes "moderate risk to the active."

Apparently, he's taken many a date on a wild adventure into the woods only to find that these dates "weren't what they said they were."

Of course, as you would expect, Echo does not disappoint. She's good at white water rafting, game to learn bow hunting and quite skilled in the sleeping bag.

Then we find out what Richard was really getting at. He tells Echo to run. He'll give her some time, and then he'll come after her with his bow.

Meanwhile, Langton is having trouble monitoring her from a black van parked, I assume, nearby. Soon, a forest ranger/police man approaches him and his driver. What are they doing in the middle of nowhere and on restricted land?

They pretend to be lost reporters shooting B-roll for the local news. Then the ranger shoots the driver.

Turns out Mr. "I like to hunt pretty women" has hired him to keep Dollhouse from rescuing their active before he has a chance to hunt her down.

So far, Echo seems to be keeping a good distance from Richard, but not enough that he was able to nick her leg with his arrows. Soon she comes upon a cabin in the woods. It belongs to a forest ranger, but is empty. She finds a canteen and thirstily drinks from it. Then she hears the static from a walkie-talkie. The sound leads her to a closet where she finds the body of the ranger.

Freaked out, she gingerly takes the walkie-talkie from the body and calls for help. But all she gets is Richard. She coughs and he asks her if she drank from a canteen. "Because that would be bad."

Okay. Mr. Psycho not only likes to hunt people, he likes to cheat at it, too. Where's the sport in that?

Feeling a bit dizzy from the drug, Echo keeps on. But now she's seeing visions of herself -- her real self, Caroline. Though, she doesn't understand that.

When all is said and done, Langton frees himself, goes to rescue Echo but gets shot by Richard's arrow, so Echo needs to be the hero. Armed with a gun Langton gives her, she faces Richard. They both shoot and miss. The Echo, with an animal cry, launches herself at Richard. They fight. Richard starts to win and is choking her with his hands, when she grabs an arrow and stabs him in the throat with it.

He dies. The Dollhouse arrives in time to save Langton from bleeding to death. But questions remain.

Turns out, the fake ranger was killed in the same way that Echo's first handler was -- with surgical precision cuts.

But Alpha was killed, right? At the end of the first episode, a man watched home video of Caroline while the bodies of possibly her real parents lay cut up on the floor. He sent a picture of Caroline/Echo to Paul Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett), the renegade cop, with a note to keep looking.

Now, both Langton and Dominic are starting to believe that all these mysteries lead back to Echo and her real identity.

What Worked

This episode was much stronger. I found myself caught up in the story and not swimming in questions like I was with the first episode.

I really like the editing. Especially when the cut was made from Echo shooting an arrow at a deer to Richard and Echo in bed. Although, on second thought, since I noticed the editing, maybe that's not a good thing?

I'm still on the fence regarding Ballard, but I feel satisfied with how they are building layers to Langton's character.

Also, there are hints that Echo may be heading toward "accessing multiple imprints" herself. She had flashes of memory in the last episode. And at the end of this one, she made a gesture from her assignment with Richard. If her imprints had been wiped clean, she shouldn't have been able to do that.

What Didn't Work

Maybe it's just me, but I was a little confused as to who was dead at times. The body of Echo's first handler, the fake ranger and Ballard all looked very similar to me. Also, it seems that this mysterious Alpha also looks a tad like Ballard. Or maybe I'm just confused and all chiseled white guys look the same to me.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"The Target" was written and directed by Steven S. DeKnight. "Dollhouse" airs on FOX, Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.