There's nothing inherently bad about gimmick-driven shows. It's more about how well the gimmick is used in the telling of a larger story. Dollhouse is arguably the most gimmicky show on TV right now, but when we get episodes like "True Believer" it's obvious that it can transcend its basic premise and be something more intricate. This episode had everything this show ought to have, not the least of which is a keen sense of layering.

First off, I'm glad the writers finally closed a glaring plot hole that's been plaguing this show since the beginning. An organization as big and cutting edge as the Dollhouse should be ridiculously difficult to keep under the radar, far too hard a task for a stiff chief of security. This week's client answered the question of the Dollhouse's ability to stay secret. He was a powerful senator from Arizona who has been known to use Actives to help smooth out his political career. In exchange for the Dollhouse's services he makes sure to pull all the right strings and make it so no one except Paul Ballard knows or cares about it. Hooray, plausibility!

Mr. Arizona Senator wants to use Echo to aid the ATF in taking down a con man who has been stockpiling weapons at a compound where he leads a religious cult. The twist (and it's a good one) is that Echo will be imprinted with the personality of a titular true believer. She's going to unwittingly help the investigation by getting cameras implanted in her eyes. The procedure leaves her blind, but that only makes her cover more credible.

As always, things aren't that simple. The ATF agent leading the case doesn't play by the rules and he's got a personal bone to pick with the cult leader. This puts Echo in even more danger than they planned. It's not long before a standoff happens and the cult starts hauling out the AK-47's.

Back at the Dollhouse, a barely-there B-plot surfaces featuring two of our favorite Actives, Victor and Sierra. Topher happens to catch a glimpse of an "irregularity" on one of the shower cams. It seems Victor has been having some bloodflow issues that, while they're perfectly normal in regular human males, shouldn't be occurring in Dolls. Topher and Dr. Saunders spend an afternoon ogling shower tapes to see if Victor's arousal is an isolated incident or if it's a recurring issue. Sure enough, Vic's been popping inexplicable boners since Sierra showed up, and more specifically at the approximate moment she walks in the room. I know how you feel, Victor.

Needless to say, anomalies like that scare the hell out of the Dollhouse administration. This was the most clever part of the episode. The whole thing was filled with biblical concepts thanks to the scripture-quoting cultists, so it was a stroke of genius to posit Victor and Sierra as the show's Adam and Eve. The Dollhouse itself has more than casual parallels with the Garden of Eden. Blissful people living in total harmony, completely ignorant concerning the evils of the world. All they need is a little bit of knowledge.

Mr. Dominic, the head of Dollhouse security, has been pretty vocal about his concern over Echo's recent tendency to glitch on the job. He thinks she's about to become just like Alpha, and he's probably right. He even sneaks onto the cult compound with the intention of eliminating Echo during the standoff. He doesn't do a very good job and Boyd ends up saving Echo like he always does.

I'm running out of space, but I still need to talk about this week's episode of Paul Ballard: Scowling FBI Agent. He gets another package from Alpha containing Echo's pre-Dollhouse graduation day video. He also happens to catch news footage of Echo at the besieged cult compound. By the time he gets to Arizona, Paul's already missed the boat. One step closer, though. At least his creepy, wife-like neighbor brought him some more Italian food.

Best Moment: I'm always happy to see some ironic biblical references in my TV shows. Maybe that's why I'm such a big Battlestar Galactica fan. I hope to see more of this Dollhouse-as-Eden stuff in future episodes. Also, nice timing making Echo's imprint's name Esther on the week of Purim. The Jewish viewers were smiling.

Biggest Shock: Echo has started to recognize Mr. Dominic as a threat even after a brain wipe. That's gonna get interesting and ugly soon.

Episode Rating: 4.5/5- Every suspense drama has to have a religious cult episode and they always end with a Waco-esque standoff, but this version was done well. If most of Dollhouse was like "True Believer" in overall depth and quality, it'd see its full potential realized.