Meanwhile, two drowned EPA workers are connected to a former Marine who served in the same unit as Doggett, a plot that starts a new level of conspiracy in the mythology of the series.

The former Marine is coolly played by Lucy Lawless of "Xena: Warrior Princess," who says she's "just running around with no clothes on" in the episode, thanks to some underwater scenes.

Executive producer Frank Spotnitz says the producers, including creator Chris Carter, are fans of "Xena" and, when they saw there was an opportunity to create a new character for the show, they thought of Lawless.

"It's a great `X-File-ish' kind of character," he adds, "where you won't be sure whether she is good or bad for some time."

Lawless's character, Shannon McMahon ("Such an American name," Lawless says), could return -- although events in the Nov. 18 episode suggest otherwise.

Lawless says she did the guest shot "for love" because she respects Carter. But "the others would have to make sense, and a business sense, if you know what I mean...

"I know the producers have been very good to me, and I would love to be good to them and their show," Lawless says. However, "you work like a dog for six years and being the star of your own little show. And to go and be a fifth wheel on somebody else's would have to be rewarding in a lot of ways."

Back to the Lucy Lawless Library

Back to the Xena Picture Library