 Reindl and Maher researched early Christianity while writing the episode , learning that the traditional depiction of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute was probably an incorrect interpretation added later . Maher felt that Magdalene and early Christian priestesses were " pretty much weeded out of the Bible " over time , and wanted to explore the reasons why female religious figures may have been seen as threatening . The writers faced difficulty from the network 's standards and practices office , who had taken exception to the depiction of Jesus Christ as having had a family . The pair also compared the writing of the episode to Millennium 's sister show The X @-@ Files , believing that the dynamic between Means and Black echoed that of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on the latter programme , with one character a believer in the supernatural and the other a sceptic . The episode 's opening scene makes use of the song " Dancing Barefoot " by Patti Smith . 
