Actress Khandi Alexander will be introduced in the next episode of Scandal, titled Icarus, when it premieres on Thursday.

Alexander will play Maya Lewis, the mother of Kerry Washington's Olivia Pope, according to The Hollywood Reporter. According to the report, Alexander will also appear in upcoming episodes in a series of flashbacks.

The 56-year-old actress is known for her current role on Treme, which will premiere its fourth and final season on HBO on Dec. 1. She was also a cast member on CSI: Miami and ER. 

During last week's Scandal episode, the show's characters Huck and Jake learn that the secret "Remington File" contains information about a massive assassination conducted by Fitz before he became president.

They discover that Fitz, Pope's on-and-off again lover, once shot down a plane in Iceland that killed over 300 passengers. One of the victims in the plane crash was Lewis and the hit was ordered by Pope's father, Rowan, who was her husband at the time as well as the head of the secret agency B613.

According to cast member Tony Goldwyn, who plays Fitz, when Pope learns the truth about her mother's death, the news is so devastating it becomes "surreal."

"You can only imagine what that would be like to find out that your mother did not die in the way that you thought she died, in terms of it being a willful act. It's surreal for Olivia," Goldwyn told The Hollywood Reporter. "The audience can imagine what that must be like to find out that your mother was murdered along with hundreds of other people. So the fact that her father was behind it is incomprehensible. It's going to really complicate [Olivia and Rowan's relationship] because Rowan remains a very dangerous person."

According to ABC's synopsis about the upcoming episode 6, the following events will also play out: Olivia must make a very important decision that will affect all of her relationships in the White House, and Harrison's allegiance to the Gladiators is tested. Meanwhile, the team continues to prep Josie Marcus while Cyrus and Mellie plot against her.

ABC's Scandal season 3 epsisode 6 will premiere on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. EST

Watch the sneak preview for episode 6 of Scandal season 3 below:

Tags: Scandal 3