Tom McCarthy has a major role as a reporter in this season. He would later go on to cowrite and codirect Best Picture winner "Spotlight" along with his brother. McCarthy stated that this role had a huge impact on his writing of the movie.
Bubbles' real first name (Reginald) is revealed in this episode.
Each seasons features a different version of the song "Way Down in the Hole" which is played over the opening credits. This season features the version performed by Steve Earle.
During the scene where Michael plays Connect Four with Bug, the program CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is shown on TV. The CSI character Hodges played by Wallace Langham is seen performing lab work in an expensive-looking dimly-lit laboratory. Conversely, the more realistic situations depicted on The Wire illustrate how lab work can be postponed indefinitely, how police can go without overtime pay, and how political interference can interrupt prolonged major casework. On CSI, the crimes investigated at the start of the episode are usually solved by the end of the episode. It's worth noting that CSI is considered of the science fiction genre, being nominated and winning awards in the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.