This episode was Peter Dinklage's submission in the supporting actor in a drama series category in the 2014 Emmy Awards - his fourth nomination for the show.
This is the first episode not to feature any Stark family member, or even one of their closest allies (like Brienne or Sam). This was not a deliberate choice. Normally, scenes shot for one episode are often used in others, so there would usually be a short scene featuring one of the Stark children in every episode. However, in this case, the Lannister plot took so much focus that they couldn't find a place to feature the Stark family or their allies.
This episode marks the first time that two places in Essos are featured in the opening credits: as per tradition, the place where Daenerys resides (Meereen), and the Free City of Braavos, which makes its first on-screen appearance in the show.
The large statue Stannis and Davos pass under in the beginning of the episode is modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient Greek landmark of the sun-god Helios, and one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The statue was completely destroyed over the ages, and no contemporary images have survived, only vague descriptions. Later medieval imaginations of the Colossus depict it with one leg on each side of the harbor mound, so that sailors had to pass under the statue to get to the docks at the city of Rhodes. Engineering analyses indicate, among other considerations, that this position of the historical statue was highly unlikely, as it would have collapsed under the weight of its own bronze, and the entire statue probably stood on just one side of the harbor. That said, it may well be that different material and techniques made such a statue possible in Braavos.
When asked at the Iron Bank how old Tywin is, Davos says that he is 67. Charles Dance, who plays Tywin, was 67 years old at the time of broadcast. In the book, Tywin was 58 at this point.