The title for this episode comes from a line in the song "Back in the USSR," by The Beatles.
Luke rejects the idea that Donald Sutherland should play him in the movie version of the girls' soccer team story. During Summer in A Year in the Life, it is revealed Luke is very good friends with his son Kiefer Sutherland.
Luke orders hats for the girls' soccer team and asks for the size reducer to be made of fabric, just like the one on his hat, and not cheap plastic. Curiously enough, from that point on, Luke's hat changes to one with cheap plastic size reducer.
Emily says Rory is not dressed appropriately for the event at the end of the episode, but Rory is wearing an extremely similar type of jacket to what her Grandmother is wearing. Likely, it is a part of what was happening in this episode of Emily developing irrational expectations for Rory and becoming more controlling, trying to make her wear a girlish pink dress when evidently her jacket would have been fine for the event.
Milo Ventimiglia and Matt Czuchry previously worked together on the short lived show from 2000 Opposite Sex which starred Ventimiglia.