Sheriff Metzger complains that Cabot Cove has had five murders since he became sheriff, referring to the events in Mr. Penroy's Vacation (1988), Weave a Tangled Web (1989), Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble (1989), and The Sins of Castle Cove (1989).
Guest stars Ken Howard and Jean Simmons had co-starred together six years earlier in the smash hit ABC miniseries "The Thorn Birds."
The title comes from the Wicked Queen summoning the spirit in the magic mirror in the fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest one of all." Seth eating a poisoned apple is another reference to the Snow White tale that also inspired the episode's title.
Mort Metzger (Ron Masak) reveals he has been in Cabot Cove for one year, having replaced Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) as Sheriff in episode Mr. Penroy's Vacation (1988).