Will mentions someone who used to be on the staff named Mohammed al Mohammed el Mohammed bin Bazir. This was a cliche terrorist name used by Josh Lyman on The West Wing. Aaron Sorkin wrote both shows.
In the opening scene, a large piece of plaster falls on Will McAvoy's desk. The same thing happens to Josh Lyman in the The West Wing episode "The Short List" - also written by Aaron Sorkin.
With 1.68 million viewers, this was the least watched episode in Season 1.
A day after this episode aired, HBO renewed the show for a second season.