Coincidentally, Alan Ritchson who plays Hank Hall/Hawk in this show, previously played Arthur Curry/Aquaman in several episodes of Smallville (2001). This episode therefore features both an Aquaman and an Aqualad.
Jacob Finlay references the time Arthur Light went "Spartacus" on Professor Sue. This could be a nod to the comic book story 'Identity Crisis' in which it was revealed that Arthur Light had once sexually assaulted Sue Dibney, wife of Elongated Man Ralph Dibney.
Prior to this episode, Rachel was the only character who had appeared in every episode of Titans. As of 'Aqualad', every main character has been absent in an episode at least once.
In the comics Jacob Finlay was Arthur Light's research partner and the inventor of Dr. Light's suit. It was revealed that he was actually the first person to take the name of Dr. Light and made a brief attempt to become a superhero before being accidentally killed by Arthur Light, who then stole the name and the suit.
Alan Ritchson while playing Arthur Curry/Aquaman on Smallville (2001), stated as the character, that all he gets "are fish jokes". In this episode, subsequently does the same thing to Aqualad...this time, the banter is reciprocated.