As Castle and Alex Conrad join the poker game, the others warn Alex not to sit in prolific TV writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell's chair. Cannell had appeared as himself in previous episodes of Castle (2009) for the mystery writer's poker game but unfortunately, Cannell passed away September 2010.
MEDIA CROSSOVER: Rick Castle plays poker with several distinguished authors, including Michael Connolly. In Connolly's book, The Drop, Harry Bosch texts Maddie, his daughter; Maddie's text reply: "All good. Finished homework, watching Castle downloads." (Chapter 30, page 277)
Castle mentions cockroach races in his first apartment in college. He then ponders whether this was where Kafka got his idea. Franz Kafka wrote the story Metamorphosis about a man who transforms into a bug.
In the opening scene, Zack Lindsey is shown shattering the world record for short course 50m freestyle by at least 3/4 of a second, as much as the margins the six previous records were broken by put together.