The elaborate song-and-dance number, "Mr. Pain Killer," that opens this episode, was composed by Adam Schlesinger (of band Fountains of Wayne) shortly before he died from Covid-19. It's likely that the concept was inspired by a 1997 Sackler Purdue Pharma motivational sales video clip for the company's drug reps. In the clip, Purdue's VP of sales is seen vigorously singing along to the The Isley Brothers' song "Shout" - "You know you make me want to Sell!, Oxycontin! Sell!, MS Contin, Sell!, settle down now, Sell!, we're Purdue now".
In one of the "Old West" dream sequences, Bruce Dern's character is wearing a hat similiar to the hat his character wore in The Cowboys movie.