ABC was concerned about the content of the episode, arguing that the idea that the story could be all in Hurley's head was offering an explanation for the show as a whole, since a recurring theory among the fandom was that the events of the series were hallucinations. The character of Dave was meant to be a side of Hurley who felt he had no problem, and encourages Hurley to overeat, and is played by Evan Handler in a way director Jack Bender described as "mischievous, impish-like". Showrunner Carlton Cuse revealed his name comes from Hurley's father, David Reyes - who would later appear in the series played by Cheech Marin - because the writers "wanted Hurley to imagine a friend and have that be wrapped up in his unresolved relationship with his dad". The final scene with Libby was so secret that only Jack Bender and his assistant director had it in their scripts, and to prevent Libby from being the only woman in the mental institution, every woman on the set, including Bender's daughter Sophie, was dressed in robes and pajamas to appear as background characters.