The scene where Ted gets picked up by Tom was inspired by "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot". In one scene, Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) is picked up by a crazed car driver (Bill McKinney) who opens the back of his truck to reveal a group of rabbits, which he then shoots; this character inspired the Tom character. In an early draft of the episode's script, the reference was more explicit, with Tom opening the back of his car to find rabbits. The car's sudden approach is an homage to a scene where a swordsman suddenly attacks a guard in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".