Fox executives predicted that the "Hacksaw" line would be removed from the final cut. It obviously stayed, and became one of the series' most memorable quotes.
Originally aired without commercial interruption, courtesy of sponsorship by Ford. The episode ran 51:43 with the rest of the hour filled by two extended-length Ford commercials and FOX promos for John Doe and next week's episode of 24. Though it was rebroadcast on both FOX and FX on November 4, the FX airing was also commercial free and, excepting the end credits and pre-credit bumpers, as originally presented on FOX. FOX's rerun was a shorter version with commercial breaks and a running time of 43:56. Please note that the recap follows the long version. Also note that even that version was cut down from what was originally filmed, as evidenced by the number of guest stars credited in TV Guide that don't actually appear.
The DVD release states that this season takes place 18 months after the first (which took place on Tuesday, March 2nd of a Presidential voting year, likely 2004), making this roughly September. This day is also said to be a Saturday.
As of this episode, Xander Berkeley and Carlos Bernard join the regular cast, after having recurring appearances in season 1. Sarah Wynter also joins the regular cast as Kate Warner.
This was one of two episodes Fox circulated among Emmy voters.