Julia Duffy, who plays Diane's friend Rebecca Prout, was one of three finalists to play Diane Chambers but eventually lost out to Shelley Long.
The last eight minutes of this episode were rewritten and reshot because it did not work with the studio audience. The new scene was filmed after the filming of Endless Slumper (1982). That episode's studio audience supplied the laughter for the new scene.
Julia Duffy's performance as Rebecca is what led producer Barry Kemp to offer her a guest starring role on his CBS sitcom Newhart (1982), then in its first season. So well received was Duffy's character Stephanie that she was made a series regular in Newhart's second season in 1983-84. Duffy co-starred on the show until its cancellation in 1990. Duffy would earn her seven Emmy nominations for her work on this series.
Carla says she's been trying to get her kids interested in sailing ever since she saw Ordinary People (1980). The movie, released two years prior to this episode, features the disintegration of a family after one son dies in a sailing accident and the other, who was involved in the accident, tries to commit suicide.
It is revealed in this episode that Diane went to Bennington College, a private, nonsectarian liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont that emphasizes self-directed learning.