Jimmy Smits did not comment on his Season 6 departure from his role as Det. Bobby Simone, only saying "it was time to do something else" and agreeing to a five-episode story arc to properly let the character say goodbye. Speculation ran amok as to what was going on, but years later Smits told the whole story: he found series creator David Milch's creative and writing style so erratic and exhausting that he needed to take a break from both the show and acting altogether for a little while.
This episode originally aired in a 90-minute time-slot, with a running time of about 66 minutes, sans commercials. The syndicated version, running 45 minutes sans commercials, is nearly always the one aired in syndication and streaming. The full version is available on the DVD release of this season.