The character portrayed by Tamara Taylor, NCIS Special Agent Cassie Yates, is named after actress Cassie Yates, who guest-starred on two episodes of Magnum, P.I. (1980). Donald P. Bellisario, the co-creator of both NCIS (2003) and Magnum, has admitted he has a penchant for naming the characters in his television shows after people he knows.
In this episode, Mark Harmon passes a bearded man in the hall. It's Donald P. Bellisario, creator of the series, who also created Magnum, P.I. (1980), and who was glimpsed briefly in the previous episode.
Tony mentions the embarrassing spring break photo of Kate and she mentions how he kissed a guy. These events occurred in Bikini Wax (2005) and Dead Man Talking (2004)
Hanna Lowell, upon realizing that her attack has infected someone, mutters, "I hope it was Westmoreland." This refers to William Westmoreland, a General who commanded U.S. forces in Vietnam. Ironically, General Westmoreland died in July 2005, just 2 months after this originally aired in May 2005.