A trend of "borrowing" throughout the serial comes to a head in this episode, most notably at the dinner scene, where the remains of a previous "guest" are served. The plot itself is also highly indebted: the victorian mansion conceals an alien ship, the lead alien has deviated from his mission objectives to fulfil his own selfish goals, and he ends up being usurped by his inferiors, as the ship takes off again. Also, numerous aesthetic similarities, including the bizarre manservant, evil maids, people turning to statues, cross-dressing, and the gothic / steampunk ambience.