This episode's look mirrors "The Black Narcissus" a classic english movie by the Powell/Pressberger team with wonderful shots by cameraman Jack Cardiff. While retaining the fast paced hilarious concepts of the series and this episode in particular, this show still manages to pull off a great homage to a great movie.
The convent where Olive Snook is staying is called the "Sisters of the Divine Magnatum". The Sisters dig and sell truffles to raise money for the convent. 'Tuber Magnatum' is the Latin name for the Italian White Truffle, the most prized of truffles.
Olive Snook's childhood home is the same house as Lorelei Gilmore in Gilmore Girls.
This is the episode which won Kristin Chenoweth the 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Each of the aliases Emerson Cod presents at the convent are mined from pop culture: Emerson (appropriately) calls himself "Father Dowling" of the Vatican Police, identifies Ned as "Father Mulcahy", and Chuck as "Sister Christian." Father Dowling is a priest who solves crimes; the fictional protagonist in a series of mystery novels by Ralph McInerny, which inspired the television series "Father Dowling Mysteries" (1989). Father Mulcahy is the affable army chaplain in anti-war comedy series "M*A*S*H" (1972), and "Sister Christian" is the title of a popular 1983 power ballad by "hair band" Night Ranger.