Homer is disappointed with the Denver Broncos, even though in "Cape Feare" he said he wanted his alias to be John Elway (who played for the Broncos at the time that episode debuted), before expressing disappointment that the Witness Protection Program chose the new name for him.
The Denver Broncos were not a good team at the time (hence Homer's disappointment in owning them), but would ironically win two consecutive Super Bowl championships after the airing of this episode. (Homer must be a good owner.)
Homer buys Tom Landry's hat in this episode. In later episodes such as "Bart Star", where he also leads a team, he is seen wearing it.
At the beginning of act 2, the inner wall of the car briefly turns dark red instead of orange-red.
The license plate on the Lil' Lugger Moving Van is 3F23, the same number as the episode's production code.
Homer is revealed to have worked at the plant longer than Lenny and Carl and is the second longest-serving employee after Smithers (therefore making him presumably the first employee after Mr. Burns and Smithers).
According to Internet polls, Hank Scorpio has been voted Albert Brooks' best character.
In the Cypress Creek video, the hobo holding an envelope turns into a mail-box. The hobo is modeled after James L. Brooks.
When Hank Scorpio describes where to get hammocks, he was talking to the extent that Homer couldn't follow until he caught up with him and replying "Oh, in the Hammock District." This was because their voice actors had similar actions during the recording of the scene: Al Brooks, the one who voiced Hank Scorpio, was ad-libbing throughout the entire scene, causing Dan Castellaneta, Homer's voice actor, to be unable to follow.
In the original scene in which Homer asks Hank Scorpio for sugar, Hank asks Homer, "Want some cream, too?" This was omitted in syndication.
This is the second time a joke is made about Bart mistaking cursive writing for profanity (the first is the blackboard gag on "Bart's Comet" that reads, "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does.")
One of the items that Ned Flanders asks if Homer is still using is his TV Tray, an item of which Ned loaned to Homer when Lisa was born as seen in the episode "Lisa's First Word". Another is his power sander, which Homer is shown to have borrowed from Ned in "Marge on the Lam".
Homer has worked at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant for ten years. This supports "I Married Marge" as Bart is ten years old and he has been working there since Bart was born.
Homer appears to be listed as having worked at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant continually for 10 years despite the various times he has quit or been fired.
It's implied that most of the kids in the One Leg Up program aren't really slow. Bart was placed in it because he never learned to read cursive and his new teacher thinks he can't read. Another boy is in it because he starts fires. A girl in the class says that she hit her head after falling off the jungle gym and when she woke up she was in the class.
Homer states to his disappointed family that "(..) and for the first time in my life, I'm actually good at my job". But he did good as a pin monkey at the bowling alley in "And Maggie Makes Three" as well. Additionally, he was at first good at his job at snow plowing in "Mr. Plow". However, in both of these he ends up being less successful by the end, so he may mean good overall without significant exceptions.
Lisa is shown eating meat with the family in this episode, despite her converting to vegetarianism in "Lisa the Vegetarian". It may be a vegetarian meat substitute.
The various problems faced by the family in Cyprus Creek are all trivial to solve given Homer's larger salary. Bart could get a tutor to catch up in class, Lisa could take allergy medication, and Marge could either disable the automation in the home or get a hobby.
Marge claims that the Simpsons are nowhere near paying off their mortgage. However, according to "And Maggie Makes Three" they had already finished paying off the debt. It could be possible that they had another one as Homer is capable of anything such as in Mommie Beerest he borrows money from a bank in order to help Moe restarting the bar business after paying off another debt.
Otto without headphones
Unusually, Otto at the end does not have his headphones.
Scorpio's line "My goodness, what an idea. Why didn't I think of that?" has become an Internet meme.
This episode reveals that Lisa is allergic to pollen and Cypress plants.
Dan Castellaneta provided the voice of James Bont, the parody of James Bond whom Homer prevents from escaping. Bont is strapped to a laser just as Bond is in Goldfinger, the third James Bond film, released in 1964, and the third to star Connery.
The song played over the credits, Scorpio (sung by Sally Stevens), is similar to the Goldfinger theme song, sung by Welsh singer, Shirley Bassey who had sang the theme songs for a further two films in the James Bond series:
Diamonds Are Forever, the seventh film in the James Bond series, released in 1971, and the sixth and last film to star Connery as Bond. Connery's role as James Bond was taken over by Roger Moore who made his debut as Bond in the eighth James Bond film, Live and Let Die, released in 1973.
Moonraker, the 11th film in the James Bond series, released in 1979, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as Bond.
In the script the woman who tries to recruit Smithers is named Miss Goodthighs which was also the name of a character played by Jacqueline Bisset in the James Bond parody film, Casino Royale (released the same year as You Only Live Twice). Later when the Doomsday device is being attacked she is wearing a white bikini possibly as a refence to Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder in the James Bond movie Dr. No. According to the DVD audio commentary track it was GeneralNorman Schwarzkopf (known for leading Operation Desert Storm in 1991) who was used as the character design model for the gray-haired man she crushes to death using only her thighs possibly in a reference to Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in the James Bond movie GoldenEye.
The remedial class (except for Bart) were singing "I Like Me, I Like Me" as a reference to "I Love You, You Love Me" from PBS's Barney and Friends.
