: The episode ends with a gruesome discovery: the killer has left a series of severed hands hanging from hooks and chains. This is a historical nod to the "Bag Murders" that terrorized New York in the late 1970s.

: The interrogation scenes in this episode are a direct homage to the 1980 film Cruising , which explored similar themes of underground queer culture and serial violence.

: Having been abducted and tortured in the previous episode, Gino Barelli wakes up in a strange apartment. His captor, a man later identified as "Mr. Whitely," begins to torture him but stops upon seeing a U.S. Marine Corps tattoo on Gino’s chest. Whitely releases him, stating he won't kill a fellow veteran, which Gino later uses as a platform to write an exposé and raise community awareness.

: Sam (played by Zachary Quinto) is revealed to be holding a young man named Stuart captive in a cage in his basement, adding a layer of psychological and physical horror to his character.