At Ennis Stussy's (Scott Hylands) house, as Ennis goes to the refrigerator, scenes from the second season of "Fargo" can be seen on the television screen.
The stamp hanging on Emmitt's (Ewan McGregor) wall shows an icon of Sisyphus, a character in Greek mythology. It is a reference to the second season of "Fargo" in which Sisyphus' fate was a topic of conversation several times. Its third episode was also called The Myth of Sisyphus (2015).
Ewan McGregor originally planned to rely on padding and prosthetics to portray the overweight Ray Stussy. However, writer/creator Noah Hawley informed him he would have to deliberately gain weight for the bathroom scene in this first episode, in which the naked Ray steps out of the bathtub. McGregor said gaining the weight helped him portray the character as he felt less healthy, which affected his self-esteem and confidence. After the bathtub scene was wrapped, McGregor immediately began to lose the weight, which he felt also fit with the character, who becomes more confident as events unfold.
Ennis Stussey, Gloria Burgle's stepfather, owns a Red Owl grocery store in Eden Valley. Red Owl was a real chain of supermarkets headquartered in Hopkins, Minnesota, but the brand was bought out in 1988. Its inclusion is a nod to the Coen Brothers (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen) film A Serious Man (2009) and a treat for viewers who remember when the stores were still in business.
Ewan McGregor played two brothers, causing each scene to be shot twice and the use of Ewan's longtime stunt double from previous works.