This episode is the second time that Chief Vick is shown to be a Phil Collins fan. In "Disco didn't die, it was murdered", when Shawn recieves a call from the Chief inquiring about his father's involvement in a case, he tells her that she mistook Phil Collins for his father (his father being the actual one she saw) to which she states that Phil Collins lives in Switzerland, which causes Shawn to ask how she knows so much about Phil Collins.
The plane, Rocinante, is likely named after Don Quixote's horse from the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
The dolphin that Shawn tries to feed at the aquarium is a Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, a cold water species that is only found in the north Pacific.
"Pa does not love Fa" references The Day of the Dolphin 1973 film.
The Australian Hissing Owl seen on Randy Labayda's shoulder is also known as a "Barn Owl". They are known for their screeching or "hissing" sound that they make at night, which some believe is where the legend of the Irelend Banshee came from.