The choice Sherlock gives to Ennis has a lot of similarities with the Sherlock Holmes story, 'A study in scarlet.' In this story, the killer allows the victims to choose between a lethal or a non-lethal pill.
This episode aired on CBS immediately after the network's coverage of Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.
Guest star Jessica Hecht played a dying woman on Law & Order: SVU, as well.