Nikolai mocks Hiram Gunderson's "funny looking car" and Ruth points out that it is electric and that Hiram is very environmentally conscious. In real life, Ed Begley Jr., who plays Hiram, is an outspoken advocate of ensuring the sustainability of the environment and he used to drive the EV1, GM's fully electric car.
Since 2009, the word "Vilomah" has been used to describe a parent who has lost a child. "Vilomah" comes from Sanskrit, which means "against the natural order". Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages that dates back to 400 B.C. Karla Holloway, a Duke University professor, begin using the word "vilomah" when she realized that there was no single word to describe the loss of her child.
Kurt mentions dating men in uniform, paramedics, cops, firemen.... Steven Pasquale would go on to portray a fireman 3 years later (almost to the day) in Rescue Me.