According to Ernie, there are 13 boarders living at the Sunset Arms.
When Arnold and Gerald discuss about Mr. Smith's package, the clock in Arnold's room indicates it's around 3:37 p.m.
Toller's Bowlers had a sign in the window that said "Bowler League".
The man selling the bowlers is clearly British.
According to the bowler retailer, Arnold and Gerald (posing as a man) were the first customers of the month.
According to the boarders, there are 2 bathrooms in the boarding house: a private one for Mr. Smith, and the other in the hallway (which Phil uses first every morning).
However in Four-Eyed Jack, it's revealed that there is a hidden bathroom in the basement that Phil hides from the other boarders.
When Ernie feels bad about opening the package he says “I feel like a real heel”. This is the second time that he said it. The first time he said it was in The Vacant Lot.
Helga, Harold, Stinky, Sid, Phoebe, Eugene and Rhonda do not appear in this episode.
Airing[]
This episode aired on Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th would be later revealed to be Eugene's birthday,
Cultural References[]
In the beginning, Grandpa is heard warbling off-key "Oh, My Darling Clementine", similar to the cartoon character of Huckleberry Hound, who often sang the lines as "Oh, m'darlin', oh m'darlin' / Oh, m'daaaaaaaaarlin, Clementiiiiiiiiiine / She is lost and gone forever / And her shoes were number nine."
When Arnold asks the clerk at the bowler store to show him the one located at the top of a very high shelf, the clerk tells himself that he now "have to go to Mount Kilimanjaro", which is considered the highest mountain above the sea level.
When Arnold and Gerald arrive to Mr. Smith's job place named "Satellite Industries", Gerald comments that such name sounds like a "covert cover-up operation for the CIA", an US based intelligence agency which effectively conducts covert operations under US law.
Continuity[]
Oskar reads aloud the "My Family" writing in the photo, but later in "Oskar Can't Read?" its revealed that Oskar effectively can't read.
Story Analysis[]
The smartest thing that Arnold and Gerald should've done was to hide the package somewhere safe from the other borders until Mr. Smith returned to Arnold's house then give him the package.
The general negative feeling from the boarders towards Mr. Smith can be seen as perceived prejudice. The boarders interpret Mr. Smith's privileges, unusual clothing and lack of communication/presence as a signal of rejection towards them, and in return, they label Mr. Smith as odd, weird and creepy. This overall feeling, however, serves as explanation for the morbid interest of the boarders on Mr. Smith's mysterious package and leads ultimately to the boarder's perception change at the end.
When Arnold gives up on delivering Mr. Smith's package and Gerald convinces him to open it, he stops short when he sees a Catholic priest and nun passing near him. This could be a reference to Arnold Escapes From Church, a claymation short that predates the series where Arnold is seen attending a Sunday service at a Catholic church.
Morals[]
If you want to keep your or someone else's stuff safe from the wrong hands, hide it somewhere where people won't get to it.
