The halls of P.S. 118 are light blue in this episode.
It's revealed that Arnold's class is in Classroom 206.
The number on Torvald's fridge is a 550 number, rather than the usual 555 number, and it is "550-0327".
When Miss Slovak decides to assign Torvald a study buddy, all of the kids gasp except Helga, who remains reaction-less the whole scene.
Inneundo: When Arnold arrived at Torvald's house, gunshots and a man screaming can be heard which implies that the man was being shot.
Production Notes[]
There are multiple versions of the scene where Arnold makes his deal to help Torvald. In one version (included in The Ultimate Collection DVD set, for example), Torvald's line is "some kids get bugged 'cause their parents think they suck at everything they do." The other version (shown on Paramount+, for example) changes the line to say "stink" instead of "suck." It is also interesting that the audio on Paramount+ says "stink" while the subtitles still say "suck."
Cultural References[]
When the kids pray that they won't be selected, one of them can be heard saying "Now I lay me down to sleep...". This is one of the few depictions of Christianity in the series.
While trying to convince Torvald to learn math, Arnold makes him imagine himself struggling to work on the NASA and the stock market.
Story Analysis[]
When Arnold first arrives at Torvald's house multiple gunshots and police sirens can be heard. Another gunshot and a person screaming can be heard in the background which suggests an armed robbery, shooting or murder has just occurred. This all suggests that Torvald may live in one of the "bad parts" of Hillwood.
The depictions of paper pumpkins and turkeys on the walls of the classroom imply that this episode takes place in the fall, presumably in November.
