Sophia says the Italian army is as effective as a Jamacian Bobsled team, alluding to the movie "Cool Runnings" which didn't come out until 1993. The movie portrays an actual Jamacian bobsled team competing in the Olympics as an underdog.
In this episode the girls are discussing options to deal with a difficult garage renovation. Sophia mentions "the Sicilian method", which involves torching the garage to collect the insurance money. This 'method' would be illustrated cinematically just 2 years later in the legendary mobster movie "Goodfellas".