This episode appears to be based on the following incidents:
- The 1960's Charles Manson case. Manson, a charismatic cult leader, was believed to have brainwashed many of his followers into committing horrible atrocities, the most memorable (to most) being the brutal slaying of pregnant actress Sharon Tate in her home.
- Jim Jones and the 1978 Jonestown mass-murder suicide. Jones was a preacher and faith healer turned cult leader who conspired with his inner circle to direct a mass murder-suicide of his followers in his jungle commune at the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", a remote settlement established by the Peoples Temple, in Guayana Esequiba, a disputed territory in northwestern Guyana claimed by Venezuela. On November 18, 1978, a total of 918 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city.
- The Timothy Stoen case. Stoen was an attorney best known for his central role as a member of the Peoples Temple, and as an opponent of the group during a multi-year custody battle over his six-year-old son, John. Stoen's battle led to an investigation of the Peoples Temple's settlement at Jonestown, Guyana, which became internationally notorious in 1978 after 918 people-including Stoen's son-died in the settlement and on a nearby airstrip. Stoen continues to work as a deputy district attorney in Mendocino County, California, where he is assigned to the District Attorney's Fort Bragg office.
- The David Koresh case. Koresh was a cult leader who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians sect, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet.
- The 1993 Branch Davidian siege near Waco Texas. The Waco siege was the siege of a compound which belonged to the religious sect Branch Davidians. It was carried out by American federal and Texas state law enforcement, as well as by the U.S. military, between February 28 and April 19, 1993.
- The 1993 World Trade Center bombing. On February 26, 1993--eight years before the tragic events of 9/11--a car bomb detonated in the parking garage of the South Tower. The explosion killed six people plus an unborn child. Thousands of people were also treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
William Hill has portrayed seven different characters throughout the course of the series:
- Episode 2.11 His Hour Upon the Stage (1991) - Hopkins.
- Episode 2.19 The Fertile Fields (1992) - Hopkins.
- Episode 3.12 Right to Counsel (1993) - Milgrim.
- Episode 4.7 Apocrypha (1993) - Hines.
- Episode 7.9 Entrapment (1997) - Eddie Page.
- Episode 8.24 Monster (1998) - Kusevitsky.
- Episode 10.12 Mother's Milk (2000) - Beltran's Lawyer.
- Episode 12.5 Possession (2001) - Havel's Lawyer.
- Episode 19.4 Falling (2008) - Eddie O'Connor.
Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan) & William Hill (Hines) also worked together on Closing Arguments (2011) (episode 2.23) and Players (2007) (episode 6.17).
Chris Noth (Detective Mike Logan) & Charles Malik Whitfield (Smith) also worked together on Goliath and David (2014) (episode 5.11), as Peter Florrick & Rebel Kane respectively.