- Brick Joke: Chris hastily cleans his shoes that got dirty in the fight, tossing the incredibly dirty, blackened towel into a hamper. At the very end of the episode, Rochelle finds it and freaks out about it. It was her towel.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Notably, Caruso is able to call Chris the n-word and get away with it. Considering that this takes place in the '80s, this was perfectly okay, especially in an all-white school like Corleone. Chris also can't take any action since Caruso could easily spin the situation and get him in trouble, which he actually uses in a later episode.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: A bit of it compared to the rest of the series, even the second episode.
- The episode doesn't open with a "Brooklyn 198X" card like the rest of the series. It instead opens with a dream sequence, followed up by the opening credits (which was also much different compared to the one used for the rest of the season, using a sepia filter and an instrumental version of "Let Me Clear My Throat" instead of the unique theme song), until finally properly opening the episode with the "Brooklyn 1982" text splashed over a scene of Chris and his family moving to Bed-Stuy.
- The episode similarly doesn't end with the "Everybody Hates Chris" Leitmotif, instead droning to black with "Rapper's Delight" playing over it.
- Mirroring Factions: According to Chris, Brooklyn Beach is exactly like Bed-Stuy in that it's a poor, ethnic neighborhood, only instead of African-Americans and gangs, it's home to Italian-Americans and The Mafia.
- N-Word Privileges: Caruso had them back in 1982, using it against Chris, but got them revoked later in life at a DMX concert, nearly getting stomped to death.
- Police Are Useless: A cop walks by as Caruso wails on Chris, not interfering at all. Could be justified by the time period.
- Precision N Strike: Caruso calls Chris a "nigger" after he gets in trouble for pushing the latter into the principal.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: Paul McCartney's "Ebony and Ivory" is played over Chris getting the stuffing beaten out of him by Caruso.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Both Rochelle and Julius check in on Chris, who's had probably the worst day of his life at school. They share tender moments together, and Chris gets ready to turn in for the night, when..
Rochelle: "What the HELL happened to my towel?!"
