The article next to Brian's DOG HERO story is "Scientists Mystified By Paper Rain."

Brian's cousin Japser reappears in this episode and is now known as Brian's cousin.

The opening credits featued the "Laugh and Cry" rerecorded because people were easily mistaking it for "Eff'n Cry".

Brian: Hey, how about a little less questions and a little more shut the hell up.

Rehab Counselor: I don't think you're an addict, I think you're an idiot.
Peter: Yeah, well I don't pay you to think, in fact, I don't pay you at all...Count it!

Peter: Brian, it's moments like this that make me sad you're gonna die fifty years before I do.

Meg: Wow, Brian! Have you lost weight? You gotta tell me your secret!
Brian: Here's a hint: put down the fork

Peter: Uh... my name is...(he sees a pea)
Peter: Pea...
(he sees a woman crying)
Peter: ... tear...
(he sees a Griffin fly by)
Peter: ... Griffin. Peter Griffin. Damn!

Lois: So how was your day?
Brian: My day? Un-freakin' believable. First we nailed this bastard who had the gall to hide his stuff in his daughter's doll--HER DOLL for God's sake! Where's the line anymore? Well, I got news for ya, it's not even on the radar screen! The days of decency and virtue are gone, honey, BAM, freakin' evaporated like a dingy stinkin' mudpuddle. One day you see your reflection in it and the next day it's a, it's a damn oil spot on your cracked driveway, staring back at you, mocking you, knowing the perverted truths that rot in the pit of your soul. That's how my freakin' day was!
(pause)
Peter: You know what I haven't had in a while? Big League Chew.

Doctor: Wait a minute, Brian, you have a pre-existing relationship with this degenerate?
Peter: A degenerate, am I? Well you are a festizio! See, I can make up words too, sister.

Lois: Oh, 'The Old Man and the Sea'. I see you're getting in the mood for our cruise.
Peter: Yeah. Stupid fisherman, sitting out there on a boat yammering to himself. He doesn't even know I'm watching him.

Peter has bacon and eggs on his plate, then Brian enters the scene and it changes to an empty cereal bowl. Then in the next shot back to bacon and eggs once again.

The checkerboard Brian and the woman are playing on changes positions after Brian says “King me”

When Lois says “Listen to me. I sound like an old salt”, the hand holding the letter is over the glass of juice.
This is physically impossible from the perspective of the shot. Her hand would have to be behind the glass.

Brian grabs a luggage cart in order to pursue the coke suspect. When he initially rides it the handles are pointing out (as they would naturally be) but when we see the two shot of Joe and Brian, the handles have reversed.

Peter's copy of “The Old Man and the Sea” is missing when the family reacts to Brian's guest but reappears when Lois talks to Brian.

Unless he has one that opens at both ends, Joe's mailbox is backwards. It should be facing the street.

Granted this could be explained by different camera angles but Quagmire is surround by cops when he walks up & talks to Joe & Brian but ...



... but for a shot, he's suddenly only standing next to one and when he reacts to Brian's news, he's once again surrounded by cops.



If we assume Brian hasn't moved & the camera angle is simply over Brian's shoulder, the cop that is standing to Glenn's left shouldn't be there anyway, it should be Joe.

Also, in the same scene the cops meet Quagmire, (unless all 7 people moved for no apparent reason) the 2 cops on the right go from standing on tile to standing on carpet.

This episode title, “The Thin White Line” is a reference to the saying “Thin Blue Line”, a colloquial term for police.

Brian: “I've seen that Behind the Music w/ Leif Garrett 18 times”

American singer and actor Leif Garrett (1961-) makes an appearance in this episodes, even providing his own voice.
He was a famous child star and then teen idol and received publicity as an adult for his drug abuse and legal troubles.

“Behind The Music” (1997-Present) is a show on VH1 that chronicles the lives of different celebrities or TV shows ending with a 'where are they now' type scenario.
The scene Brian quotes in the episode is taken verbatim from Leif's “Behind the Music” special that aired January 10th 1999.
Leif crashed his car crashed his car while drunk leaving his passenger and best friend Roland Winkler a paraplegic.

Brian: “Okay they're in the woods, the camera keeps on moving. I think they're looking for some witch. I don't know I wasn't listening. Nothing's happening. Nothing's happening. Something about a map. Nothing's happening. It's over, a lot of people in the audience look pissed”

Brian describes the 1999 pseudo-documentary horror film, “The Blair Witch Project”

Mr. Weed: “These are tranquilizer darts. I have enough here to take down Robert Downey Jr.”

This is a reference to the fact that between 1996 and 2001, Downey was frequently arrested on drug-related charges and went through several drug treatment programs, but had difficulty staying sober.

Brian: “Yeah, one time it almost got me a spokesman deal”

Brian apparently auditioned for the mascot/commercial spokesman for Kellogg's Fruit Loops cereal.
He's seen with the real mascot, “Toucan Sam” and we hear him practicing his catch phrase, “Follow my nose! It always knows”

Audio: “Music playing while Brian and Joe chase the man”

The music that plays is the theme of the TV cop show “CHiPs” (1977-1983). Specifically the second theme.

Stewie: “Though I must say, I've always dreamed of a life at sea.”

The cutaway features Stewie singing a parody of “Captain of the Pinafore” (also known as “My Gallant Crew” and "The Captain's Song") from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “H.M.S. Pinafore”, first performed in 1878.

To break the awkward silence, Peter mentions “Big League Chew”.
“Big League Chew” is a brand of bubble gum that is shredded and packaged in an aluminum foil pouch

Brian: “So take it from me, McGriffin the Drug Dog”

Allusion to “McGruff the Crime Dog”. The mascot for the National Crime Prevention Council. He was created in 1980.

The “got milk” commercial and print ad campaign is mentioned in this episode.

Peter reaching in the tanning bed and pulling out a lion and saying “Must've got the wrong hat” and well as the line “And now, here's something we hope you'll really like” & (obviously) “Rocky the Flying Squirrel” are all references to “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” .

“Bullwinkle J. Moose” would reach into a magic hat and instead of a rabbit would pull out a roaring lion and would say “Must've got the wrong hat”

The last major work of fiction to be produced by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), 1952's “The Old Man and the Sea” is seen in this episode.

Brian: “Sorry, things getting a little too real for the Stepford wife?”

Allusion to the 1975 film (& 2004 remake) of “The Stepford Wives”.
A movie about women of a town being replaced by robots so the can be the perfect wife.

Brian mentions the character “Quasimodo” from the “Notre Dame de Paris” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Peter: “I miss the good old days when you were my sidekick”

The cutaway features Peter as David Letterman (1947-) the host of the “Late Show” (1993-Present) doing several of his signature moves.




and Brian as David's bandleader Paul Shaffer (1949-).

Peter as Letterman: “until I told her it was made out of 100% Buttafuoco fiber”

The punch line “Buttafuoco” is a reference to Joey Buttafuoco.
His 15 minutes of fame started when his underage girlfriend, Amy Fisher, shot his wife Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

Joey Buttafuoco was a favorite punch line of Letterman's in its day.

Jasper: “Me mind on fire -- Me soul on fire -- Feeling hot hot hot”

Jasper is singing the 1987 version of “Hot Hot Hot” performed by Buster Poindexter (1950-)

Peter: “It was more boring than when I was a security guard for George Harrison”

Musician and former member of the famous band, “The Beatles”, George Harrison (1943-2001) is mentioned in this episode.

The joke behind the flashback is a reference to the 1999 burglary and attack on George and his wife, Olivia inside their home.

Instead of protecting George, Peter watches and sings the theme song of the sitcom “Charles in Charge” (1984-1990)