Helen Potts says she was married for 8 years,
A reference to Home Improvement and its 8 seasons.
A reference to Home Improvement and its 8 seasons.
Features Patricia Richardson, who starred alongside Tim Allen in Home Improvement (1991) as his wife Jill. Although Jill and Helen are different characters, Helen notes that her husband likes tools and usually sets things on fire, just like Tim in Home Improvement. She also has a son named Randy, played by the actor who played Randy in Home Improvement, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who had previously appeared in this series in a different role.
Almost at the end of the episode, you can see a "Binford" toolbox being used by Tim Allen's character. Binford was a major corporate character in Home Improvement (1991).
When Mike (Tim Allen) meets Helen (Patricia Richardson) in her backyard, she goes into the kitchen area, briefly leaving Mike alone in the backyard to which his neighbor Chuck Larabee surprises him by standing right in front of the fence and greeting him with "Heido Ho Neighbor". This is the same manner Tim Allen's character in Home Improvement was often greeted by his neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman). The way Chuck Larabee's face being covered by the fence (always showing some but not all of his face) is a nod to the fact that Wilson's every appearance in Home Improvement always had a similar face cover up by episode circumstance (fence, restaurant menu, ski mask, holding something up close, camera angle, etc.). Larabee also says "Well I'm reminded of the...." which is another nod as Wilson (being older, wiser, with more anecdotes and historical & philosophical knowledge) often gave Tim Allen's character life tips regarding work & family in the same manner. Furthermore, the transition music played throughout this episode is similar to the main theme of Home Improvement.
This episode has many transitions between scenes much like Home Improvement further giving tribute to the show Tim and Patricia worked on together.
Other tributes include the banter between Mike and Helen being similar to Tim and Jill, Mike saying he does not love tools as much as he used to, Mr. Potts adding more power, Mike not being sure if he turned on the gas or not, and Helen's son being called Randy.
Other tributes include the banter between Mike and Helen being similar to Tim and Jill, Mike saying he does not love tools as much as he used to, Mr. Potts adding more power, Mike not being sure if he turned on the gas or not, and Helen's son being called Randy.