Another Sherlock Holmes reference occurs at the start of the scene in the tobacco shop where House purchases his new cane: he tries out a curved pipe that resembles a calabash pipe. The calabash pipe, magnifying glass, and deerstalker hat are accoutrements that the famed detective uses in the cinema and theatrical versions of his adventures. They are used occasionally as stunt props in House M.D.
House says, "It's a little too 'Marilyn Manson in the retirement home,'" referring to the musician known for his outrageous stage persona. In many of his music videos, Marilyn Manson has a cane with a skull-formed handle.