 The episode was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Carlos Baeza . It features cultural references to the plays Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire , and the films ... And Justice for All , A Few Good Men , Patton , and Chinatown . The episode has been analyzed in books such as Leaving Springfield and Education in Popular Culture . Since airing , the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics . It acquired a Nielsen rating of 9 @.@ 8 , and was the second highest @-@ rated show on the Fox network the week it aired . 
