The final scenes take place on June 5, 1968, in the hours after the shooting of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.
Linda Cardellini was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in this episode, and gives credit to fellow cast member John Slattery who also directed. He was especially helpful in guiding Cardellini in the sex scene with Jon Hamm, she says, because she and Slattery had played a sex scene together themselves as co-stars in the film Return (2011).
Toward the end of the episode Roger refers to Peggy, John and Ed as "Peggy, Cecil and Beany." Beany Boy and Cecil the Seasick Serpent were two characters featured in the 1949 childrens puppet program "Beany and His Pals". The characters were later reused for the animated spin-off "Beany and Cecil" which first aired January 6th, 1962.
The book that Don takes from Sylvia is "The Last Picture Show" by Larry McMurtry. Published in 1966, it was released as a film in 1971.