Writer:	John Eisendrath, Jesse Alexander
Director:	Jack Bender
Star:	Michael Vartan (Michael C. Vaughn),  Ron Rifkin (Arvin Sloane),  Carl Lumbly (Marcus R. Dixon),  Merrin Dungey (Francine 'Francie' Calfo),  Jennifer Garner (Sydney Anne Bristow),  Bradley Cooper (William 'Will' D. Tippin),  Victor Garber (Jonathan 'Jack' Donahue Bristow),  Kevin Weisman (Marshall J. Flinkman)
Recurring Role:	Greg Grunberg (Agent Eric Weiss),  Joey Slotnick (Steven Haladki),  Sarah Shahi (Jenny),  Patricia Wettig (Dr. Judy Barnett)
Guest Star:	Agnes Bruckner (Kelly McNeil),  Jennifer Tung (Toni),  Lawrence Lowe (Security Agent #2),  Randy Hall (Security Agent #1),  Jeff Wolfe (Gonov),  David Lea (Ice),  Igor JiJikine (Chopper),  Kristof Konrad (Endo),  Ben Bray (Tchen)

Quentin Tarantino is billed as a Special Guest Star. (edit) Music from this episode includes:
"How Can I Keep From Singing" by Enya
"Dragula (Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintinnare Mix)" by Rob Zombie (edit) Sydney suggests she and Vaughn should go see the L.A Kings who "are in town next week" are playing the New York Islanders. This episode was aired January 20th 2002 and the Kings actually played the Islanders one night before this episode aired. (edit) Merrin Dungey does not appear in this episode. (edit) First appearance of Patricia Wettig, actress and wife of Ken Olin (executive producer, developer, and director on Alias). (edit)

McKenas Cole: (interrogating Sloane) You still got that room downstairs right? The “Conversation Room”? That’s what you used to call it right? The torture room, like you’re ever going to admit what ever it is you did down there right? So Arvin lets go to the Conversation Room. (edit) (After Irina’s past surfaces)
Vaughn: It’s a weird thing you know when, learning how your father died, I mean it’s always been this intellectual idea... knowing he died, just not knowing any details.
Weiss: You really want some space, or are you and I going to get drunk? Because there’s this bar, you wont even remember it tomorrow. (edit) (Sydney wants out of SD-6)
Jack: This is suicide.
Sydney: I don’t think it is.
Jack: What exactly is your strategy here? Politely asking Sloane to let you out of SD-6? (edit) Jenny: (to Will) I found out that SD-6 is an ingredient in artificial sweeteners... but that’s probably not the SD-6 you’re talking about. (edit) McKenas Cole: You're going to give me the combination to the SD-6 vault and if you don't, I'm going to open this box. And Arvin, trust me when I tell you, you do not want me to open this box. (edit)

Cole tortures Sloane by injecting a super-concentrated derivative of hot sauce. Capsaicin, the active chemical ingredient in spicy foods like hot sauce, has a paradoxical effect at sufficiently high doses: instead of causing pain, it relieves it. It's a common ingredient in topical pain relieving ointments. (edit) Goof:
In the corridor with all those red lasers you don't see a single hole or mirror in the walls where the light could come from or where it would be reflected. (edit) The failed mission that Cole was on was in 1996. Cole said that the KGB contacted the CIA through various channels to confirm whether or not he was a CIA operative, but the KGB was disbanded in 1991. (edit)

Visual: "McTiernan Air Conditioning" van
The fake name on the van Cole and his men use is "McTiernan Air Conditioning", which is an in-joke reference to director John McTiernan, whose movie Die Hard shares a number of plot elements with this episode. (edit)