- When Debbie refers to a "thirty year old TV show", the scene cuts to nerds in the audience, wearing costumes based mainly on the Fourth and Eighth incarnations of the Doctor of Doctor Who.
- The scene where the Goth kids allow Steve and his friends to escape is a reference to Gandalf's confrontation with the Balrog in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
- One of the PBHS cliques is the "The Red-Headed League", an allusion to a Sherlock Holmes story about a phoney club made up exclusively of red-haired men.
- Steve's line "You want to get nuts, come on. Let's get nuts!" is a reference to the 1989 film Batman.
- The audience is shown Steve taking revenge on the girls in chapters à la Kill Bill, even going as far as Toshi giving Steve a katana for his "Holy Revenge", instead Steve sells it.
- The way the boys have to escape the school, by passing all the school gangs, is similar to the way the Warriors escape to their turf by passing all other gangs' turfs in the film The Warriors, and also features the same song as in that film's escape scenes. The principal's announcements over the PA system reference the commentary provided by a radio DJ in the film. The escape sequence can also be seen as an allusion to the film Escape from New York, which is referenced in the episode title.
- The mask worn by Steve when he takes his revenge is a reference to the film Navajo Joe which featured a similar mask.
- When Steve and his friends are escaping through the bleachers, it mirrors one of the final scenes in The Faculty.
- The final scene in which Steve and his friends take on the school in a fight is a reference to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- At the end when Steve and his friends are in the bus. Bagpipes play in the background and Steve references Braveheart.
- When in the school bus at the end, Toshi says, "Bastard! You've killed us!" This is the same line as Captain Tupolov's executive officer says just before death in The Hunt for Red October.
Previous Episode's References /// Escape from Pearl Bailey's References \\\ Next Episode's References
| << Season 3 | American Dad Season 4 | Season 5 >> | |||||||||
| #01 | 1600 Candles | #08 | Chimdale | #15 | Wife Insurance | ||||||
| #02 | The One That Got Away | #09 | Stan Time | #16 | Delorean Story-an | ||||||
| #03 | One Little Word | #10 | Family Affair | #17 | Every Which Way But Lose | ||||||
| #04 | Choosy Wives Choose Smith | #11 | Live and Let Fry | #18 | Weiner of Our Discontent | ||||||
| #05 | Escape from Pearl Bailey | #12 | Roy Rogers McFreely | #19 | Daddy Queerest | ||||||
| #06 | Pulling Double Booty | #13 | Jack's Back | #20 | Stan's Night Out | ||||||
| #07 | Phantom of the Telethon | #14 | Bar Mitzvah Hustle | ||||||||