Theo reads the book "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Jackson also wrote the novel "The Haunting of Hill House."
Elizabeth Reaser played Esme Cullen in the Twilight Saga movies. In this episode when Shirley and her parents are burying the kitten, Shirley says she thinks she named it Jasper. When Kevin is trying to convince Shirley not to do Nell's funeral, he mentions letting another funeral home director named Carlisle do it. Jasper and Carlisle are the names of two main characters in the Twilight series.
When Shirley is talking to her son he says he wants to be daredevil for a Halloween party, Daredevil is another Netflix original show, and then as the conversation progresses Shirley tells her son he can decorate it to be "devil man". There is an original Netflix anime called Devil Man Crybaby.
In episode 2, when Steven calls Shirley to tell her Nell is dead, the time on the clock in Shirley's bedroom says 2:22. Michiel Huisman, who plays Steven, is the main actor in a movie titled '2:22'.