I heard so many cultural references/recommendations that I now need to read/watch - it’s hard to keep track! Baskhi’s Lord of the Rings, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, John Irving’s A Prayer For Owen Meany, countless Sam Peckinpah films I’ve never seen, the list goes on… I was extremely fortunate to have seen Aguirre: Wrath of God for the amount of times that’s been a character/tonal reference. What I’ve come to realize is that in many cases cultural references like these are just the most concise and efficient way to transmit your idea for a part of the show to the group. Having the reference shows that the idea can be done well, can be drawn upon, and also elicits any inherent enthusiasm for the source material in regards to your idea. It’s a nice bit of transference. What is also means is the most TV, film, books and comic books you’ve read and can call upon - the better you will be in the room.