Paula complains about the color of the sets, exclaiming "I react violently to pink". This is an in-joke that only cast, crew, and studio audience members would get, as the Dick Van Dyke Show's sets were pink, a common technique in the black-and-white TV show days.
Marge is referred to many times during the run of the show. In the past, she has routed calls to the writers' room and to Alan Brady, but up until this time, she is spoken to, but never heard. Since Rob is producing the show, he has use of Mel's intercom system. As confirmed in a later scene, when he calls for Ruth Sachs in legal, the voice at the other end is indeed, Marge.
Paula compliments Rob's writing by comparing him to Thurber. She refers to playwright, short story author, and cartoonist James Thurber. He is best remembered for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." He won a Tony for the comedy revue, "The Thurber Carnival."