VancouverNights is saying that Cliff played himself and so did the stunt coordinator. So that's kinda cool.

That wasn't Clif their bodyguard. He was Tiny in Folsom Prison Blues. Unless they have a driver named Cliff, as well, someone's confused.

Went and double checked a screencap, and yup, the exterior of "Sam's" mansion is Old Westbury Gardens in Long Island.

I seem to recall an interview wherein Sera mentioned she would be appearing in this episode, but only via voiceover.

I kinda want to segregate the first and last five minutes from the middle.

This.

And it's not that I hated the middle, but it felt like such a different ep from the bookends. It wasn't just dark/light/dark, it was "amusing and serious/CRACK!!!!/bamf! and serious".

And I kinda hope that the world they got sent to was like a creation of the Trickster, that amongst the CRACK!, the deaths were somehow not real. Because, man, Cas unleashed mayhem and death on a world that didn't have anything to do with his world/universe's problems. (Not that I don't think Cas isn't capable of or willing to do that, because he totally would, but man, that's harsh).

Also, what was with random blonde guy dodging bullets like a ninja?

I was wondering if dodging-bullets-guy was supposed to be Someone. He was sitting next to "Robert Singer" making decisions when the boys first crashed through, right? I'm not all up on behind the scenes, so I have no clue.

So glad that didn't turn out to relate to the plot. Or did I miss some sort of pun?

Did you see Blazing Saddles? It's a reference to the scene where they smash through the set into an actual set of another movie.

I had a laugh and a half and then not a laugh but still a good time. The funny was painfully funny, but I also liked the gravitas of the angel plot, and didn't have any problem with their combination. I'd have been disappointed if it had been only cracky. They don't do that.

So, for me, I got meta, comedy, heaven's civil war plot advancement, and some nice illumination about the boys and their place in their world. Typical Dean, to want to be dissastfied with being home, even though he had no intention of staying there--framing it all as "Sam had a good life there." And Sam, ever for fighting the good fight anyway.

Sam/Gen! Canon.

I was ouchie that they killed Misha, but then they killed Kripke and it was funny. And then they killed Bob, and the other guys, and it went back around to appalling. But in a good way.

Con men being bad actors doesn't even slightly surprise me. It's not the same thing as lying, and the degree to which you inhabit a character is completely different. I doubt the skill sets translate.

See: Sophie.

Did you see Blazing Saddles? It's a reference to the scene where they smash through the set into an actual set of another movie.

oh duh! I was googling 'The French Mistake' looking for a video clip from Blazing Saddles when I first found out what that term means.

That wasn't Clif their bodyguard. He was Tiny in Folsom Prison Blues.

Clif Kosterman played Tiny as well.

Right, Clif played Tiny. And Clif is their bodyguard and driver, but he didn't play the driver Clif in the episode. For one, Clif is bald, but he's also a hell of a lot bigger than whoever that guy is.

The other half saw in TV Guide that none of the crew played themselves, so I'm not sure what vancouvernights meant.