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.

Huh. Maybe she got confused. She was probably pretty giddy just seeing the show.

So, for me, I got meta, comedy, heaven's civil war plot advancement

I find myself lacking almost all interest in the heaven's civil war plot. We haven't been told enough about it to hang our emotional investment on, and as far as the Winchesters go it's just another round of them being pushed around like pawns while they can't really affect the outcome of the battles. Sam and Dean will side with Castiel because he's their friend, but we don't even know what his "side" is. Seriously, while phenomenal cosmic powers are slugging it out, two mortals wouldn't be able to do anything about it, particularly since they aren't even the Vessels any longer.

Sam and Dean will side with Castiel because he's their friend

I'd like to think they're siding with Castiel because he's trying to prevent most of humanity from being wiped out, and they'd do that even if they didn't like him. Raphael's been pretty clear about what he wants to accomplish, and the collateral damage that would ensue.

But it doesn't even matter why they're siding with him. They don't really have the ability to make a difference in a war between the angels. All that will happen is that they'll keep getting used as pawns between the angels -- Castiel, Balthazar, Raphael -- and I find it frustrating to see them put in that position. I'd rather see them in storylines where they have more agency.

They don't really have the ability to make a difference in a war between the angels.

How can you possibly know that?

My guess is the reason we haven't seen more of that war is because it's not the main plot point, it's not the season end game. I assume that's purgatory/Mother, and that the angels and what they know about souls will play into *that* somehow. In the meantime, though, it seems we need to know that there's still unrest in heaven, and that souls have something to do with it.

You brought up the why explicitly, and I disagree. I also think there's plenty of room for the writers to put them in positions where they're the only ones that can fulfill certain tasks that are vital to the success of Castiel's mission. They were important before they were vessels (they failed--but they were important), so I don't see why they can't be important afterwards.

For that matter they were important as a "stick to distract Virgil". Made a difference in letting Castiel get the weapons. I know they were pissed at being used, but really Sam and Dean Winchester don't have a ton of moral high ground when it comes to using people for the greater good.

Incidentally about Castiel letting Raphael live: maybe I was reading the tactical situation wrong, but it looked to me like Castiel could indeed have taken down Raphael, but not before he Raphael took down Sam and Dean. Castiel is willing to use Sam and Dean if that is what it takes to save the world, even risk them, but not willing to sacrifice them.