I don't think you're in the minority at all - I often feel that about myself, which just means that we've got at least two groups of people with differing approaches to the show, is all.

I totally agree about Dean's downward spiral, and I'm really excited to see Dean's storyline for the rest of this season. I've felt very disconnected to Dean so far, and this makes me feel much better about his arc (and I'm so pleased to see them giving Jensen more to do than look upset about lying to Sam!).

I really liked how awkward Sam and Cas were - that's one of my favorite things because they both can be awkward and they were awkward together! Also, knowing how bad Jared is behind the scenes and how susceptible Misha is, I had that second layer of "tee hee!" that makes me excited for the gag reel and outtakes.

I also agree about Metatron - super boring! I just feel like they messed up with that character and now don't know what the hell to do with him. Gadreel is way more interesting. I'm guessing Cas will get his revenge on Metatron because Metatron fucked him over, meanwhile Sam will get revenge on Gadreel, because Gadreel fucked him over. But maybe they'll have a heart to heart first because they're both basically just fuckups. :)

The fight for hell is less interesting to me because they keep chipping away at Abbadon's power. She was the first truly scary big bad they'd had in a while, but they've started to make her look weak, which sucks. I love Crowley and all, but I would like the battle between him and Abbadon to be epic - not a walk in the park because they've dumbed Abbadon so far down. :|