We've come to realize that the supernatural elements in the show are rather primal. Even the angels killed without abandon and violence was always their endgame. The leviathans were just the opposite. The writers wanted to give the brothers a new challenge, something they had never encountered before, but the end result was just boring.
Bobby died and the show suffered. They brought him back briefly, but he just wasn't the same as a ghost. It almost felt contrived like they did it just to give the fans what they wanted. I think Frank was supposed to replace Bobby, but he just never took off.
They took away the Metallicar and using the rock stars as aliases, and all the color left the Supernatural world. The whole season seemed about putting the Winchesters off balance and see how they reacted, but it's not what people want. People don't watch Supernatural because it's a cerebral show. They watch it because it's got fairy tale creatures and a boatload of sarcasm and humor.
Season 7 was a disappointment to Supernatural fans everywhere. We watched as our beloved Winchesters were put through the ringer and our favorite characters were lost, returned and then taken away again.
I wish I had high hopes for season 8, but I don't. The writers need to get back to basics and create something that gets back to what Supernatural is all about. The Winchesters against the world.