Ultimately this ends up being a fine episode to watch outright but two issues prevent it from being more than average. First Samhain is wasted. He goes down way too easily and the whole blindness thing feels like a cheat. A bit like the Seven Deadly Sins in Season 3 more could have been made of this character than a one off monster of the week.
The more pressing issue is the angel/heaven stuff. It is quite clear that the writers had no real plan here and Chuckles ultimately feels like a plot device to get Sam to quiz Dean about hell. Cas having doubts and being a renegade in waiting mostly works but I wish he *saw* this more than were *told* this at first. But the biggest thing is the very nature of the seal being allowed to be broken robs the heat out of the entire plotline. Everything feels slightly forced and slightly plotty with angels and that started here.
The more pressing issue is the angel/heaven stuff. It is quite clear that the writers had no real plan here and Chuckles ultimately feels like a plot device to get Sam to quiz Dean about hell. Cas having doubts and being a renegade in waiting mostly works but I wish he *saw* this more than were *told* this at first. But the biggest thing is the very nature of the seal being allowed to be broken robs the heat out of the entire plotline. Everything feels slightly forced and slightly plotty with angels and that started here.