“This sad, doomed little world,” says Cas.
I wondered about that line of dialogue when it first appeared in the promo, since it didn’t seem to match up with what we’d been seeing on screen. I now think it’s reflecting Cas’ own mental and emotional state. Because the world isn’t doomed at the moment (for once!). The world is in better shape right now, after the recent defeat of Lucifer, than it’s been in a long time. Amara’s gone. As far as we know, there are no supernatural Big Bads wreaking havoc. Just the run of the mill monsters and ghost and demons, and they’re manageable. All things considered, the world’s doing pretty well.
Cas seemingly not being able to see that is just one more window into his depression.
Remember the way Dean got in season seven?
DEAN: That's just great. This is stupid. Our quality of life is crap. We got Purgatory's least wanted everywhere, and we're on our third "The World's Screwed" issue in, what, three years? We've steered the bus away from the cliff twice already.
SAM: Someone's got to do it.
DEAN: What if the bus wants to go over the cliff?
SAM: You think the world wants to end?
DEAN: I think that if we didn't take its belt and all its pens away each year that, yeah, the whole enchilada woulda offed itself already.
…
BOBBY: I want to talk about your new party line… "The world's a suicide case. We save it, it just steals more pills"?
DEAN: Bobby, I'm here, okay? I'm on the case. What's the problem?
BOBBY: I've seen a lot of hunters live and die. You're starting to talk like one of the dead ones, Dean.
DEAN: No, I'm talking the way a person talks when they've had it, when they can't figure out why they used to think all this mattered.
-7x09
Dean was projecting his own depression onto the entire world. I’m wondering if Cas is doing the same thing. It wouldn’t be the first time his storyline has echoed Dean’s.
As if we needed another reason to be concerned about him...