Man, the acting by Sarah Michelle Geller was really piercing in this episode. The look of pain and worry on her face as the doctor gave her the bad news about her mother was almost unbearable to watch. Of course this show prepared us a little bit for the upcoming tragedy: although when said tragedy did occur it still came as a shock because it was so sudden. Buffy's anxiety certainly seemed real. Was Gellar channeling her own worries, perhaps? Or was it just great acting? The acting on this show really deserved attention from those stupid ignorant Emmy people, who stupidly ignored the great acting on this series!