Y'all . . .
These episodes were truly affecting. Buffy is having to grow up fast, with Joyce dealing with a life-threatening illness. Worse, there's no supernatural cause, so there's nothing Buffy is used to fighting. And she has to be a mom to Dawn along with all her other duties.

Not to mention the bug demon that preys on the mentally ill? And that other people can summon it to get rid of troublesome people?

Jesus this is dark.