But it isn't real!!

I went home a little early yesterday to compensate for the lack of sleep and extreme stress that I have been under for the past few weeks. I was exhausted, but not tired, so I watched my sister's copies of Buffy and Angel (seasons four and one) and vegged out for the remainder of the day. This would have been fine except for one thing. The last episode that I watched was really sad. Really, horribly sad and abrupt in its sadness. I didn't have any idea what was going to happen, but it really affected me.

So I called my sister to scold her for loaning me the DVDs, and she tells me more horrible news about that episode that made me even more sad.

The first bit of sadness was an emotional response to art, that I could have probably gotten over eventually (but, for those of you who know me, you will remember that it took me 3 months to finish Ender because I was so upset at the climax.) It was still sad, but it was art, it wasn't real.

But the second part of sadness was the reality behind it, and that still lingers. But here is where the interesting part is. The reality would never have upset me so much if the art hadn't been so depressing in the first place. Is that one of the tangible influences of art? I know the arguments that art brings you perspectives that you didn't have before, or shows you something you've never seen, or even elicits a self-realization, but why am I so sad about the demise of someone I have never met, nor had any connection with ever? Does that speak to the influence of the show, or does it say more about my own state of mind?