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I did feel that the explanations provided by Miss Emily were the worst part of the book (but not bad enough to spoil it for me). There was not enough information in there to satisfy those seeking the sorts of detail we see in this thread, and there was more than was really needed by those content to accept the world as presented. I had been fascinated by the way Ishiguro had revealed the world prior to this, simply but so effectively that by the time we were seated in front of Miss Emily I was trying to work out what we were doing there; what could she possibly say - that actually mattered - that we didn't already know? I say "we" because as far as I can tell the protagonists felt the same way: all Miss Emily did was confirm what we'd already surmised. I think this may have been why the explanations exist, not to tell us anything new, but to highlight the futility of the explanations.
And remember that our protagonists are only looking for a delay. They are not expecting or asking for a total reprieve from their fate. That they got nothing came as no surprise to anyone. It didn't seem sad as such, not when it was only what had been expected, but I could appreciate the inarticulate rage expressed by Tommy after this meeting.
Tommy's rages reminded me of the screaming on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album. For so much of the book they're sort of distant, background noises, something we're told about rather than witnessing, and it's only after the meeting with Miss Emily that it comes into full voice - but still inarticulate; there seems nowhere he can direct this rage, and never has been.
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