Apologies for the double post, but I came across an in-depth analysis of season 4 by Passion of the Nerd that I feel should be checked out (assuming not all Buffy-Board members have watched every single of his Buffy analysis already). He discussed not just season 4, episode 14, but also why season 4 is so structurally flawed in spite of its intriguing themes of identity and individuality, and why those themes didn't work the way the writers intended:
Looking back, even to season 1, there has indeed been a connecting theme in every season thus far that melded well together to further develop Buffy's identity; season 4's multiple themes do not.
Looking back, even to season 1, there has indeed been a connecting theme in every season thus far that melded well together to further develop Buffy's identity; season 4's multiple themes do not.