History Recap / NeonGenesisEvangelionEpisode23Tears

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: SEELE sparing Ritsuko during her interrogation after Gendo sends her to them rather than Rei. Keel and the others agree Dr. Akagi's contributions to the Evangelion Project have been invaluable and she can still be of use during the final stages of their plan.

* PlotHole: Kwarou not realizing it's actually Lilith rather than Adam down in the Terminal Dogma is one -- at least in the context of the Director's Cut. SEELE outright tells him during the new 'conference' scene that Adam's body has been reborn inside Ikari. However, it's ''possible'' that Kwarou misunderstood Keel's words (or that he thought Adam ''had'' literally been reborn and was thus up and walking around, as it were).

* ArtEvolution: The redesigned SEELE Monoliths (with the new font) debut in the added scenes from the Director's Cut...which causes a ContinuitySnarl with the pre-existing Monolith footage (which is still using the old font).

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: This is a key factor in SEELE sparing Ritsuko during her interrogation. Dr. Akagi's contributions to the Evangelion Project have been valuable and she can still be of use during the final stages of their plan.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Gendo ''tries'' to use this as his justification for deploying (and losing) the Spear of Longinus in the previous episode. The SEELE members ''don't' buy it for an instant (and call him out for not even ''trying'' to come up with a more believable excuse).

The infection starts warping the Eva’s body and Gendo eventually calls off the lock on Unit-01. Asuka bitterly notices that same wasn't done for her, bitterly saying: "Am I so worthless to you?", as Unit-02 is extracted from the field. Unit-01 arrives at the surface, and following the usual procedure Shinji extends the Eva's A.T. Field, but this instantly draws the Angel's attention, and it quickly slithers towards him through the air. In an attempt to hold it off, he grabs it, but the physical contact allows the Angel to spread its infection to Unit-01 and Shinji. He then stabs the Angel with the prog knife, only to hear it scream with a voice that’s chillingly human. Visions of Rei begin to manifest in the bulging vessels of his hand where the infection is spreading and a white Rei comes out the Angel’s body, reaching out to Shinji, who is stunned in utter horror. "Does my soul want to become one with Ikari?", Rei wonders.

Rei then takes action and begins to spread out her A.T. Field to contain the Angel, tearing it away from Unit-01 and forcing all of the creature inside the core of Unit-00, causing the Eva's abdomen to swell up in what looks like a grotesque parody of pregnancy. Maya warns that the Eva's core has been pushed to its absolute limits and won't be to maintain the field for long, and Misato orders Rei to quickly abandon Unit-00. "No. If I go the A.T. Field will disappear. So, I can't" answers Rei as she determinedly activates the Eva's self-destruct mechanism. "Rei, do you mean to die?" asks Misato in utter disbelief. As the bulging core of Unit-00 collapses and begins to implode, Rei sees a vision of Gendo smiling. Unit-00 rises to its feet and reaches for something unseen, as it begins to shine and momentarily takes the form of a large white Rei with a halo over her head. The unit then detonates in a massive explosion, resulting in the destruction of the entirety of downtown Tokyo-3 and some of the surrounding area. Shinji can do nothing but watch from Unit-01 as the fireball grows out. After the Angel is confirmed to be destroyed, Misato, who is only barely keeping her voice from shaking, orders a rescue team to be sent out. Ritsuko quietly remarks that there might not be anything to rescue. Misato shoots her an absolutely withering look.

* ReallyDeadMontage: Downplayed. To signal that Rei (II) is really dead, she sees a short HappyFlashback of Gendo smiling at her, just before Unit-00 explodes.

* ReallyDeadMontage: Downplayed. To signal that Rei (II) is really dead, she sees a short flashback of Gendo smiling at her, just before Unit-00 explodes.

* HotterAndSexier: The Director's cut gives the dummy Rei's [[NippleAndDimed nipples]], and the updated ''Renewal'' version omits the random images that flash during the sequence, allowing the camera to focus more on their nude forms.

Rei then takes action and begins to spread out her A.T. Field to contain the Angel, tearing it away from Unit-01 and forcing all of the creature inside the core of Unit-00, causing the Eva's abdomen to swell up in what looks like a grotesque parody of pregnancy. Maya warns that the Eva's core has been pushed to its absolute limits and won't be to maintain the field for long, and Misato orders Rei to quickly abandon Unit-00. "No. If I go the A.T. Field will disappear. So, I can't" answers Rei as she determinedly activates the Eva's self-destruct mechanism. "Rei, do you mean to die?" asks Misato in utter disbelief. As the bulging core of Unit-00 collapses and begins to implode, Rei sees a vision of Gendo smiling. Unit-00 rises to its feet and reaches for something unseen, as it begins to shine and momentarily takes the form of a large white Rei with a halo over her head. The unit then detonates in a massive explosion, resulting in the destruction of the entirety of downtown Tokyo-3 and some of the surrounding area. Shinji can do nothing but watch from Unit-01 as the fireball grows out. After the Angel is confirmed to be destroyed, Misato, who is only barley keeping her voice from shaking, orders a rescue team to be sent out. Ritsuko quietly remarks that there might not be anything to rescue. Misato shoots her an absolutely withering look.

Misato does nothing but watch. She wonders about this “curse” that seems to affect everyone involved with Eva, including herself.

The ruined remains of Tokyo-3's downtown quickly starts to flood, as water from the nearby lake pours into the crater left by Unit-00's destruction. Around the edges of the crater, Ritsuko and a contamination squad scour the area; they soon discover Unit-00's scorched and broken entry plug. The only thing found inside it is the charred remains of a body. Ritsuko orders that the team's finding is to be classified as top secret and for the plug to salvaged. Everything else is to be disposed of.

The Angel seems to be just rotating above the ground, and it remains passive and stays in place, while the MAGI struggles to gather data on it. Ritsuko says that the Angel might be able to change shape, prompting Misato to warn Rei to stay back, as they are not yet sure what the Angel is capable of and they need to study it further. But Rei, sensing that something is wrong, answers "No. It's comming." Right then the Angel forms into a single-banded ring. As everyone watches, it breaks apart into a snake-like form and moves swiftly in a beeline for the Eva. Rei is too slow to avoid it and it effortlessly pierces Unit-00's A.T. Field and the Eva itself. Rei tries to grab on and shoot at it to no effect. The Angel begins to infect the Eva Unit and, in turn, Rei. Unit-02 can’t even move due to Asuka’s low sync ratio, causing Misato to call her back into the command center.

The infection starts warping the Eva’s body and Gendo eventually calls off the lock on Unit-01. Asuka bitterly notices that same wasn't done for her, mumbling: "Am I so worthless to you?", as Unit-02 is extracted from the field. Unit-01 arrives at the surface, and following the usual procedure Shinji extends the Eva's A.T. Field, but this instantly draws the Angel's attention, and it quickly slithers towards him through the air. In an attempt to hold it off, he grabs it, but the physical contact allows the Angel to spread its infection to Unit-01 and Shinji. He then stabs the Angel with the prog knife, only to hear it scream with a voice that’s chillingly human. Visions of Rei begin to manifest in the bulging vessels of his hand where the infection is spreading and a white Rei comes out the Angel’s body, reaching out to Shinji, who is stunned in utter horror. "Does my soul want to become one with Ikari?", Rei wonders.

Misato finds inside the capsule that Kaji gave her a while back a small chip. She remarks that with this, the pain of his loss no longer hurts since he has given her his “heart and soul.” After the inquisition, Ritsuko is set free. SEELE discusses the destruction of Tokyo-3, and notes that it might actually be a boon to their upcoming plans and decides to accelerate the production of the new Eva series even more, with Keel saying that the promised time will soon come. Ritsuko calls Shinji, telling him she has been able to lift the security restrictions placed on him and asks him to come over to NERV HQ. Later, Ritsuko stands before the lock to Terminal Dogma, only to discover that the access code has been changed. "It is no use. Not without my pass," says Misato from behind her as she points a gun at Ritsuko's back. Ritsuko guesses, correctly, that it is Kaji's handiwork. Misato demands that Risuko reveals her secrets, to which Ritsuko agrees as long as Shinji, who emerges from his hiding place in a nearby shadow, comes along too. Misato agrees resignedly.

SEELE discusses the aftermath. After the sixteenth Angel, according to the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is only one more. The Lance of Longinus has been lost and now, with the destruction of Unit-00, there should be sufficient reason to remove Ikari. They decide to use another person against him; this time, someone who knows the truth.

Armisael takes the form of a ring of light consisting of two bands interwoven together. The MAGI is unable to get a decisive reading on it, so Unit-00 is sent out to take point, with Unit-02 providing the backup. Asuka’s abilities as a pilot haven’t been any lower than they are now. Gendo moves Asuka out with the intent of possibly using her as a decoy.

Some time later, Misato gets a call, telling her that Rei has been found alive. She runs to tell Shinji the news. Shinji sees her at the hospital ward, with her right eye bandaged and her arm in a sling. As he thanks her for saving his life, she seems not to remember it. She simply remarks that it must be because she be the third one. She returns to her apartment later that day, and as soon as she is inside, she discards her bandages, revealing herself to be completely undamaged. Looking around she sees Gendo’s glasses on the table, picks them up, and begins to crush them. She stops once she begins to cry, yet she does not know herself why she is crying. She remarks that this is the first time she has seen these things, yet also not the first time.

Rei then takes action and begins to spread out her A.T. Field to contain the Angel, tearing it away from Unit-01 and forcing all of the creature inside the core of Unit-00, causing the Eva's abdomen to swell up in what looks like a grotesque parody of pregnancy. Maya warns that the Eva's core has been pushed to its absolute limits and won't be to maintain the field for long, and Misato orders Rei to quickly abandon Unit-00. "No. If I go the A.T. Field will disappear. So, I can't" answers Rei as she determinedly activates the Eva's self-destruct mechanism. "Rei, do you mean to die?" asks Misato in utter disbelief. As the bulging core of Unit-00 collapses, Rei sees a vision of Gendo smiling. Unit-00 rises to its feet and reaches for something unseen, as it begins to shine and momentarily takes the form of a large white Rei with a halo over her head. The unit then detonates in a massive explosion, resulting in the destruction of the entirety of downtown Tokyo-3 and some of the surrounding area. Shinji can do nothing but watch from Unit-01 as the fireball grows out. After the Angel is confirmed to be destroyed, Misato, who is only barley keeping her voice from shaking, orders a rescue team to be sent out. Ritsuko quietly remarks that there might not be anything to rescue. Misato shoots her an absolutely withering look.