SEELE is given a report on all the events that have happened thus far involving the Angels and the Evangelions. At the end of the report, the Human Instrumentality Committee is seen to be interrogating Gendo on the recent rumor of an Angel that invaded Central Dogma. The Committee are deeply concerned about this, as the event apparently happened too early according to SEELE's schedule, something which brought their entire scenario into jeopardy. Gendo states the report about the incident was made in error and no Angel invasion has occurred. The Committee tells Gendo that he such be cautious about what he says, warning him that making false statements to this conference is punishable by death. Gendo, however, maintains that no such incident has taken place and challenges the Committee to examine the MAGI's records, which he is sure will collaborate his statement. He goes on to state that he is confident that the time schedule is advancing exactly as described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Committee is clearly incredulous, but decides to let him off the hook for the time being and warns him that there should be no rewrites to SEELE’s scenario. Gendo assures them that everything is going according to SEELE’s plan.
Meanwhile, Rei is inside Unit 01 in the first interchangeability test. As she sits inside, she begins to contemplate on many objects and people she has encountered and studied.
She envisions mountains, noting that they are heavy yet changed with the passage of time.
She thinks of the sky. A blue sky. It is something that your eyes can see and something that your eyes can’t see.
As for the sun, it is a unique object and there is only one in existence.
The water is something that is agreeable. It is comforting. A voice then asks about Commander Ikari.
Rei moves on to flowers. They are all the same and so many of them are without purpose.
She sees the sky again, red this time. It is a color that she hates. She sees the red liquid that Eva Unit-01 is submerged in. She sees Shinji’s hand covered in her blood from when he first met her. She notices the scent of blood and a woman who does not bleed. Man comes from the red soil, she says. Man also comes from man and woman. A city is also a human creation. Eva is a human creation. She asks, “What are humans? A creation of God?”
Rei states that what she possesses are a life and a soul. She is a vessel for a soul, her thoughts. She is an entry plug, throne of the soul. Yet she is also the existence called Rei. Her body is what gives Rei form. But her body is not what Rei identifies as her self. Her body begins to feel as if it is melting and she begins to lose her grasp on physical form. She then notices another existence with her, but she does not know who it is. Familiar faces pass before her: Shinji, Misato, Ritsuko, classmates, and Asuka. When she thinks of Commander Ikari, she sees his cracked glasses that she keeps. Yet she still cannot figure out who is inside, with her. She asks, “Who are you?” as the true face of Eva Unit 01 as seen by Shinji after Sachiel’s attack stares with its green eye.
Rei suddenly comes to inside Eva Unit-01. Ritsuko asks how she feels inside Unit-01. She says that it smells like Ikari. Her sync ratio is almost the same as with Unit 00. Ritsuko attributes it to the similarity in Unit-00 and 01’s personal data patterns. As soon as the harmonics are confirmed to be normal, Ritsuko lets Rei out of Unit 01.
Asuka just undergoes a routine link-up test with her Unit-02. Shinji is to undergo the same experiment as Rei inside of Unit 00. Asuka asks why she isn’t undergoing interchangeability test to which Misato quickly replies that the team thought Asuka wouldn’t want to pilot any other unit but her own. Asuka believes it. Misato then thinks to herself that the real reason is because Unit-02 would never be compatible with anyone else. The test with Shinji commences, and Ritsuko starts off with asking him how he feels. Shinji answers it feels "kind of odd". Ritusko asks him to clarify this feeling, and he replies that "It smells like Ayanami." "What does he mean, smell? Is he a pervert?" snarks Asuka as she eavesdrop on the process over the comlink.
Ritsuko moves the test into the second state and starts receiving data. As she expected Shinji has a lower synch rate with Unit-00, and remarks they are getting good readings. She believes that this means they can move forward with the implementation of the dummy system. Ibuki then voices her concern about the dummy system. Ritsuko then says that people with too many scruples will always find it difficult to work with others. She says that in time, Ibuki will come to understand. Asuka, meanwhile, calls over the comlink to tease Shinji, asking him "Hey, Shinji, what's it like? Mom's breast? Or inside her womb?" While Shinji stalwartly ignores her, an annoyed Ritsuko asks her to terminate the call as she could introduce data noise into the test. Left to sulk in Unit-02, Asuka grumbles to herself about how everyone seems intent on mollycoddling Shinji.
As Ritsuko increases the number of connections between Shinji and Unit-00, Shinji clutches his head as he feels another presence trying to pry into his mind. He wonders who it is and concludes that the presence belongs to Rei Ayanami.
At that moment, Unit-00 begins to break free of its restraints and display the same behavior as before when it was activated for the first time. It punches the windows for the control room, where Rei is standing as she watches. Unit 00 eventually stops but only when the backup power supply runs out. In the aftermath, people start to wonder who Unit-00 was trying to hurt. Misato suspects that it was trying to attack Rei, while Ritsuko thinks it was trying to attack her.
Some hours later, Shinji awakens in the hospital. Upon discovering where he is, he stares at the ceiling, commenting "I hate it. It's this ceiling again." Hyuga relays the news about Shinji to Misato, stating that while Shinji shows no signs of mental contamination, he has no memory of the incident. Back in the apartment, Asuka lies down in her bed and contemplates on her lack of knowledge about who exactly the First Child is.
Meanwhile, Gendo and Fuyutsuki discuss the Angel invasion and the Committee’s reaction. Fuyutsuki is annoyed saying that they are just worthless fools looking for something to complain about. Gendo says that NERV has all the trump cards. Fuyutsuki remarks that even though that may be the case, there is no reason to provoke them. If SEELE decides to interfere, that would be significant cause for concern. Gendo assures him again that everything is going according to plan. Fuyutsuki then asks about the Unit 00 incident. Gendo classifies that as not being an issue since Rei’s resynchronization test was successful. Fuyutsuki notes to himself that Gendo is too concerned about protecting Rei. Fuyutsuki then inquires about the Adam operation. Gendo notes that it is on schedule and that Rei is handling the operation involving the Lance of Longinus.
Rei is then seen, walking through a dark corridor lit with orange lights in her Unit-00. She carries in her right hand the two-pronged Lance of Longinus.
Tropes
- All There in the Manual: The names of the Angels Nerv has faced so far are shown for the first time.
- Blatant Lies: Gendo's assurances to Keel and company regarding the events of the previous episode. No, there wasn't any Angel attack on NERV HQ itself. Preposterous. It was all a malfunction in the alarm system. Really!
- Nobody on the Committee buys it, of course, but ignore it as the situation has been resolved and they've got a schedule to get back to.
- Clip Show: The first half of the episode. There is an attempt to justify it as it SEELE reviewing footage, but that would require SEELE to be as versatile and cinematic in their surveillance as Lex Luthor was in Super Friends.
- From a Meta perspective, the Clip Show can be justified beyond just Gainax saving money. This marks the commencement of the second half of the series, so a refresher on what's come to pass over the preceding 13 episode isn't a bad idea.
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: As Hikari notes, the schoolchildren are so used to emergency evacuations and probable destruction that it doesn’t even occur to them to be afraid anymore.
- Foreshadowing:
- Gendo mentions to Futuyski that the Adam project is proceeding.
- Rei mysteriously delivering the Spear of Longinus to somewhere inside NERV HQ. This is our first glimpse of Terminal Dogma and what it is (and why the spear is necessary) will be revealed in the next episode.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Shinji is downright annoyed upon waking up to view of the hospital celling and no memory of the past few hours again.
