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Episode 16: Sickness Unto Death And.../ Splitting of the Breast
I'm running out of things to say about Evangelion. Every time the show reaches a new level of intrigue, intelligence and introspection, the next episode raises the bar for quality. The episode begins with a very interesting characterization scene between Shinji and Asuka (during which we also learn that Misato and Kaji are a couple again). When Asuka comes out of the shower saying the water isn't the right temperature. Shinji apologizes and Asuka responds angrily, telling Shinji it isn't his fault and that he shouldn't apologize for everything. Misato tries to tell Asuka that it's just Shinji's way of dealing with people, but Asuka finds it ridiculous. At NERV Central, Shinji finds that his synch test scores are even higher than Asuka's, making him the number one pilot and also making Asuka very jealous. Soon the 12th Angel attacks (Misato noted Gendo is not present again) and the EVAs sortie for battle, with Shinji taking the lead. Shinji shoots at the round, zebra striped Angel which disappears and forms as a black shadow underneath him. The EVA 01 is absorbed into the black shadow and large parts of Tokyo 3 soon meet the same fate. EVA 02 and 00 narrowly escape, but Shinji is nowhere to be found. As NERV pulls the 01's umbilical out of the dark sea, they find that EVA 01 isn't attached and this means Shinji has 16 hrs to live if he uses minimal life support. As the UN forces surround the black sea, Asuka and Rei stand on the sidelines as Asuka proclaims that Shinji got what he deserved by rushing into the battle. Rei walks up to Asuka and looks at her with a very stern face and asks, "I wonder, do you only pilot EVA for the praise of others?" As Shinji lies inside his EVA, surrounded only by a white noise (and with only 12 hours of life support), Ritsuko is able to learn a lot about the 12th Angel. She figures out that the real shadow isn't the black sea; instead, the real shadow of the Angel is the sphere, which everyone has tried to attack. By inverting it's AT Field the Angel is able to create a "Sea of Durac" which absorbs everything into something which is like a small universe itself. Shinji notices his systems in the EVA are beginning to break down and become terrified when everything starts to smell like blood. Back in the real world, Ritsuko proposes that the UN drop all 992 remaining N2 mines while the remaining EVA's activate their AT fields, creating an effect strong enough to destroy the Angel (and most of 01). Misato objects to Ritsuko saying "the pilot's life is irrelevant" and that retrieving Unit 01, even if it is damaged, is the priority. Ritsuko won't tell Misato why Unit 01 is so important to her and Gendo, and Misato realizes how many secrets NERV really has from her. Shinji suddenly finds himself in a bus, along with a smaller yet big headed version of himself seated across from him. The small Shinji (we'll call him S1) says that he is Shinji and "I am you. This self incorporates another self, the self that has always been composed of two selves." These two selves are the perceptions Shinji has of him and what he believes others see him as. S1 explains that there are Shinj Ikaris in everyone's mind and that they are all true Shinji Ikaris. Shinji says he is afraid of the Shinjis in other people's minds and S1 says he is just afraid of being hurt. S1 tries to tell Shinji that his father is bad and that Shinji must accept that one moment of approval does not erase the past. Shinji replies by saying "This world is filled with too much pain and suffering to keep going on" to which S1 replies, "No one can justify their existence by thinking their happiest moments into a kind of rosary." As these words sink into Shinji's mind, he finally snaps and wishes for a way out of this place. In NERV Central, Maya and Ritsuko realize the battery should be running out soon and Ritsuko wants to destroy the Angel earlier so Shinji can be rescued with life support on. In the EVA, Shinji's mind runs through images from his life, most importantly one where Gendo was accused of killing his wife, despite his claims that there was an accident. As he returns to the reality of being alone in the EVA, Shinji resigns himself to death and prepares for the end. Suddenly a glowing woman appears to him, someone Shinji believes to be his mother and he is encouraged not to give up. As Ritsuko is about to try and destroy the "Sea of Durac", the black sea begins to breaks apart as EVA 01 tears through the sphere in the sky. As the sky rains blood, the EVA 01 breaks of captivity and stands blood drenched on the streets, screaming like a wild beast. Though Rei is calm, Asuka finds herself taken aback and questioning the nature of the machine she pilots. Ritsuko looks on and says, "God in heaven, what kind of monster have we made this from?" Misato knows the EVA is a copy of the 1st angel (Adam) but she wonders what purpose the EVAs serve after all the Angels are destroyed. As a teary Misato embraces Shinji when he is removed from his entry plug, Shinji says, "Just wanted to see them one more time." Ritsuko and Gendo speak to each other in the EVA 01 hanger and Ritsuko asks, "Are the EVA's on our side? Do they hate us?" She is worried that Shinji and Rei will "Never forgive us" when they learn the truth behind EVA. She tells Gendo that Misato is beginning to suspect something but he assures her that Misato will not be a problem. As Shinji lies in the hospital, he smells his hand and it still smells like blood. High paced action was fused together with introspective drama to create this perfect episode of Evangelion. The confrontations between the two Shinji's delved deeply into his character and was accentuated by strong music and powerful scenes. And why wouldn't Asuka be hurt by the truth behind the EVAs? The lines have been drawn in the sand, and it seems that the only thing worse than not knowing the truth about EVA is learning the truth!