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Episode 18: The Judgment of Life/Ambivalence
I mentioned before that EVA was building up to an epic confrontation where every cast member would have to choose to side with Gendo or be against him. With the close of this episode, it's safe to say we know where a few people will stand on this issue. It raises some strong ethical questions and serves to further deepen the mystery surrounding the EVAs and NERV. The episode begins with Evangelion Unit 03 being brought over to Japan via airplanes. When it passes through a cloud we catch a brief glimpse of a strange lightning like energy crackling in the cloud. Back in Japan, Shinji catches up to Misato before she is about to leave for a trip to activate 03 (at which time Kaji will come to be Shinji and Asuka's guardian). He asks her about the 2nd Branch rumors and Misato confirms that it in fact did disappear. But when the conversation turns to the pilot for EVA Unit 03, Misato is strangely silent. While on their way to the activation site, Ritsuko tells Misato that Toji wasn't too thrilled about being an EVA pilot and he only agreed to it because NERV promised to move his sister into a private hospital. In the classroom, Toji still seems despondent and Asuka arrives late, claiming she didn't want to see Toji's ugly face. At lunchtime, Toji (called "the Stomach" by his classmates) stands outside and is approached by Rei who admits to knowing about his position as the new EVA pilot. Toji also tells Rei that he knows she has "a thing" for Shinji and Rei blushes; surprisingly admitting that Toji may be right. As the EVA 03 arrives in Japan, Toji sits outside the school reflecting on his fight with Shinji (way back in episode 3) and on the future ahead of him. Asuka takes time to talk to Hikari and tells her that everyone realizes she likes Toji, except Toji. Hikari fears that Toji has feelings for Rei but Asuka, with her usual brand of anti-Rei sentiment, quickly erases those fears. Asuka asks Hikari what she sees in a "dumb jock" like Toji to which Hikari replies, "his compassionate side." At night, Kaji and Shinji sleep on the floor next to each other (but not together) and two talk when they find they are mutually unable to sleep. Shinji asks Kaji what Gendo is like and tells Kaji that he's learned a lot about Gendo recently. Kaji replies by saying, "You only believe that you've learned but people can't really understand themselves, much less each other. Understanding 100% of anything is impossible. That's why we spend so much time trying to understand our motivations and the motivations of others. It's what makes life so interesting." In his unique style, Kaji later adds "The gulf that separates men and women is wider than any gulf." The next day Toji arrives at the NERV testing center to begin the initialization process for EVA 03 while his classmates worry about where Toji is. Kensuke tells Shinji he thinks Toji is the new EVA pilot (a notion Shinji laughs at) and Hikari is saddened by not being able to share her lunch with Toji. As the tests on EVA 03 continue there is suddenly a malfunction and it goes out of control and breaks free of the restraints. A huge explosion occurs, injuring everyone inside the test facility and the 03 goes on a rampage. NERV launches EVA Units 00, 01 and 02 and called to the battlefield but Shinji is worried because Misato isn't there to lead them. Rei assures him that Gendo will be an effective leader, a fact that doesn't sit well with Gendo's son. NERV tries to eject the entry plug for Unit 03 but they can't and their attempts to abort the synchronization of 03 fail as well. Assuming the pilot to be dead, Gendo orders the EVA 03 to be reclassified as the 13th Angel and to be destroyed. Shinji says he won't attack the EVA because there may be a pilot inside and he doesn't want to hurt it. As Asuka is about to tell Shinji the identity of the pilot, she is easily defeated by 03 and Gendo warns Rei to avoid close combat. As Rei prepares to shoot 03 with her Angel, she thinks, "but the pilot is" and 03 attacks her. It begins to merge with her left arm and Gendo cuts the nerve connection, essentially breaking Rei's arm. With 00 and 02 now defeated, Shinji and his 01 are the last line of defence against the new 13th Angel but he still refuses to fight. As 03 begins to attack 01, Gendo angrily tells his son to fight back but Shinji says he'd rather die than take a human life. Gendo orders NERV to shut down EVA 01 and initiate the Dummy Plug system. As 01 comes back to life, it's monstrous nature erupts violently in a clash with the 03. "What the hell are you doing father?" asks Shinji as he tries to stop his EVA from destroying the 03. The 01 snaps the neck of the 03, pulverizes its body and tears apart the "Angel". As the NERV technicians look on in fear, Shinji screams and begs his father to stop the madness that has left Japan's rivers running red with blood. As the EVA 01 holds the 03's entry plug, Shinji tries to stop his machine from breaking the tube in half but he fails. In her house, Hikari says, "I sure hope he's hungry" and innocently cooks for Toji, unaware of the fate that has befallen him. Misato wakes up in a stretcher and Kaji tells her what has happened. She contacts Shinji in the EVA, tearfully trying to explain to him who the EVA pilot is. As the NERV recovery team detects life signs of the 03 pilot, Shinji stares at the body below. Before Misato can finish her sentence, Shinji screams as he recognizes the pilot's identity. This episode proved to be extremely powerful when the curtain closed. Shinji's anger is reasonable and the repercussions will be felt next episode when he seeks revenge against Gendo. But was Gendo so wrong? This is an ethical question many EVA fans wrestle with. True, Gendo did take away Shinji's right to choose, but did he have a better option? Had the 01 maintained it's stance of pacifism, it would have been absorbed along with Shinji. This presented two problems to Gendo: 1. His son would have died and his entire family would now be lost. 2. With 01 defeated, the world would have no way to fight the Angels. Knowing that those two were possible outcomes, Gendo made a decision to save the world. True, his motivation may not have been purely altruistic, but in a Machiavellian way his decision was right. In the end, the world is saved from the Angels and life is safer for everyone. So, in the end, Gendo's decision does seem like the right one. This episode brings all the conflicts to the forefront as we see Gendo's true machinations coming to light. In the end we're left with not only ethical questions, but also questions about what the Evangelion and Gendo truly are.