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Episode 3: The Phone That Never Rings/ A Transfer
This episode was another well-paced, exciting outing in this exceptional series. The cast is slowly growing and we've seen almost everyone who shows up in the opening credits. Once again the episode is full of subtle themes and some great imagery and metaphors which all come together to create a unique experience. The episode commences with Shinji in his EVA Unit 01 and Ritsuko explains to him how the EVA works (since it isn't listed in any official books). It has an umbilical cord attached to the back, which can power it indefinitely (unless of course NERV ran out of power). If the umbilical cord is detached there are 1 minute (maximum power outage) and 5 minute (minimal outage) internal battery that can be used to keep the EVA powered in time to win the battle. Later, Ritsuko and Misato are on the phone discussing Shinji and his new life. Ritsuko believes Shinji only pilots EVA because it is his nature to do what he is told while Misato mentions that Shinji hasn't made any friends at school in 2 weeks. Ritsuko believes that Shinji has the "hedgehog's dilemma": two hedgehogs are too afraid to get close to each other because they might poke each other. This fear of pain keeps them apart and they don't realize the benefits of getting close make the risks all worth it. When Shinji arrives at class he sees Rei Ayanami, still injured, sitting at her desk all alone. Another of his classmates, Toji Suzuhara shows up for class after being absent a few days. Apparently his sister was badly injured and he was taking care of her in the hospital since his parents are away. Toji is angry at the EVA pilot for being so careless and wants to beat him up. Of special note is the class size: more and more students have evacuated Tokyo since the Angel returned. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's a nice realistic touch. Toji's friend, Kensuke Aida, thinks Shinji may be the EVA pilot. As the kids sit down for class, the teacher talks about the Second Impact. On September 13th, 2000 a meteor apparently hit the polar ice caps and melted them, flooding most of the Earth's northern hemisphere. Suddenly, a message pops up on Shinji's computer asking if he is the EVA pilot and he says yes. As the class jumps up and surrounds him, asking him all kinds of questions about EVA, Toji sits in his chair and doesn't look too happy. After school, Toji punches Shinji for being a careless pilot of EVA and Kensuke explains what happens. When Shinji says he didn't want to pilot EVA, Toji grabs him. Interestingly, even with the threat of being beat up, Shinji cannot look Toji in the eyes and has a very clam, almost resigned look on his face as Toji punches him again. Lying on the ground, Shinji notices Rei walk up and tell him they are needed at NERV Central. As the two EVA pilots reach their destination, the rest of Tokyo-3's inhabitants evacuate as the city transforms (literally) into a defense based equipped with support for EVA. Misato informs them that a new Angel, the 4th Angel, is attacking and it has only been 3 weeks since Shinji fought the 3rd Angel. Meanwhile, in the shelter, Toji and Kensuke decide to sneak out to see the battle. As they put their machinations in effect, the EVA 01 is launched and Shinji prepares to destroy the Angel. He keeps repeating to himself to lock on target and then fire and wastes all his ammo at the beginning of his fight. As the umbilical cord for EVA 01 is cut, Shinji notices Kensuke and Toji nearby. Shinji is beginning to feel scared, not only because he has only a limit left on his internal battery but because there are civilians who might be hurt. Ejecting the Entry Plug, Shinji lets Toji and Kensuke sit in the cockpit with him. As the EVA pulls out the "progressive knife" is has and he repeats his mantra of "I mustn't run away", Toji and Kensuke notice how much pain Shinji is going through to pilot EVA. As Shinji's battery wears out, he manages to stab the core of the Angel and EVA is left standing with it's knife in the intact Angel. Three days later, Toji and Kensuke are in class talking about Shinji's absence since the EVA fight. Kensuke gets Shinji's phone number and gives it to Toji who calls him but gets no answer. This episode worked for a lot of reasons. First we learned the EVA has a limited source of power, something that I'm sure will come into play later. Then we increased the cast size with some "normal" humans who will undoubtedly help shape Shinji in future episodes. There was also a brief change in perspective when Toji and Kensuke got in the EVA. As the audience, we saw Shinji through their eyes and it was nice to show to dark side of being a "heroic EVA pilot". The Hedgehog's Dilemma was a great metaphor and I hope it is reference later, as I'm sure it applies to more people than just Shinji.