Episode 14

Episode Information
Episode #14
Title 1: {{{japanese_title_k}}} {{{japanese_title_r}}} {{{japanese_title_e}}} Title 2: WEAVING A STORY
Written By	Hideaki Anno,
Directed By
First Aired
Video Release Date	{{{video_release}}}
Angel Appearances	None (recap of all previous angels)
Episode chronology
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"Episode 13"	"Episode 15"

Overview

This episode is in two parts: The first part being a clip show presented to the Human Instrumentality Committee of Seele, reviewing the attacks of all Angels up to this point. The second part includes a poem in which Rei contemplates her own existence, and a cross-compatibility test between Rei's and Shinji's Evas.

Synopsis

The episode begins with a clip of Sachiel's attack, at first showing how normal weapons prove ineffective against the Angel, before the Evangelion is deployed. Recorded statements by Misato and an excerpt from an essay by Toji Suzuhara (whose sister was hurt in the battle) are included.

Next comes the attack of the angel Shamshel, along with part of an entry from Hikari Horaki's diary. The clip of Shamshel's attack ends with a statement that a final report on the analysis of the Angel's body has yet to be filed.

Ramiel's attack is accompanied by another excerpt, this time from Kensuke Aida, who mentions Rei Ayanami's selfless protection of Eva 01 during the battle.

Gaghiel's attack is notable in deviating from the scenario envisioned by Seele. However, the committee decides that the results were within "the projected parameters" and that "necessary adjustments could be made". A full third of the U.N. Fleet is described as being lost, and it is further mentioned that all the lost vessels are American, but the French committee member comments that the loss was actually minor.

Israfel's attack, Sandalphon's attempted capture, Matariel's and Sahaquiel's attacks all follow in sequence. When it comes to Ireul's invasion, the facts are listed as unconfirmed, although it is rumored that the Angel penetrated Nerv headquarters. This causes a great deal of concern among the committee, despite Gendo's reassurance that no such attack ever took place.

The meeting ends with Lorenz leaving all matters of crime and responsibility to Gendo, and adding that he does not need to create a new scenario.

The second part of the episode contains a poem by Rei Ayanami, contemplating the nature of her own existence, and asking questions about herself and about human beings. After the poem, Rei is seen during a cross-compatibility test with Eva 01, in which her synch ratio is reported to be almost the same as with Eva 00. However, the second part of the test- Shinji's synch with Eva 00, goes bad when the A10 nerve connections are complete. Eva 00 goes berserk in the same way as it did during the flashback in Episode 05, although Shinji escapes with only minor memory loss.

Fuyutsuki and Gendo discuss about the committee, the eleventh angel's invasion and Eva 00's berserk incident, at the end of which Rei is seen back in Eva 00, carrying the Spear of Longinus.

Notes

• This episode is basically a clip show, done to save production costs for other episodes. The first half is purely clips from old episodes with some voice over narrations, while the second half is still created mostly just by recycling animation from previous episodes.
  • The clip-show recycling of scenes is most obvious in the scene of Eva 00 going berserk: the animation of Eva 00 going berserk from Episode 05 was clearly just reused and recolored to change Eva 00's armor from orange to blue, and it is not equipped with shoulder-armor pylons, because it didn't have those yet in Episode 05. Eva 01 and Eva 02 are also animated in this episode without shoulder-armor pylons to try to stay consistent about this, as if there was a reason that they were taken off of each Eva for the test; presumably it was cheaper to draw a new shot of a stationary Eva 01 without shoulder pylons (one frame), than redo the entire complex scene of Eva 00 going berserk. However, the end shot of Eva 00 bashing its head against the wall is entirely new.
  • Oddly, the "recap" footage of Sahaquiel exploding in Episode 12 is actually noticeably different from the animation of the same scene which was originally used in Episode 12.
• In this episode, we first learn the names of the Angels, from the Third Angel (Sachiel, which Shinji fought in the first episode) through the Tenth Angel, named Sahaquiel. Presumably, the names of the Angels are derived from the prophecies in the Dead Sea Scrolls about the coming of the Angels.
• Ritsuko's "mutual compatability experiment" marks the first time that it has been attempted to switch Eva pilots between Evangelions. Rei could synch with Eva Unit 01 fairly well, but when Shinji tried to synch with Eva Unit 00, it went berserk. Later, in Episode 19, a desperation attempt is made to use Rei as a pilot for Unit 01, but the Eva actively rejects Rei. Evangelions are thus permanently associated with exclusively one pilot, and while Ritsuko considered the experiment enough of a success to begin work on the Dummy Plug system, pilots are never really switched between Evas in the series.
• First mention of Seele's use of the Dead Sea Scrolls as a guide for their "scenario".
• Misato's narrated report on Eva Unit 01's fight against Sachiel commends Shinji on his performance under duress in his first battle. However, Shinji himself didn't really defeat the Angel; Eva 01 went berserk and he wasn't in control of it. This might be a hint that Gendo is hiding information about the Evas and their ability to go berserk. At the least, Misato is "out of the loop" and doesn't seem to understand that Shinji wasn't really controlling Eva 01 when Sachiel was defeated.
• In Seele's briefing, it is said that one third of the UN naval fleet in Episode 8 was destroyed by the Angel Gaghiel. Their dialogue also reveals that the "green"-colored Commitee member represents the United States. According to the Instrumentality Committee, Gaghiel's attack "deviated from scenario", although the Committee comfortably writes off the massive naval losses in the encounter as "fortunately minor". This betrays the extreme callousness of the committee towards anything but their own project. Critically, the committee have failed to realize why the attack deviated from their scenario - Gaghiel was attracted to Adam, who was being smuggled aboard the convoy. It seems that according to Seele's "scenario", the Angels would only ever attack Tokyo-3.
• Ireul's invasion of Nerv in the previous episode was a genuine cause of concern for the Committee, who feared it might cause Third Impact. Gendo invites them to examine the Magi's data recorders, but they know he can fabricate those. Ultimately, Seele chooses to wave off Gendo's smokescreen, ignoring it as Gendo saving face.
  • The committee members are extremely distrustful of Gendo, the Russian (blue committee member) going so far as to say "distorting the truth is your speciality". Chairman Kiel appears to be the only one willing to trust Gendo for any length of time.
  • Fuyutsuki is just as antagonistic towards the Committee, saying that they have nothing to do but complain. Gendo, however, is willing to test their patience.
• This is the second time that Eva Unit 00 has gone "berserk" for no clear reason (of course, this is because the animation of Eva 00 going berserk here is just a re-use of the footage of it going berserk back in Episode 05). Rei's simulation body, connected to Eva 00, was also infected by the Angel Ireul last episode, and in similar fashion the simulation body Rei was in raised its hand towards the control box, but Ritsuko blew its arm off with demolition charges before it could do anything.
• Asuka sarcastically taunts Shinji by asking if being in Eva Unit 00's Entry Plug is like being in his mother's womb.
• After mentioning the Eva 00 berserk incident, Fuyutsuki himself notes that Gendo is more concerned with Rei than anything else.

• The first mention of the Spear of Longinus, and the first time it is seen outside its wrappings.

• For a clip show consisting of camera footage from previous angel attacks, at least once camera gets into an impossible position. One camera gets a view from inside Gaghiel's mouth, and one more is in Israfel's point of view as both Evas attack, not to mention views of Sandalphon from inside the volcano.

• The shoulder-armor pylons on Evangelions do not actually contain any biological part of the Eva, underneath the armor. The entire pylon is just an extension of the Eva's outer armor. As seen here, the pylons can actually be removed should the need arise, in this case to fit them into external restraints; besides Eva 00, both Eva 01 and Eva 02, which always had shoulder-armor pylons, are here seen without them.
• Ritsuko and Maya discuss how the "mutual compatibility experiment"'s relative success means that they will now be moving foward with the development of the "Dummy Plug" project, though Maya expresses trepidation about it...

Quotes

• Chairman Keel Lorenz: "We won't let you rewrite our scenario, Ikari!"
• (Rei Ayanami recites a poem over a montage of images passing across the screen):
  Rei: "Mountain. Heavy are the mountains, Something that changes through the ages. Sky. Blue sky. Something visible, something invisible. Sun. Something unique. Water. Something agreeable. Commander Ikari. Flowers. Many of them alike, many of them useless. Sky. Red, red sky. Red color. Red color that I hate. Water flow. Blood. The smell of blood. A woman that does not bleed. Made from the red soil are humans. Made by Man and Woman are humans. Town. Something that humans made. Eva. Something that humans made. Humans are what? Something that God made. Humans are things which humans made. The things I possess are my life and mind. The vessel of a mind. Entry plug, the throne of a soul. Who is this? This is me. Who am I?..." (A new image is inserted, not from a previous episode, of an endless line of multiple copies of Rei, stretching out into infinity)"...What am I? What am I? What am I? What am I? I am myself. This object is me, the figure which forms me. This is the me that is visible, though it feels as if this is not me. A strange feeling. My body seems as if it is melting. I cannot see myself. My figure is fading away. I am aware of someone else. Who is there before me? Ikari-kun. I know this person. Major Katsuragi. Dr. Akagi. People, my classmates. The pilot of Unit 02. Commander Ikari. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?"

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