MDWigs: The humble power pole. We see similar images a number of times throughout the series (and real-life shots of them in EoE, too). They're not quite so overused as in Serial Experiments Lain,though. ^_^
Gundampilotspaz: However, in NGE, they are used as a sign of civilization, very different from the case in Lain. Starting with the inundated city (C-008) and continuing onward through EoE, they are depicted as burnt, bent, and destroyed where civilization no longer exists.
Ceimoa Nan: This exact shot, including the birds flying away, is reused when Shinji and Rei run into each other in Episode 26's alternate reality. Considering how many other times this image, with or without the birds, is reused, it might not have been as intentional as I suspect. But I thought it was poignant how their silly first meeting in the alternate reality so subtly echoes their spooky, melancholic first meeting in real life.
