FGC:Episode 05 Scene 02

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Exhumation ~ The Investigation


Screenshots Cut # Description/Dialogue Commentary

058
Sparks fly.

SE <<Excavation sounds>>


059
Excavation work is going on.

RITSUKO (OFF):“Ayanami Rei, 14 years old. She was the first test subject chosen by following the Marduk report, the first child. She is the dedicated pilot of Evangelion test machine Unit 00. Her past is a blank slate. Everything has been wiped clean.”

Reichu: Some thumbnails from the original version here. Renewal just got too dark.


NemZ: This also finally explains that giant hand in the background of the episode 1 elevator scene.


060
When you look closesly, you can see a watery liquid dripping from the Eva’s hand.

MISATO (OFF):“So, what caused the accident during the experiment last time?”

RITSUKO (OFF):“We still don't know, but...”

EvangelionFan: I always liked the look of cuts 059-064, I love how it sets up a false sense of security for Episode 14...


thewayneiac: Could you elaborate on how it does that? I always found this dialogue rather disturbing, and that this is confirmed in Ep. 14.


EvangelionFan: In Episodes 06, 11 and 12, Unit-00 shows signs of functioning normally with Rei as its pilot. It is when Shinji is tested in Unit-00 that it malfunctions a second time and attempts to attack Rei. It's a feeling I've only gotten from looking at the cut in the commentary, as I recall feeling nothing from the scene otherwise.


061
The stop signal plug is dark but it can be seen shining as it reflects the light.

RITSUKO (OFF):“...we surmise that the pilot’s mental instability was the main cause.”

EvangelionFan: I feel this is one of the more interesting uses of religious imagery in the series: a cross has been jammed into the entry plug port of the Evangelion, as if it were a stake into the point where pilots synchronize with the core.


Sailor Star Dust: Pointless Religious Symbolism, ahoy!


thewayneiac: That is actually known as the Signal Termination Plug, and its purpose is to make sure no nerve impulses get from the Eva's brain to its nervous system.


062
The entry plug being lifted into the sky.

MISATO (OFF):“Mental instability? In Rei?”

RITSUKO (OFF):“Yes…She was almost unbelievably disturbed.”

Kendrix: ... Some Echo from Rei 1 either within ´the current Rei or EVA 00 decided to take revenge on the old hag's daughter. Or it was some echo of Lillith that was pissed off/didn't like to be used as a puppet in someone's plan...


thewayneiac: Given the evidence from Ep. 14, I'd go with Rei 1 in Unit-00.


063
A pool of liquid inside the entry plug.

MISATO (OFF):“Why?”

RITSUKO (OFF):“We don't know...”


064
EVA-00's face.

RITSUKO (OFF):“...but, no it couldn't it be?...”

MISATO (OFF):“Did something come to mind?”

RITSUKO (OFF):“No... that couldn't possibly be it...”

The last shot is out of focus.

thewayneiac: We finally find out the truth of this in Ep. 14.


065
The scene of the fire on the mountain. A white line is drawn on the ground past the fallen trees


066
A shot of the same place, a little further back.


067
A huge outline of a humanoid shape is drawn on the burnt ground.
Cody MacArthur Fett: And here we see the grand Evangelion tradition of drawing giant chalk outlines in the ground where the Evas and/or Shito fall getting kicked off. Their use only gets more baffling from here on out, folks.
Additional Commentary  

Dr. Nick: Just out of curiosity, why would you prefer Shito over Angels? Those various gouki-nicknames for Evas at least had a little bit of practical rationale behind them and they're also explained in the Geektionary. I'm such a weaksauce fan that seeing that bit of Japanese there confused me for a few seconds until I remembered the source language term.


Cody MacArthur Fett: A good question. The reason I prefer the term Shito over the term Angel is fourfold. First, is because I'm a fairly devout Christian (and American) and using the term "angel" in a negative connotation just strikes me as odd; second, because none of the enemies faced in NGE strike me as being particularly Angelic in appearance; thirdly, because "Shito," to English speaking ears at least, is a much more appropriate name for an alien race; and fourthly, and this might sound odd since I usually prefer the English dubs of animated shows, because it was something that Gainax added to the English dub of NGE for unnecessary religious symbolism -- much to the eyebrow raising of the ADR staff. I use the term Angel most of the time when I'm writing forum posts so that people know what I'm talking about, but when I'm writing fanfiction (or doing commentary) I prefer to use the term Shito.

I also use the term ATF to describe Absolute Terror Fields, but that's mostly just because I love acronyms.


Alemann: What do you think about the term "Messenger"? This is what "Shito" means on Japanese. If this was implemented, in my opinion, there would be a balanced compromise between the SF and the pseudo religious elements in the show. "Messenger" still has that sufficient religious clang to it, and, at the same time, doesn't refer to any specific religion.


Cody MacArthur Fett: I think it makes them sound like part of the Covenant, but I also think that it probably would have been the better choice when they were writing the dub's script -- in fact, it was the original choice when they were writing the script. However, like I said before, Gainax wanted to go with unnecessary religious symbolism and ADV -- unlike the case with the singular form of Children -- wasn't willing to fight them on it, so the point is moot.


thewayneiac: Gainax intended the pointless religeous symbolism of "Angel" for "Shito" or Apostle all along, hence the word "Angels" appearence in the opening credits.


068
At the foot of the outline is a temporary installation made of prefabricated buildings. The Nerv logo, and warning signs like “Safety First” and “Wear Helmets” are written on boards.


Female Announcer A (OFF - left):“The Demolition of Block D-3 is complete.”

Reichu: There's a rough diagram of the installation in the econte.


069
Missing Number


Reichu: The chicken-scratch here was too difficult (for Reichu the n00b) to make out, so I'm just going to leave this descriptionless for now.


Eric Blair: It says something about panning up to reveal the carcass of the dead angel.


070
There is scaffolding around the Angel’s hand.

Female Announcer B (off right):“Please submit all data to the analysis department of the Technology Section.”

Workers:“(Adlib)”

Woman 1:“Restarting the demolition of Block F has been postponed by 10 minutes.”


071
The angel’s body covered by a cloth.

The angel’s face. It is being examined.


Woman:“Members of Team 7 from Section 4 of the Technology Department, please gather at the appointed position immediately.”

Reichu: You can actually see Shamshel's rostrum (i.e., the beaklike 'snout') sticking up here; her head is oriented the same as at the moment of death. It's easier to see in the econte.

OKay… FIrst off, where the heck do you get a sheet that big? And, second… what the hell kind of investigation is this, wherein the subject is completely covered?!? It's like doing an autopsy when the cadaver hasn't been taken out of the body bag or something. It makes absolutely no sense.


Mr. Tines: Perhaps some form of hazmat containment : or conversely keeping casual contamination with normal stuff away from the Angel. 074 would lean towards the former.


072
Shinji looks up at it.

SHINJI:“So this is our enemy?...”

Ornette: I wonder what bolts that large are used for. I guess with Evas, everything has to be super-sized.


Azathoth: 敵 (teki/enemy). Shinji has a bit of a fascination with that word - he's all over it in episode 11, and by his hell train moment episode 16 it's a full-blown fixation. This the first time he uses it?

Misato approaches Shinji, her back facing him.

They look on together. Man 2:“The power analysis team from the second German branch office is expected to arrive in 5 minutes. Those responsible, please stand by at Block S2.”

NemZ: I know it's just a common Japanese thing, but I can't look at Shinji in that helmet and not be reminded of the metools from Megaman.

073
A bottom up view of the scaffolding. Three people in white lab coats are examining the angel with their heads together.

RITSUKO (Behind):“I see. Apart from the core, we’ve got almost all of it in its original form. This sample is ideal!”

One of them straightens up. It’s Ritsuko. She rests an elbow on the rails and writes something in the investigation book, then cheerfully addresses Misato and Shinji.

Woman:“Calling Group 3. Please treat the recovery of the core as the highest priority”


074
The camera zooms in. Ritsuko has a heartfelt smile on her face.

RITSUKO:“And it’s all thanks to you!”


Woman:“All organic parts scattered outside the specified area are to be disposed of by incineration. Head of the investigation, please carry the work out thoroughly.”

Fireball: Ritsuko is pretty energetic in this scene. Shows how much she is into her job.


075
Shinji returns her smile with a rather disturbed expression.

Misato looks like she wants to say “Don’t be so happy, geez."

MISATO:“Well? Find out anything?”


Man:“Collection of samples in the B block complete.”

Woman:“Recovery team, please proceed directly to marking and collection.”


076
A large amount of information is scrolling on the monitor at incredible speed.

SE <<Sound of a tape being fast-forwarded>>

Ornette: Why would a computer screen flash images of printed circuit boards to show that there's a lot of information?

UrsusArctos: The circuit board imagery looks almost like it came out of Ghost in the Shell.

SE <<Biiiiip!>>

It suddenly changes into the numbers “601”.


MISATO (OFF):“What's this?”

RITSUKO (OFF):“It’s code for ‘Unable to analyze.’”

Dr. Nick: Aaand Andromeda Strain references start here.

UrsusArctos: Indeed. For SF fans out there, it's a rather specific reference to the movie version. The 601 error doesn't exist in the novel.

077
The classification corner, surrounded by giant computers.

Misato and Shinji look at the screen.

Misato:“In other words you don’t know what it is?”

RITSUKO:“That’s right. Angels are made up of a strange substance that has the properties of both a wave and a particle, just like light.”

thewayneiac: I love the way that Shinji pretends he knows what they're talking about.


UrsusArctos: I think Shinji's too confused to say anything.


Eric Blair: And thus was the term "wave particle" unleashed unto eva fandom for great lulz.


Mr. Tines: Yeah -- missed this one through excessive familiarity. Could probably do to cite the Double Slit Experiment and the references to scattering fullerene molecules as waves.

Ritsuko drinks coffee after talking. Shinji and Misato do the same after her.

MISATO:“But you found its power source, didn’t you?”

Man 2:“The power analysis team from the second German branch office has just arrived.”

Woman:“Group work team, make Stage 3 preparations and stand by at your present location until further notice”

NemZ: the background voices offer the first hint of other Nerv bases, and specifically mentioning the German installation this acts as the second hint of Asuka's later arrival (the first being the pilot designations and an obviously missing number).


078
Ritsuko puts the coffee down and speaks with a sigh, in a tired, helpless way.

RITSUKO:“Or what appears to be it, anyway. But we have no idea how it works.”

Reichu: Sounds like all of Doctor Katsuragi's work was for naught.


Tsukaji: So they do not have any idea how angel's power source works and few months later they can mass produce it? That is some fast researching! They do not even know excatly what material angels are at this point.


NemZ: ...or perhaps Ritsuko isn't on the need-to-know list for that data. It probably isn't even supposed to still exist, what with Gendo's last minute escape from Antarctica and all.


079
Misato puts her coffee down.

Misato:“Our sphere of ignorance just got bigger again, huh?”

Shinji drinks again. Behind them the Angel is being examined. Ritsuko stands up.

Ritsuko:“This world is full of mysteries.”

Ritsuko stands up.

She indicates the monitor with the cup in her hand.

Ritsuko (OFF):“Like this, for example. It’s this particular Angel’s inherent wave pattern.”

Misato and Shinji look to the side with questioning expressions.

MISATO:“Hmm, let me see…”

Misato leans forward quickly to look at it. Shinji learns forward too, but he can’t beat Misato.


080
The image on the monitor being traced out. A 3-D simulation map appears.
Reichu: Okay, the script actually says “game physical map”, but I have no idea WTF that is supposed to mean. ::P


NemZ: Rainbow displays... where have we seen that before, hm?


081
Misato looks nervous. Shinji stretches to try and peek.

Misato:“This is...”

KnightmareX13: Misato actually seems to understand what the data means, maybe she is smarter than we are led to believe.


thewayneiac: Do they ever actually say she isn't all that smart?


Azathoth: Hey, you gotta learn something in college. I wouldn't have picked her for a science major, though...maybe she learned a thing or two from Dad?


Kendrix: Note that Shinji shows an acute interest in the gibberish on the screen even tough he probably can't understand it. One of the first signs that he spends more time thinking about what's actually going on around him than it initially seems like. He doesn't ask or investigate because he lacks the confidence, but he does privately wonder about what he's fighting and why.


082
Misato and Ritsuko look tense.

RITSUKO:“Yes…Even though they’re made of different material, their signal distribution and coordinates are strikingly similar to human DNA. 99.89% similar.”

Shinji finally gets a good look.

Kendrix: a comparision: We share 98% with a chimpanzee and 99.5% with a neanderthal.

Shinji looks at two men passing in front of him in surprise.

MISATO:“99.89% means…”

RITSUKO:“Once again we’re forced to accept …”

Cody MacArthur Fett: Once again, there's more to surface appearances. On the surface Ritsuko's statements in this scene make her seem like your average scientist making up nonsense to get research grants, but once once the viewer finds out what the humans in NGE actually are her statements make much more sense.


Fireball: Dun, dun, dun. could it be!? Could we actually be related to the angels?


thewayneiac: [Heston]Angels are People!!![/Heston]



083
Ikari, Fuyutsuki and some workers look up at something coming down from above.

Ritsuko (OFF):“…that our knowledge is highly incomplete.”

WORKER A (Back turned):“Lower it... slowly... Okay!”

Woman1:“Work resumed on F Block demolition.”


Shinji peers at them. Ikari moves his hands in front and makes to take off his gloves.

WORKER B:“...Okay, Stop!”


Man:“45 minutes remaining until completion of C Block demolition.”

Woman:“Please gather all B block samples at the 2nd point after marking.”

UrsusArctos: Commenting late, but we seem to have missed a couple of references on those boxes. NC1701D is an obvious reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Enterprise-D (NCC-1701D). VF111 Sundown is a reference to US Navy fighter squadron VF-111, also known as the Sundowners, which took part in filming Top Gun in 1985. That also possibly makes it an indirect reference to Top Gun via the pilot "Sundown", whose callsign was chosen in reference to VF-111. Shamshel's presumably spherical core has had a section cut out along neat straight lines, showing that Nerv can carve up cores however they want. I presume that this is the part of the core that didn't get cracked by the prog knife attack.


084
Ikari takes his gloves off and touches the object.

Fuyutsuki (behind):“Oh, so this is the core…”

Reichu: Slight boo-boo here. Gendo is supposed to be holding his gloves with his right hand. (In the econte, Fuyutsuki was actually wearing a helmet, too. Strange that they opted to change that…)


085
Shinji looks at his father.

Shinji:“…?”

FUYUTSUKI:“Where's the rest of it?”


He’s unhappy that his father is absorbed in that object, not even noticing that he’s there.

MAN (OFF):“It’s decomposing rapidly so using it as material would be highly problematic.”

Ikari (behind):“I don’t care. Throw the rest away.”

Man (OFF):“Yes, Sir.”

Shinji turns away with an expression that suggests he’s thinking “I guess someone like me doesn’t even matter…” but then he looks at Ikari again in puzzlement.

Eric Blair: Besides the obvious "I need to be a 50 feet diameter red sphere for you to pay attention to me?" part, I like how Shinji's face when noticing Gendo's hands still show the emotion of saying "My dad got injured... how?"


086
The burn marks on Ikari’s hands, clasped behind his back.
thewayneiac: The gloves are back in this shot. So where had they gone? I'm confused!


087
Shinji looks at them, mildly surprised.

Shinji:“…?”


088
Misato addresses Shinji.

Misato:“What's up?”


089
Shinji turns around. He turns slightly panicked eyes on her, looking a little sulky.

Shinji:“Uh… no, nothing…”

EvangelionFan: Strangely the hard hat actually looks good on Shinji... even more strange is the apparent lack of Shinji merchandise with him wearing it.


090
Misato gives Shinji a lecture, clearly a little irritated with him.

Misato:“You know, you make that face even though you say ‘Nothing's wrong’…”


091
Shinji has a look on his face as if he’s thinking “Uh-oh, I think I made her angry.”

Misato (OFF):“But it's like saying…”


092
Shinji, Misato and Ritsuko

Misato:“…‘Be concerned. Worry about me, please’.”

Shinji:“… (Pause)”

Kendrix: One of the many scenes where Evangelion portrays frequently used real life behaviors in a surprisingly natural way and analizes them. Who has never found themselves going "Oh, it's nothing..." It's shocking hopw many dialogues seem like straight out of Real Life. Watching EVA actually made me stop many such things/try to avoid them.


093
Shinji speaks, probably thinking he’ll be scolded if he keeps quiet any longer

SHINJI:“Uh…it looks like my father has burns on his hands, but…”

Sailor Star Dust: Misato? Scold him? She's usually pretty easy-going, what's Shin-chan so worried about?


094
Misato is surprised.

Misato:“Burns?"”

Ritsuko’s expression changes, like she’s remembering something.


095
Ritsuko in front of Shinji.

Shinji:“I was just wondering what could have happened, that’s all.”

While Shinji takes a step forward, Misato lets Ritsuko take over the conversation.

Misato (behind):“Burns? (ON) Do you know?”

Sailor Star Dust: Is there an exact time-frame of when Misato arrived to Nerv HQ? Was it literally a few days before Sachiel's attack? (As an aside, her outfit in this scene is cute. I also like the personal touch of Shinji not having his helmet strapped on.)


thewayneiac: Yes, she pretty much arrived just before Shinji. We have it narrowed down in the timeline article.


096
Ritsuko, with a quiet, gentle look on her face.

Ritsuko:“Unit 00 went on a rampage during a startup experiment, before you came here. You’ve heard about it, haven’t you?”


097
Shinji, rather stiffly

Shinji:“Yes...”


098
Ritsuko raises her head a little bit.

Ritsuko:“The pilot was trapped inside back then...”

FreakyFilmFan4ever: Usually a scene like this is cut for repeating information (from scene 001, in this case), even if the scene shows a new character learning of old information. But director Hideaki Anno uses this moment to explore a little more of Shinji's feelings toward his father. It also shows, very much like Ritsuko in scene 001, that Shinji's world was rocked upon seeing this aspect of his father.


099
Shinji with a small reaction

Shinji:“The pilot? You mean Ayanami?”


100
Ikari as he is now. He’s looking at the object. Fuyutsuki is further inside.

Ritsuko (OFF):“Commander Ikari saved her by forcing the superheated hatch open.”

Fireball: The way Gendo tilts his head, it looks almost like the core is whispering something in his ear.


Kendrix: ^It's probably meant to evoke something like that, that Gendo is occupied with his works and a world of secrets Shinji isn't part of.


Reichu: Uh, huh huh huh… He's stroking her core. When she's dead, too! Pervert.


FreakyFilmFan4ever: The two shots (100-101) contrast each other, Gendo being taller and dominating the former frame, while Shinji, Misato, and Ritsuko appear smaller and less significant in the latter frame. The camera literally "looks down" upon the characters whereas it "looks up" to Gendo.


101
A bird’s eye view of the three. Ritsuko is already sitting down.

Shinji:“My father did that…? ?”

Ritsuko:“That's when he burned his palms.”

Kendrix: So Daddy isn't a COMPLETE bastard? That's how Rei came to represent 'hope' in Shinji's head/became the voice of Reason in his inner world. Gendo saved that girl, so maybe he isn't that bad. Shinji starts hoping that they might be able to come to an understanding.

Look at Ritsuko's notably uncomfortable pose here, with her hands in her lap and her knees close together. For being the one who created them and otherwise morally "hardened", Ritsuko tends to react quite strongly to the sight of Berserking EVAs.


Reichu (Quoting the Platinum dub): “Bullshit! My father did that?”


thewayneiac: Way to add gratuitous cursing, ADV. That really doesn't match the tone of this scene at all.

Additional Commentary  

Cody MacArthur Fett: Shinji's disbelieving exclamation of "Bullshit!" in the ADV dub once again cements his status as the Audience Surrogate. In this case it's a reference to the popular belief that Gendo Ikari has no soul, only another AT Field.


thewayneiac: That's a popular belief? Anyway, his status doesn't need to be cemented any more than it was in the original. Adding things that aren't in the original isn't proper translation. And as I said, it wreaks the whole tone of the scene, which is all about Shinji's astonished disbelief in seeing a side of his father that he's never before seen. It doesn't fit the expression we've seen on his face his entire sequence. It's just one more strike against the dub, especially in light of the fact that it was added to Platinum. They didn't learn anything from when they originally dubbed the show.


Cody MacArthur Fett: Well, I suppose it's more of a personal preference thing, thewayneiac. Personally I find Shinji's exclamation in the Platinum dub to be both extremely appropriate and bloody hilarious, but then again I'm hardly someone to give a rat's behind about exact translations. If you're someone who prefers exact translations then you're going to find the addition of that line grating, but if you only care about watching the show then you're probably not going to mind, care, or notice. As for Gendo: yes, that is the popular belief. If you go on FF.net for instance and read through the stories posted there you'll notice that not only are 87% bad but you'll also notice that 95% of them portray Gendo as being two steps away from drinking a baby smoothie while flogging the Children with a bullwhip, metaphorically speaking of course. A lot of people have a hard time believing that Gendo is actually capable of doing a selfless deed, and automatically assume that anything and everything he does is part of a plan to destroy the world. It's blatant fanon Fladerization of the character, but that's the way things seem to go and there's certainly more examples of this in the series.


thewayneiac: Now wait a minute. Do you realize what you seem to be saying? Because it is a popular belief on FF.net and other sites that Gendo is a soulless S.O.B. ADV should let that inform their translation? O.K., for one thing, the contents of many fanfics show that their authors don't actually know much about Eva. Many of them are based on the worst Eva falsehoods, like Naoko in Unit-00, the "combination girl" theory, or the "Adam and Eve" theory. Should ADV also let those guide their dub? That is just plain silly. The fan opinions ought to be based on the show, not the other way around. Besides, I can't say I agree ADV was deliberately trying to appeal to the fanfic crowd; I think they were just trying to express their own opinion. This is the same sort of junk dubbing that gives dub viewers such an insanely twisted view of Ritsuko. If anyone has been Flanderized in the dub it's her. As Shin-seiki once said, it's surprising that ADV didn't use computer overlays to give her a mustache to twirl.

Dubs are already inaccurate by their nature; the translation must be re-written to match the lip flaps. This is why for Wiki analysis we consider only the subtitle script, and refer to the dub only to point out its worst inaccuracies. To introduce further inaccuracies by adding things that don't exist in the original is never acceptable.


Cody MacArthur Fett: OK, allow me to elaborate on my position. Shinji's position in the story is that of the Audience Surrogate, which means that his job is to act as the viewer would if they were to find themselves in his circumstances. This also means that while adapting a work an Audience Surrogate's mannerisms have to be slightly altered to fit the cultural norms so they can do their jobs effectively. In this particular instance a Japanese person would not curse but an American almost certainly would, thus Shinji curses in the ADV dub so that American viewers may more easily place themselves in his position.

As for the fandom influencing the dubbing: I don't believe that's the case, in fact I think it's the exact opposite. People's opinions of people like Gendo, or Asuka, or whoever, are the way they are because Evangelion is a tale told from Shinji's perspective. People only see things from Shinji's perspective most of the time, and as a result his opinions and biases start to become the viewers as well. It's sort of like a reverse case of Becoming The Mask, albeit with the added “benefit” of fandom Flanderization.

Also, I can't really comment on Ritsuko's treatment in the English dub since I haven't seen much of the Japanese dub (especially the parts dealing with Ritsuko) to compare it with, and even if I did I don't understand a lick of Japanese anyway. So for all I know she could be talking like the Japanese version of Gilbert Godfrey and I'd be none the wiser. It's just not something I can talk about with any degree of accuracy. Though it is worth noting that I never saw Ritsuko as being totally evil while watching the dub – mentally unstable in the last few episodes, sure, but not evil.


thewayneiac: For an example of the way in which Ritsuko's personality was altered, go to the scene in ep. 23 where she is speaking on the phone to her grandmother. In Japanese she sounds genuinely concerned. In English she sounds like she is blowing her off. She practically sounds like "Don't call me, I'll call you, granny." Ritsuko comes off as a lot more one dimensional in the dub.


Cody MacArthur Fett: Having just watched that scene over again in both English and Japanese four times I have to admit something: I still don't know what all the hullabaloo is about. OK, so Ritsuko comes off as slightly more callous in the English dub but then again I've heard that tone and context used so many times in my life I think of it as normal, and since I don't understand Japanese I have no idea whether she's actually more caring not especially since her tone does not sound like it changes at all from her normal speaking voice.


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