Ah… another episode, another layer peeled back from the Misato onion. This time, we learn her tragic origin and the source of that sexy scar on her chest. Greater significance is given to the cross she wears (and I don’t think its inclusion is as arbitrary as some people have told me the rest of the religious symbolism in Eva is). If the Gainax guys are really saying that they picked all this imagery to reference simply because they “looked cool”, then I’m going to have call baloney, because they’d have to be pretty thick not to recognize the significance of the iconography they’re evoking. The angels, for instance. Even if you grant that the name choice is arbitrary, I seriously doubt it's a coincidence that their designs have steadily evolved from the more manga-esque look of the first angel (or was it third? I’m counting by appearance) to the blatant Masonic look of this one. Seriously, take out an American dollar bill and compare the “All seeing eye” to this week’s monster, and you’ll have a hard time arguing with me. This episode also starts suggesting, through the pondering of Shinji’s father, that the Second Impact caused another Great Flood of Biblical scope. I don’t know where Gainax is going with this, but I'm sure it's all tying together.
There was an odd… fatalistic tone to this episode, as well. It’s as if the characters are listless bystanders being pushed along into action by an overarching destiny they don’t quite comprehend. Misato doesn’t seem especially enthused about her promotion, for one. Shinji and Asuka state their recognition of the suicidal nature of this mission, but they go ahead with it anyway. The whole suggestion of the steak dinner reward seems like something they’re suggesting simply because they feel like that’s what they’re supposed to do. In other words, the rest of the cast is acting like Rei, here. Also, I haven’t sensed this current of doom underscoring the heroics since the earlier episodes. It’s like a cavalry charge set to a somber funeral dirge, and that's really what sets Eva apart.
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Comics and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.
