Synopsis

Rei Ayanami begins the second activation experiment with Unit-00 after a disastrous activation 22 days previously. Much like Gendō, she displays little emotion, even after being seen naked by a flustered Shinji. Study begins on the fallen Fourth Angel revealing its DNA to be identical to humans.

Full Recap

It's been 22 days since Rei, the pilot of the EVA prototype, EVA-00, mysteriously lost control of her EVA during the first attempt to synchronize with the unit. She was seriously injured in the accident even though commander Ikari rescued her opening the super-heated hatch on the entry plug with his bare hands. This has left his hands permanently scarred and forces him to wear gloves for the rest of his life. Now Rei is preparing to re-undergo the synchronization process with EVA-00.

Ritsuko leads the salvage operation for the Fourth Angel, Shamshel. NERV have been fortunate to obtain a near perfect specimen of the Angel for study. Analysis of the specimen reveals its structural composition, although being composed of different matter, to be almost identical to that of humans. While Ritsuko and Misato analyze the data, Shinji notices the scarring on his father's hands as he examines the Angel's corpse.

Later that evening, having agreed to join Misato and Shinji for dinner, Ritsuko gives Shinji Rei's new security card to pass on. Apparently Ritsuko has forgotten to pass on the card in person -- at least that's the story. Shinji gets the job, along with an excuse to go over to Rei's place. As the two of them arrive together at NERV HQ, Shinji discovers that Rei appears to have the kind of relationship with his father that he himself has always longed for.

The Fifth Angel, Ramiel, arrives in Tokyo-3. As the successful synchronization between Rei and Unit 00 has only just been completed, it's decided that Rei is still unfit to fight and so Shinji in Unit 01 is launched. With little or no data on the new Angel, however, this soon proves to be a huge mistake...