Yeah, I'm behind the times. I just finished watching Evangelion, and like 98% of people who watched it, my brain asplode. I was fine until the last 2-4 episodes.
A mixture of questions and what I've been able to figure out --
- Humanity was created by Lilith, who is... a god of some sort?
- Angels and Eva were created from Adam, who was... created from Lilith?
- Angels are "alternate humans"
- Eva have souls and sentience? Because they're cloned from Adam?
- Ikari Gendo (and possibly Seele) are trying to return humanity to a primitive, collective consciousness in the primordial soup/LCL
- Ayanami Rei was created in the image of Yui, Gendo's wife, and her clones are the basis of the dummy plug (so are her clones in the finished Eva series? Or are those piloted by humans?)
- The last two or so episodes are the result of everyone's consciousness blending together into insanity
- The Second Impact was intentional, but why did that prevent the awakening of the other Angels?
- The Third Impact would occur if Adam was contacted by an angel. The angels repeatedly attacked the facility where Adam was held. Given the name 'Angels', did they have the best intentions for mankind by trying to initiate the Third Impact?
- At the end of Episode 26, Shinji is being applauded for realizing he has worth in the world. What? Didn't the world end and he went insane in his sea of nothingness?
- What's up with Shinji and Kaworu? Shinji feels comfortable around him, which... never happens to Shinji
Feel free to offer conjecture, because I have no idea what's going on. I'm ignoring the obvious Christian symbolism for now.