Hot take

NGE is just a vr game made by a 25 kensuke living in his parents basement, but it becomes popular enough that hes able to move out and develops a true ending which is EoE, and thats why theres a frame of Misato merch in that one scene.

I definitely wouldn't say i hate the episode, i think they are actually a pretty interesting watch. Its just that its to artsy for me, it being basically the second half of EoE but even more confusing.