After 2 years, the audience was invited to see what was happening around Shinji. This time 2 additional series looks quite like a full-length. However, for some reason, a lot of Shinji whining was added to it. That's a lot. I doubt anyone thought it would look serious.
But as soon as the narrative shifts from the student to the characters around him, it immediately becomes clear - there is no joke. Aska's suffering is understandable, as her behavior has been screaming about since she appeared in the series. Kitsuraghi’s last words to Shinji perfectly complete the revelation of her image. Here everything is revealed, and commander Ikari, and Seal, and personnel of the geofront.
It's a pity that in the end, the action went back to Shinji's mind. This has already been shown in the previous two episodes.
But the twist that Shinji, one of the few who didn’t want to run away from the pain of relationships and merge into soup with everyone, contrasts particularly with all his whining over these nearly 30 episodes.