Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Nerv's campaign against the Angels is reviewed through records of the battles already fought. Alongside the military account, statements from Misato and Shinji's classmates recall the destruction, the pilots' actions and the costs to civilians. The review reaches the intrusion into Nerv's own computers, raising questions that Gendo attempts to dismiss. The committee challenges the absence of a confirmed report, but he denies that an Angel penetrated headquarters. The meeting leaves responsibility with him while maintaining its larger scenario. This account of familiar incidents shows how the same battles become material for institutional scrutiny, with important information still controlled by Nerv's commander.
The episode then moves from recorded events to Rei's thoughts about people, identity and the world around her. Nerv conducts a compatibility experiment in which she synchronizes with Unit-01, producing results close to those from her own Eva. Shinji is placed in Unit-00 for the other half of the test, but the connection goes wrong. He experiences an unfamiliar presence before the Eva becomes violent, repeating the danger of Rei's earlier activation accident. Shinji survives with a gap in his memory, and the incident raises fresh questions about what exists inside the machine. Finally, Rei returns to Unit-00 and carries the long spear down through headquarters.