Xana: The Goddess of bandages makes her big entrance! in bandages....
Actually, I couldn't think of any better way to introduce us to Rei, this was the perfect way to do it; seeing her lying on a bed injured from the very beginning gives her this aura of fragility which she maintains throughout the show and which is totally fitting for her; most viewers would feel pity and would want to grab her and protect her; most, I said.
thewayneiac: No, she's not dead — just half dead. Does anyone have any idea whether Shinji recognizes her as the girl he saw on the street?
Reichu: Given the amount of staring Shinji does in this scene, he's either (A) swamped with eerie feelings of déjà vu, (B) in love, or (C) some twisted combination of the two.
Additional Commentary
HeWhoPostsStuff: To carry on my toot from earlier in the commentary, I'd say he's shocked at her condition, rather than any of the other things mentioned. Maybe he's also shocked that dear ol' Dad would resort to such a brutal form of blackmail to get him into the Eva. Also,note that Shinji doesn't ever ask her “Did I ever see you before I came to Nerv?” or otherwise bring the appearance up, to himself or others, any time in the series… though one could think up any number of other reasons for that aside from my crackpot idea.
Reichu: There could be any number of reasons for this. It will be apparent in the next episode that he does, in fact, make the connection between “girl on street” and Rei, on some level of consciousness or another.
tv33: Rei looks remarkably calm all things considered — but this is Rei, after all.
Reichu: And even in her semi-crippled state, Rei manages to maintain a figure worthy of fanboys' salivation.
