dzzthink: A lot of mysterious things to unpack here. Though Rei III is a clone, she begins crushing the memento that was cherished so much by the previous Rei. Rei III even feels confused by her tears, as if she only faintly remembers the memories from Rei II. In the end, we see that Rei III betrays Gendo in EoE and this scene here might be an early sign that Rei III does not have the same perceptions as the previous Rei. Though we see little of this Rei, there is a lot of mystery around what she retains from the previous clone and who she actually is.
