Why Does David Want to Save Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us? Explained

Episode 8 of HBO’s The Last of Us is the most exciting one yet, as it pushes the plot forward in a significant way, while also introducing the most terrifying villain we’ve seen in the series so far. David starts off coming across as a rather reasonable and benign leader, though we quickly see that’s not really who he is at all. But why is David so intent on wanting to save Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us? Here’s what you need to know.

Why Is David So Nice to Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us?

While he never really says it explicitly, it can be inferred that David wants to save Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us and convince her to join his group because he’s impressed with her tenacity and character. Later on in the episode, David also says Ellie reminds him of himself, with strong leadership qualities and a penchant for violence.

Right from their very first encounter, David recognizes that Ellie is a very capable survivor who can take care of herself, despite the fact that she’s just a 14-year-old girl. He’s so taken by Ellie’s strong will that he believes that both of them could lead his group together, especially when you consider how different she is from the people in his group, who he describes as “sheep”. Finally, it’s also implied that he’s a little bit of a creep who possibly views Ellie through a romantic lens, as shown in the scene with her in the cage.

It’s very likely that he views Ellie as someone he can shape and mould into a valuable member of his group, whereas he has no problem with Joel dying as he recognizes that he’d have a much harder time trying to convert a full-grown man.

This is why David makes such a huge effort to make Ellie feel safe and welcome, and like he’s trying to help her. He wants to come across as a good guy to convince Ellie to join them, and he only drops the act once he sees that Ellie cannot be persuaded.

That’s all you need to know about why David wants to save Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more news and information the show and game.