Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 8 and the original Last of Us game.
The following article contains discussions of sexual violence.
The Last of Us season 1, episode 8 adapts an essential aspect of the original game in a climactic ending that will be vital to Ellie and Joel's story. Since The Last of Us episode 6's cliffhanger ending, the series has revolved around Ellie's drive to keep Pedro Pascal's Joel from dying. The Last of Us episode 7 chose to include the DLC story of The Last of Us: Left Behind as a way of both fleshing out her already fantastic character and establishing her motivations for desperately trying to save Joel's life.
This only continued with The Last of Us episode 8, in which Ellie encounters a man named David, played by Scott Shepherd. Ellie manages to trade David a deer for some medicine, which sets Joel back on the path to healing. However, when it is revealed that the men from the university who attacked Joel and Ellie in Last of Us episode 6 were part of David's group, the episode takes a turn. This culminates in an explosive, action-packed, harrowing ending for The Last of Us episode 8, the season's penultimate episode.
Who Is David? Last Of Us Episode 8’s Villain Explained
With the men from the university belonging to David's group, he naturally wants to bring Joel to justice while developing a strange fondness for Ellie. David is revealed as the leader of the group due to his status as a preacher and his group's need for religion, or more aptly any kind of leader - God in this case. David reveals that he used to be a teacher before the Cordyceps outbreak allowed him to find God. The episode introduces David in a somewhat positive light through his drive to feed his community, his fair treatment of the people that call him a leader, and his benevolent treatment of Ellie.
However, HBO's The Last of Us episode 8 slowly unravels David as a true villain. This begins with the reveal that he knows who Joel and Ellie are and his commitment to bringing Joel to justice after he killed one of David's men in self-defense. While his actions towards Ellie are still friendly with his eagerness to induct her into his community, it is quickly revealed that David has a much darker nature than previously thought.
Why Did David Want To Keep Ellie Alive In Last Of Us Episode 8?
This dark nature surrounds the reasoning behind why David is so committed to keeping Ellie alive. At first, David says that he needs help in leading his community. He says that he can relate to Ellie, as both are big parts of a violent world, stating that she has a violent heart the same as him. David says that most of all he needs a friend, and he believes that Bella Ramsey's Ellie could be that friend.
However, over the course of the episode, David's true intentions become disturbingly clear. Throughout this conversation, David provides some hints at his true nature, and why he wants Ellie to stay with his group. From his obsession with Cordyceps, stating that it secures its future through violence and that "it loves" to his comments about having a violent heart, it becomes evident that David is not the benevolent, kind man he came across as earlier. This is compounded at the end of The Last of Us episode 8 when it is heavily implied David attempts to sexually assault Ellie after stating "the fighting is the part I like the most".
Joel & Ellie’s Final Scene Is Vital To The Last Of Us
Shortly after the harrowing ending scene in which Ellie kills David in defense, she stumbles outside in a traumatic daze before Joel - whose Last of Us episode 6 wounds have healed - catches up with her. Joel then holds Ellie as she breaks down in his arms, which is arguably The Last of Us' most important scene in both HBO's adaptation and the original game. The scene shows the trust Joel and Ellie have for each other and the connection that neither character can hide anymore.
This is exemplified by Joel referring to Ellie as "baby girl", the same term of endearment he used to call his daughter Sarah by before her tragic death. In The Last of Us up to this point, the father-daughter bond between Joel and Ellie has been masterfully foreshadowed in a variety of ways. This foreshadowing all builds to this moment in The Last of Us episode 8, in which Joel finally unabashedly embraces Ellie as his daughter following her traumatizing experiences and their journey together.
What Will Happen To Joel & Ellie Next?
Warning! The following section contains major spoilers for the original The Last of Us game.The burning question now turns to what will happen to Joel and Ellie next. With The Last of Us episode 6 establishing the Fireflies having moved to Salt Lake City, the stage is now set for the finale of season 1. Now that The Last of Us episodes 7 and 8 have concluded the story of Joel's injury and Ellie's experiences with David, The Last of Us episode 9 can focus on the culmination of the entire story that has been building since the premiere.
The Last of Us episode 9 will see Joel and Ellie reach the hospital in Salt Lake City, and finally deliver Ellie to the Fireflies. However, it will also focus on Ellie, and how she will tragically need to lose her life in order to synthesize a vaccine for The Last of Us' Cordyceps infection. Given the events of the entire show - especially The Last of Us episode 8 - bringing Joel to see Ellie as his daughter, Joel will kill the Fireflies in order to save Ellie's life. This decision ended the original game and will do the same for The Last of Us season 1, setting up the story of season 2.
What To Expect From The Last Of Us Season 1 Finale
Warning! The following section contains major spoilers for the original The Last of Us game.Due to The Last of Us episode 9 undoubtedly adapting the aforementioned plot point from the original The Last of Us' ending, there are plenty of big twists and turns that can be expected from the finale. The return of Marlene will likely be showcased in The Last of Us episode 9, as she is the character who delivers the news of Ellie's death at the cost of creating a vaccine in the original game. Ashley Johnson's Last of Us cameo as Anna, Ellie's mother, is also expected for The Last of Us episode 9.
One thing that HBO's The Last of Us has made clear is its focus on character and story over the game's action-heavy elements, meaning while some action can be expected as Joel goes up against the Fireflies, the majority of The Last of Us episode 9 will focus on the emotional aspect of Joel's decision. Finally, another thing that could be included in The Last of Us episode 9 is subtle hints to season 2. With many characters from The Last of Us Part II retroactively being included in the first game's ending, HBO could include some major cameos that will be vital to The Last of Us season 2.
New episodes of The Last of Us release every Sunday on HBO.