This article contains brief discussions of sexual assault. The following also includes spoilers for The Last of Us episode 8 and the original games.
The Last of Us episode 8 made one major change from the game by showing David as obsessed with the Cordyceps infection, but this is crucial for Ellie's story. At one point in The Last of Us episode 8, David traps Ellie inside a cage in his community, and attempts to convince her to lead the group alongside him. In doing so, David reveals some highly unsavory aspects of his character, with one of those linking to the Cordyceps infection.
While attempting to find common ground with Ellie by complimenting her loyalty, smartness, and violence, David likens himself to the Cordyceps infection. He states that Cordyceps is fruitful, simply wanting to feed and protect its subjects by preserving its future through violence. After stating that this is Cordyceps showing love, David's truly horrifying nature comes to light in HBO's The Last of Us episode 8 ending, and in a way that will undoubtedly be very important for Ellie's character.
David Links Ellie’s Trauma Even Closer To Cordyceps
One of the major ways David's idolization of Cordyceps will impact Ellie is through her already bitter feelings about the infection. As has been showcased with Ellie's character in The Last of Us thus far, she has an intense survivor's guilt stemming from her immunity to the Cordyceps infection. With many people Ellie has cared about - such as Riley, Tess, and Sam - all falling victim to the infection when it is impossible for her to do so, her guilt has only grown.
However, The Last of Us episode 8 adds a different trauma to Ellie's already harrowing life through David. After the attempted sexual assault and other forms of physical violence against Ellie committed by David in Last of Us episode 8, Ellie will be shown to be greatly affected by this in The Last of Us episode 9, given knowledge from the original game. With David's Cordyceps obsession being the last thing Ellie heard before David showed his true nature, it is likely this trauma will only compound the bitter feelings she had for the infection beforehand.
David’s Actions Give Ellie Another Reason To Want To Cure Cordyceps
Another impact that David's connection to Cordyceps will have on Ellie concerns curing the infection. The core plot of The Last of Us season 1 has been about Joel delivering Ellie to the Fireflies so that a cure for the Cordyceps infection can be synthesized from her immunity. While Ellie already has sufficient reasoning for wanting to cure the infection due to her survivor's guilt and the bleak state of the world, her experience with David's group in Last of Us episode 8 will only add to her motivations.
As well as ravaging the world through its infected hosts, Cordyceps has made it so that the last humans left alive on Earth have largely devolved to their primal instincts. From the raiders, bandits, slavers, and cannibals to fascist regimes such as FEDRA and the brutal opposition they create, the humans that are left have been turned toward evil because of Cordyceps. David is the true epitome of this, and likely gives Ellie another reason to want to revert the world back to the way it was before the infection.
The Last Of Us Episode 8 Sets Up Ellie’s Future With Joel
David's links to Cordyceps will also impact Ellie's future with Joel, especially in The Last of Us season 2. At the end of season 1 - should it follow the game as closely as HBO's The Last of Us has thus far - Joel will save Ellie's life rather than allowing her to die in order to synthesize a cure. From her survivor's guilt to her experiences with David worsening her thoughts on Cordyceps, The Last of Us season 2 will show Ellie's future relationship with Joel strained for taking the choice to fix the world away from her.
Ellie's entire The Last of Us season 1 journey has been about Ellie's experiences with Cordyceps, the losses that have stemmed from it, and how all of those things have culminated in Ellie's drive to cure the infection. With Joel taking that choice away from Ellie due to his own traumatic experiences, Ellie will eventually come to somewhat resent Joel. This is a big aspect of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II video game, and could easily be tied to David's Cordyceps obsession, which intensifies Ellie's need to cure the world and, therefore, also intensifies her resentment towards Joel for preventing that goal.
Was David’s Cordyceps Link In The Last Of Us Game?
One of the more interesting aspects of David's Cordyceps link is that it is an original concept for HBO's The Last of Us. In the original game, David is similar to how Scott Shepherd portrays him in The Last of Us episode 8. The cannibal storyline is a big part of the game, and many scenes from The Last of Us episode 8 concerning that are almost word-for-word adaptations. In the game, David's sexual assault of Ellie is not as overtly shown, and is left much more ambiguous than The Last of Us on HBO presents it.
Despite all these similarities, the biggest difference is the introduction of David's Cordyceps obsession combined with his faith. While The Last of Us episode 8 has references and Easter eggs to the original game aplenty, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann chose to make David a pseudo-religious man who uses his faith to hold power over his community. This then links to the new addition of his Cordyceps philosophy.
David states in The Last Of Us episode 8 that he found God after the outbreak and was shown the truth, before later revealing it was the infection that showed him the truth. Through his iration for Cordyceps, stating that it - and therefore he - shows love through violence and preserves its future, David's character is shown in a wholly different light from the original The Last of Us game. This continues the best changes Mazin and Druckmann have made for The Last of Us, in that the people Ellie and Joel encounter all tie to their overarching story, be it Sam and Henry, Bill and Frank, or David's villainous character.
New episodes of The Last of Us release every Sunday on HBO.