Why David is so unsettling in The Last of Us Part 1

I was watching FatBrett’s video titled “David — A Deconstruction of Villainy” and I had a comment on FatBrett’s evaluation of David’s “deeply suspicious” performance. In it, FatBrett’s states that there is “something off about him that makes him feel anxious” and that “he can’t put his finger” on why.

The reason why David’s initial encounter with Elle is so unsettling is because he is trying to establish intimacy with Elle, in a subtle enough way to be plausibly innocent. Notice how overly sensitive he is toward her when he first meets her. He goes much further out of his way to demonstrate how little of a threat he is. Surrendering your weapon so quickly, would suggest he strangely cares more about her safety than his own life. Why do something like that, unless there was a hidden preoccupation he has with Elle?

Moreover, notice how he talks about them in terms of “We” and being on a “team.” Clearly, that hasn’t been established and it can’t be in these circumstances. There is no way for Elle and David to be “on the same team” until trust has been established. Even with these grand gestures, Elle is far too vulnerable to fully accept any new friendship. Even working with him is debatably too risky. If David truly respected Elle as a human being, he wouldn’t try to get personal so quickly and recognize her precarious situation for what it is. Elle needs to choose to accept David independently, not be intruded upon with affectations such as “being on a team.”

What’s unsettling about David is that he wants to get personally close to Elle. What adds a touch of creepiness to his behavior is that Elle is a young girl, who also is entering into her own sexuality. David knows this and intrudes anyway.

In fact, it’s because she is this young that intrigues his interest. Though, of course, he has to present himself as someone who only wants to help, yet he can’t resist the temptation to try to get close to Elle anyway.

The audience’s feelings of uneasiness of David’s performance didn’t happen for no reason. What caused this feeling was David’s desire to get close to Elle, who is a young girl in desperate circumstances.