David


 * "Lizzy, how can you put your faith in a man you spectacularly binned for being unreliable? A man whose idea of a romantic nightspot and an impenetrable fortress are the same thing? It's... This is a pub! We are in a pub! What are we going to do?" - David to Liz



David is a character in Shaun of the Dead.

Background
David is a male in his late 20’s or early 30’s. He resides in the London area and lives with Dianne and Liz. The three have known each other since college, and it’s quite obvious that David is in love with Liz, even though he and Dianne are a couple (she refers to him as "Daffs").

David makes his living as a lecturer, and there’s no doubt that he is the snobbish intellectual type. He often takes Dianne to see examples of impressive architecture, while Dianne is always dragging David to the theatre.

Personality
David wears glasses and is fond of rugby shirts and brown leather jackets. Most of the time, he doesn’t even try to hide his contempt for the movie’s protagonist, Shaun (who also happens to be Liz’s boyfriend). The first couple of times that we see David, he is looking on as Liz and Shaun have discussions about their relationship. David, of course, cannot resist making a comment here or there about how Shaun needs to spend more time with her.

When Shaun comes to Liz’s apartment to apologize (after promising to make dinner reservations and then forgetting), David refuses to let him in, forcing Shaun to climb up onto the balcony. As Shaun and Liz quarrel, David can’t resist making his snotty observations, driving Shaun to yell and curse at him. No doubt, David must know that Liz intends to break up with Shaun, telling him, "It looks like your nine lives are finally up."

Z-Day
After the zombie epidemic becomes widespread, we next see David in the apartment, riding out the attack with Dianne and Liz. Shaun wants to take them all to the safety of the Winchester Tavern, but David doubts the good sense of that plan. Even though he says he won’t go, he eventually relents when Liz and Dianne decide that the plan is a good one.

As they continue their journey to the Winchester, David is little help. When there are zombies to be killed, David usually stays in the background and allows Shaun and the others to do the hard work. When they run into Yvonne’s group on the way to the Winchester, David is quick to point out that Liz and Shaun have ended their relationship (a statement which he no doubt delights in uttering).

When they finally reach the tavern, David throws a trashcan through the window to allow them entrance (even though Shaun was trying to tell him that there was a backdoor). Shaun draws the zombies away so that they will not follow them into the tavern.

Twenty minutes later, Shaun has not returned, and David wants to board up the window. While he claims that they will still be able to hear Shaun and let him in, the viewer gets the feeling that David would like to strand Shaun outside with the zombies. As David once again complains about the plan, Shaun returns through the backdoor of the Winchester. David subjects him to a series of annoying questions, but Shaun keeps his cool.



After finding a working rifle above the bar, the group talks about who among them has experience with a firearm. David, at this point, mentions that he is a pacifist. When the zombies try to break in, David cowers behind Shaun (who’s holding the rifle) and calls out which direction the zombies are coming from.

Shortly thereafter, Shaun realizes that his mother, Barbara, has been bitten. As she dies in Shaun’s arms, David grabs the rifle and intends to shoot her before she can come back as a zombie.

Shaun holds a broken beer bottle to his throat and threatens to kill him. This leads to a stand-off between several of the characters. Shaun accuses David of never liking him because he was in love with Liz himself. David denies this, but even Dianne speaks up and acknowledges the truth. She knows that she was a convenient alternative when Liz rejected David in college.

At this point, Shaun’s mother comes back from the dead. Shaun takes the rifle from David and shoots her in the head. David comments that it was the right thing to do, prompting Shaun to punch him in the face. David falls to the ground and grabs the rifle, pulling the trigger with the intention of shooting Shaun. Luckily, the gun is empty.

Death
David seems very embarrassed by his outburst and immediately begins to talk about leaving the pub. Dianne yells at him, telling him how stupid that would be (since the pub is surrounded by zombies). David begins to calm down, apologizing to Liz for his homicidal outburst. She tells him to apologize to Shaun. As he begins to do so, zombies bust through the window and grab David. The others try to pull him back inside, but there are too many zombies and David is literally ripped to pieces.