|
Your obsession with catching me has robbed you of your life and the lives of others. You abuse every resource available to you in your quest to find the truth. You have lost your family, your badge, even the life of your partner, Detective Sing. You have lost your health, whittled away by the bullet wound in your chest. But you have not given up, have you? Now, we will see if you can overcome your obsession.
- John explains why Tapp must be tested |
David Tapp was a detective, who worked within the Metropolitan Police Department. While introduced as a supporting protagonist in Saw, Tapp did not become a major character until Saw: The Video Game, which featured him as the protagonist and player character. He was portrayed by Danny Glover in the films and voiced by Earl Alexander in the games.
Biography
The Jigsaw Case
Detective David Tapp investigated the earlier Jigsaw murders with his long time partner Steven Sing.
Tapp and Sing visit Lawrence Gordon at the hospital
At one of the crime scenes, Tapp and Sing discovered a penlight belonging to Dr. Lawrence Gordon, who was brought to the police station for questioning. Tapp then interrogated Amanda Young, a heroine addict, and the only known survivor of one of Jigsaw's games. After hearing her testimony, Tapp gave Lawrence a ride home, but still suspected that he was Jigsaw.
Tapp discovers a clue to Jigsaw's location on one of his tapes
As Tapp studied the video tape left by Jigsaw at the scene of Amanda's game, he recognized the gang territory graffiti tag in the background.
Tapp and Sing raid Jigsaw's original hideout
Using this, Tapp and Sing found Jigsaw warehouse, and discovered a man who was bound to a chair with drills aimed as his neck; but quickly hid when Jigsaw arrived. Once they exposed themselves, Jigsaw activated the trap forcing them to choose between arresting him or saving the victim. Sing rushed to save the victim while Tapp attempted to apprehend Jigsaw. After Sing shot the drills, Jigsaw slashed Tapp's throat and fleed. While pursuing him Sing accidently triggered a quadruple shotgun trap. When Tapp's son Michael exposed that Tapp and Sing broke into Jigaw's hideout without a warrant, a media scandal started, which resulted in Tapp, who survived, being discharged from the police force. (Saw: The Video Game)
Tapp finds Steven Sing dead
Tapp blamed himself for his partners death, and his obsessions with finding the Jigsaw Killer caused him to become mentally unstable.
As Jigsaw was able to hide his identity when his lair was raided, Tapp was still convinced that Lawrence was Jigsaw and hired Adam Stanheight to follow and take pictures of him. He also holed himself up in an apartment across the street from Gordon's home, which he closely monitored with surveillance cameras. Responding to the sound of gunshots, Tapp discovered that Alison and Diana Gordon were being held captive by Zep Hindle. A gunfight ensued, during which Alison and Diana managed to escape, and Tapp chased Zep to the site of Adam and Lawrence's game. During a scuffle between the two, Tapp was shot in the chest, and left for dead. (Saw)
Tapp fires at Zep
Tapp is left for dead
Tapp's Test
After being nursed back to health, Tapp was brought to the abandoned Whitehurst Asylum, where he awoke in the "Reverse Bear Trap" that Amanda Young was in. Jigsaw informed Tapp that his test was meant to see whether he can abandon the obsession that has destroyed his life, or be consumed by it once and for all. Tapp's first major test was to save Amanda, unbeknownst to him that she has become Jigsaw's apprentice. Upon saving her, Tapp moved on to his next test.
The second test was for Jennings Foster, a fellow officer of Tapp's who had committed a hit-and-run, which he framed an innocent person for. A conflicted Tapp saved Jennings, who ran away and blamed Tapp for being there. Tapp's third test was for Melissa Sing, the widow of Tapp's former partner, who has since become a neglectful mother to her son. Jigsaw informed her that Tapp ignored calling for backup or getting a warrant when searching Jigsaw's lair, a careless step that resulted in her husband's death. Believing Tapp could have prevented her husband's death, Melissa began to blame him for her misfortunes. Upon being saved, Melissa left Tapp to deal with his other tests.
Tapp wakes up in the Reverse Bear Trap
Tapp proceeded to save Oswald Mcgullicuty, a newspaper writer who coined the alias "Jigsaw", and began to accuse Tapp of being Jigsaw. Oswald and Tapp continue into the asylum until Oswald accidentally wandered into a trap, which resulted in his death. After Oswald's death, Tapp rescued Obi Tate, an arsonist who wanted to be tested by Jigsaw. Tapp then proceeded to save his sixth victim, Jeff Ridenhour, who was in the "Drill Chair" when Tapp and Sing raided Jigsaw's lair. After he survived his first test, Jeff became suicidal as Tapp continued to harass him to discover Jigsaw's identity. This caused Jeff to be placed in his second trap in which Tapp saves him.
Tapp prepares to commit suicide
After saving all of the victims in the asylum, Tapp killed Pighead and proceeded to find Jigsaw, who rhetorically asked Tapp if he was a murderer for killing Pighead. Tapp chased Jigsaw but found two doors. Tapp was given the chance to either pick the "Freedom" door and give up his obsession with Jigsaw, which would free himself and everyone else in the asylum, or, if he wanted to learn Jigsaw's identity, he could choose the "Truth" Door. Tapp picked the "Freedom" Door, freeing himself and everyone else trapped in the asylum, and was subsequently hailed as a hero by the surviving test subjects whom he freed.
An unspecified time later, Tapp is in his apartment where he pawned over the newspaper clippings on his wall, showing how he was hailed as a hero, but was ultimately unable let go of the obsession, and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver
Alternative Ending (Truth Door)
If Tapp picked the "Truth" door, he would pursue a figure in a robe. He would believe this person to be Jigsaw and eventually catches up with them, and attacks them. However, it turns out not to be Jigsaw, but Melissa Sing, who was being held against her will by Jigsaw and had to keep Detective Tapp's game running or her son would die.
Tapp in flashback in Saw V
She would try to get away from Tapp, and, when she escapes through a door, shotguns are set off, killing her in the same way as her late husband Steven. Tapp would end up going insane and was later admitted to an insane asylum, where he would still believe that he is in one of Jigsaw's games. (Saw: The Video Game)
Post-Mortem
Tapp's picture at the memorial in Saw V
Tapp's estranged son, Michael, was tested six months later, when Michael tried to get to the bottom of his father's death. Tapp was given a memorial in Saw V, along with Officer Daniel Rigg and Detectives Eric Matthews, Allison Kerry, and his old partner, Steven.
Trivia
- Danny Glover was originally going to return to film new scenes for Saw V. However he was too busy to return and the character only featured in a brief flashback using archive footage from the first Saw film.
- In Saw II: Flesh & Blood it is revealed that Tapp holds John Kramer in high regard. This is contradictory to his feelings about Jigsaw in Saw.
- An audio tape in the aforementioned game reveals that Tapp decided to continue investigating the Jigsaw Case, after seeing a magazine with John Kramer being labelled man of the year.
Appearances/Actors
Cannon (2 films, 1 game)
- Saw (first appearence) - Danny Glover
- Saw: The Video Game - Earl Alexander
- Saw II: Flesh & Blood (case files and flashback)
- Saw III (archive footage)
- Saw IV (picture)
- Saw V (archive footage and picture) - Danny Glover
References
Template:Saw Characters