Nate was the best character
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Melancholy11 — 9 years ago(June 05, 2016 10:15 PM)
Read the season finale articles interviewing the creator. The entire arc of the show follows Nate. That character is the show and everything that happens revolves around him. That is why they had to kill him off to give the show closure. He is definitely the protagonist.
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writergal88 — 9 years ago(June 22, 2016 08:52 PM)
I don't consider him to be the protagonist and I feel more connected to the other characters. I can only speak on what I've taken away from the show, and I find it quite easy to still enjoy the series while completely detesting his character. And after reading other posts on these boards, I'm not the only one who feels that way it seems.
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mhpayne78 — 9 years ago(June 05, 2016 08:39 PM)
I agree that Nate was the best. He was definitely imperfect, but look what kind of impact he made on all of those who knew him. He was the manifestation that his loved ones used to work out their own inner struggles - I'd say that's pretty powerful.
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NinetyPercentGravity — 9 years ago(June 05, 2016 10:06 PM)
Perhaps in terms of interest and intrigue, Nate could perhaps be subjectively argued as the "best" character, but I disagree completely with anyone who suggests that he was the best character due to his morality or value systems.
Nate was far and away the most destructive and poorly-adjusted of all the main characters. He followed his delusion right through to the very end, believing that his supposed search for a higher purpose was an excuse to behave selfishly and without care for those around him. While all of the other characters were able to accept their shortcomings and alter their schemas, Nate never rose beyond Brenda's very accurate depiction of:
"Nate-the-good-guy, Nate-the-hero, beep with the beep great haircut."
He began the show afraid of commitment and afraid of being tied down, extremely unreliable, and that's how he ended the show. He ran away from his fear of death by running off to Seattle, ran away from his familial obligations, ran away from all ideas of commitment and obligation by cheating in every one of his relationships. And absolutely nothing changed by the time we got to the finale. He's constantly jogging and running, which is a great symbolism for the way he treats his life, he's even wearing the same jogging outfit he wore in the pilot, in Everyone's Waiting,
Nate can never stay in one place for too long, always scared that he's missing out on something better. He is afraid of the concept of death and the obvious restrictions that it comes with, and as result leaves home and seems to be living some type of flighty lifestyle. He originally has his relationship with Brenda, alluring because of the lack of emotional obligation. While Brenda was equally responsible for the relationship's failure, Nate clearly was dissatisfied with the relationship. Again, Brenda absolutely nails Nate's thought processes by stating that:
"The only reason why he only reason you stayed with me was because I was never really here."
The lack of emotional obligation in which Brenda offered was the only reason why that relationship lasted as long as it did, which is completely evident by the way he treats Lisa and then Brenda again in their marriage. He and Lisa absolutely brought out the worst in each other. Nate resented her for tying him down and began to pull away, which only made Lisa try harder and resulted in extremely grating behavior on her part. He spent all of his time avoiding their relationship, smoking on the side of the road, hiding in the Fishers tv room, becoming the miserable and situationally-obligated father that he had worked so hard to avoid turning into. While Lisa's behavior would later be revealed to be questionable, Nate was obviously unaware of those facets at the time of their relationship, and still acted completely avoidant and immaturely in their relationship. He was even reluctantly glad to see her go, it was pointed out consistently that his emotional distress was due to his guilt at his happiness, and not the fact that she was really gone. He was only able to move on after the Hoyt situation in "Untitled," because he'd seemingly been absolved of his indiscretions and suddenly he didn't need to feel guilty about wanting her gone.
During his second relationship with Brenda, he consistently resents her for asking the most basic and unobtrusive requests, ones that are expected when one becomes a husband and a father. There's even the projected scene where he yells at Brenda for conforming to the white picket fence style of life, trying to remind her that she's a rebel, trying to bring back the woman who had previously not asked anything of him. But that woman is gone, Brenda overcame her challenges and matured, while Nate didn't. Brenda was willing to attend the Quaker service despite her personal beliefs, willing to forgive Nate for his affair with Maggie and work on their relationship, while Nate was still living in a mindset where all of his behavior was justified by trying to find his best self. His relationship with Maggie would have lasted for as long as Maggie didn't ask anything of him. He's running away in his final dream too, heading out towards the "In The Game" ocean, trying to escape from the shore, even in his final moments the show is trying to show Nate's inherent desire for singularity and freedom.
Nate tried to change and tried to convince himself that he could be happy playing the part of the dutiful and amicable husband and father, he tried that with both Brenda and Lisa, and he failed miserably both times, in almost identical ways. He had so many unrealistic ideas in his head of how he was supposed to behave and how people wanted him to act, that he let it get to him and ultimately drive him away from the people he was supposed to love more than anything. His constant search for a higher-purpose consistently proves to be his downfall, it's no coincidence that Nate has his AVM attack almost immediately after his affair with Maggie, he is being punishe -
whitneymasterson — 9 years ago(September 08, 2016 10:42 PM)
I absolutely agree. Nate was the most interesting and complex character, but he lacks any true character growth throughout the series. And I think the people calling him moral perhaps don't understand the definition of the word. Honest I detest Nate. Perhaps that's why this series is so interesting - the protagonist is neither a hero or anti-hero.
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LetsDriveSomewhere — 9 years ago(November 04, 2016 10:29 AM)
Perhaps that's why this series is so interesting - the protagonist is neither a hero or anti-hero.
I think Ball said he wanted to create a protagonist that the viewer wouldn't necessarily like. He did a damn good job!
You think I'd speak for you?
I don't even know your language. -
sawfan1414 — 9 years ago(November 21, 2016 07:16 AM)
The first time i watched the show, my favorite was David due to Hall's performance. On my most recent rewatch i definitely attached to Nate moreso. First off, with how brilliant Fisher and MCH were i maybe missed Krause on my first viewing or he simply didn't stand out as much for some reason? This second viewing changed my perspective so much and i noticed so much more, his performance is so subtle and raw that i truly can't see anyone else playing this character.
The way he played it when he was
burying Lisa
, some of the finest acting I've seen.