On The Couch: When And Why Did Y&R’s Nate Hastings Turn Bad?

Nate Hastings was born on The Young and the Restless. Viewers watched him grow up as an adorable, Emmy-nominated tyke, who lost his biological dad, then became the subject of a custody battle between his mom and his adopted dad. And then he left town for a few years. And returned as a grown man. A doctor. Who seemed good at and dedicated to his job. And then everything went wrong. Why? When? The answer isn’t as obvious as it seems.

Nate Hastings: Clear and Present

The obvious explanation for Nate’s (Sean Dominic) turn to the dark side is when Devon (Bryton James) punched Nate for sleeping with Elena (Brytni Sarpy), and hurt his hand so bad that Nate can never be a surgeon again. It makes sense that Nate would be furious with Devon, and want to get revenge on his cousin in the arena that matters most to him… the business world. No wonder Nate quit medicine to be a corporate spy for Victoria (Amelia Heinle) against Devon and Lily (Christel Khalil).

Look Back in Anger

But we think Nate’s psychological issues go further back than that. One of the first things Nate was asked to do when he first returned to Genoa City was to help Victor (Eric Braeden) fake his death in order for Newman Senior to frame Newman Junior, Adam (Mark Grossman). Nate did as he was told. And broke a whole bunch of doctoring rules along the way.

When the truth came out, Victor didn’t suffer any consequences. Adam didn’t suffer any consequences. Only Nate suffered the consequences. He almost lost his medical license.

Nate Hastings: Drawing Conclusions

Nate had spent all of his life up to that point being a good, upstanding person. And he saw where that got him. What conclusion was he supposed to draw other than that nice guys finish last?

Is it any wonder that, even before Devon damaged his hand, Nate was already headed down the path that leaves righteous doctoring behind in exchange for the underhanded business world? Nate saw where the power lay. Nate saw who comes out ahead. Now he wants to be as ruthless as the Newmans who made him this way. What a shame he just isn’t any good at it…Yet.

The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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