Why Is Nate Finally Interesting On The Young and the Restless?

After the first actor to play Nate Hastings on The Young and the Restless didn’t work, Sean Dominic stepped in and did a terrific job…with the material he was given.

Young and the Restless Doctor No More

Nate came on as a doctor mourning his fiance. Then he got over it. He dated Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle). That didn’t work out. He dated Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan). That didn’t work out. He slept with Elena Dawson (Brytni Sarpy)…while she was living with his cousin, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James). He dated Elena. She slept with Devon. You’d think that wouldn’t have worked out, either, but Nate and Elena moved past it and moved in together.

Then, Nate quit being a doctor and became a businessman. Then he quit. Then he came to Victoria and offered to be her corporate spy.

Good Y&R Move

Finally, after months and months of Nate either completely missing the fact that Imani Benedict (Leigh Ann Rose) was playing him like a fiddle – that is, when he wasn’t stomping around demanding to be taken seriously as a big boy businessman even though he literally had no experience and no intention of listening to those who did – Nate did something interesting. Something downright soapy. This alliance with Victoria (Victora Heinle) could give him agency and motivation and a dark side all characters need at least a little of to be compelling.

Young and the Restless: Explanation Station

But it sure would be nice to understand why exactly he was doing it. Sure, he didn’t like that Devon (Bryton James) didn’t listen to his ideas. But corporate espionage is a major overreaction to a slight and makes him come off like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

If this is about Elena (Brytni Sarpy) or Devon causing the injury that ended Nate’s operating career, that would be more like it. Heck, Nate wanting to destroy Devon as a businessman the same way Devon destroyed him as a surgeon would actually be compelling. But while subtext is always good, we do need a little… text once in a while, so we understand what’s going on… and whom to root for.

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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