I was just re-watching season 3 and wanted to see what everyone’s thoughts are of why Nate quit West Ham?
The episode before he quit, Jade meets Rupert and when he leaves Nate says something along the lines of “he’s a great boss” and is smiling like he’s happy there. Now I understand he is still very intimidated by Rupert which may be why he acted like that but I didn’t see anything in his mannerisms up until then that said he was going to step down.
I know he quit when Rupert invited him out for “boys night” but suddenly realized what his actual intentions were. But it was the first time he ever seemed genuinely discontent with Rupert’s actions. I thought he knew all along about Rupert’s ways but judging by him quitting because of that one incident, maybe he didn’t? Or is it because he now had a girlfriend and he was truly happy and realized if he stayed with Rupert and West Ham he would jeopardize that happiness?
Every time Rupert did something that made Nate uncomfortable, he could explain it away or ignore it. Rupert made him feel special. The way he longed to be special to his father and Ted. But when Rupert acted in a way that was morally reprehensible to Nate AND invited Nate to join him in something that could cause not only serious pain to himself but also to the woman he loved, he knew there was no explanation or justification. He could no longer be blind to Rupert’s true self. Nates problem was always his ego, never his ability to read people or his grasp on the difference between right and wrong. The sort of world Rupert was really offering him was one bereft of true friendship, human connection, love. Things Nate actually yearns for and he’s already thrown his friends away for Rupert, he’s not going to throw Jade away too. So he’s got to get out of there before it’s too late.
I would argue that he did have some problems reading people, if only because a bug source of tension in S2 was his constant misreading of people’s actions and intent (specifically Ted’s).
I think you hit the nail right on the head with what you said about Nate just wanting to feel special, and how Rupert provided a temporary fix for him in that department. And how as time went on, Nate kept noticing more and more holes in Rupert’s ‘nice guy’ facade and their relationship, until he eventually realized that his standing with Rupert only ever was and would be strictly superficial.
And so when it came time for him to pick between Rupert (someone who made him feel the least special kind of “special” possible) and Jade (someone who made him feel really, truly, genuinely special), there didn’t appear to really be too much inner conflict for Nate at all in making his pick there. So yeah I’m not sure if I even added to your point, but I just liked what you said about Nate wanting to feel special and I thought that was a big reason - if not the reason - why he left Rupert for Jade with as much conviction as he did