Bad boy Nathan Scott goes from hero to villain and back again more times than we can count during One Tree Hill’s full run, and that’s one of the many reasons why fans gravitate towards him.
But as we’ve already noted, he doesn’t exactly give us all too many reasons to trust his judgment from the pilot all the way through to the final episode of the show. Today, we want to run through a few of the reasons why Nathan isn’t exactly the picture of perfection – and why sometimes, he makes us want to scream in anger at our TVs.
Bullying Lucas
As a result of his not so stellar upbringing from his father Dan Scott, Nathan clearly takes on the role of being a bully from the pilot onwards.
One person that falls victim to this is none other than his brother Lucas. Despite Lucas being on the team for good, Nathan continues to go after him in every single way that a person can. It shows him to be the boy that he is as opposed to the man, and in truth, it makes his eventual transformation that much better.
Carrie
Ah, Carrie. The crazy nanny that just gets crazier and crazier as the show goes on. The storyline eventually takes on more of a dark turn, but initially, she’s nothing more than the kind-hearted nanny that helps out around the house. That is, of course, until she makes a move on Nathan.
While you’d think he’d never even think about going after her, the big problem comes from the fact that she kisses him on the lips, and he neglects to tell Haley that it happened. She really did deserve better.
Getting Married So Young
Nobody can tell anyone what to do if they don’t want to do it, but in hindsight, we still think Haley and Nathan getting married so young was a mistake.
Having a baby was something that couldn’t really have been prevented all too much, but the proposal and eventual marriage aspect of it all were questionable at best. It was an impulsive decision, and it’s one that many of their friends and family simply did not agree with, and you could sense that when the usually calm Deb completely flies off the handle after being told.
Not Respecting His Mom
Speaking of Deb, she goes through more than a few changes throughout the course of the first few seasons – and season 1, in particular.
Her problems seem to worsen as the years go on, but in the first collection of episodes, she never really seems to be able to catch a break. She’s continually being put down due to her traveling so much, and it impacts her relationship with Nathan. He just doesn’t really appear to have any kind of respect for her whatsoever. Sure, she has her flaws, but this was just downright rude.
Rage Ruined NBA Prospects
Even after the point shaving, Nathan Scott is able to claw his way back towards the brink of becoming an NBA star during the four-year break between season 4 and season 5.
Then, in an utterly bizarre moment of rage, he allows a few trolls to get the better of him and engages in a severely misguided fight. He ends up being sent through a glass window, landing awkwardly in the process. That once action changes his life for a long time, even forcing him into a wheelchair for a while.
Impact Of His Father
This may not necessarily be Nathan’s fault, but you’d have to imagine that his life would be very different if Dan Scott wasn’t around. While there’s a whole lot to be said for how Dan has helped his son out over the years, especially after the four-year jump, the mental torture that he went through probably stuck with Nathan for a long time.
He was able to come out the other side of it as a better man, in many respects, but we still resent Dan for some of the things he put Nathan through.
Using Haley
Before Nathan and Haley fell in love and became the show’s best couple (depending on your own personal preference), the sole intention of Nathan was to use Haley to get back at Lucas.
That motive is pretty clear to see from the moment the two actually meet, and it takes a few episodes before Nathan actually starts to come to terms with his own feelings. By that point, Haley’s doubts are there for all to see – and without sounding too judgmental, we’re all shocked that he didn’t screw her over more than he actually did.
Not A Natural Lead
When Lucas and Peyton decided to leave the show at the end of season 6, the natural next step was for Nathan to become the lead in the series. That’s exactly what happened, but unfortunately, it just didn’t have quite the same appeal.
Nathan’s story certainly progressed with real intent as the show went on, but not to the point where he was on par with Lucas as a lead character. Nobody is denying the fascination behind Nathan and Haley’s relationship, because the two of them are made for each other. However, it wasn’t enough.
Early Selfishness On The Court
When you want to get signed by a high profile college, the natural thought process would be to save all of the best shots and moments for yourself. Well, that’s exactly the route that Nathan Scott decided to go in during the first few seasons of the show.
Being a team player became what Nathan was really known for in the world of basketball, but that didn’t manifest itself early on. He wanted all of the glory, and because he knew just how good he was when it mattered the most, he largely got away with it.
Point Shaving
Being in financial difficulty is an awkward position for anyone to be in, especially if you’re young, trying to finish high school, married, have a house and a child on the way, and you’re also going in search of a state championship.
Nathan Scott decides to dance with the devil by accepting money in return for him shaving a few points on behalf of the Tree Hill Ravens. In another world, that would’ve put a definitive end to his basketball career – but in One Tree Hill, Whitey handed him a major lifeline.