As Nate’s murder is talk of the village, fans blast soap for killing him off: ‘Stupid decision’
Gone too soon?
He left the soap last year, but Nate Robinson has suddenly become the talk of Emmerdale again – largely thanks to his murder at the hands of John Sugden.
The soap revealed that John accidentally killed Nate while trying to play the hero, giving some non-consensual first aid after he was beaten up by his dad. Having killed him, John then covered his tracks by dumping him in the lake, where he’d remain until very recently.
Nate’s body was found this week and, as the police identified him, news of his demise finally reached Cain and Tracy.
But did the soap make a big mistake in killing Nate off in the first place?
Nate murder story was a waste, Emmerdale fans claim
Writing on Reddit this week, fans reflected on Nate’s exit from the soap. And some weren’t entirely satisfied with the circumstances of his departure.
“What reason was there to kill Nate, esp with him thinking his dad hated him? Jurrell wanted to leave, but the door could’ve been left open. It would’ve been better (& way more emotional) for him to have died in the fire, after making amends with Cain,” wrote one fan.
“Was a stupid decision. He was a better character than Debbie. The dynamic of Cain and Nate’s relationship was very underrated,” said another.
“Seems like such a waste of the character. They could’ve shelved and eventually recast the character to keep him on the roster. There really isn’t a wealth of biracial characters to draw from in Emmerdale and it was great for Cain to have an older child on the show,” a third agreed.
“They had all of the foundations to keep Nate and make something of him. Now, we’ve lost nearly all the poc and women in Emmedale!” wrote a fourth.
Did Nate deserve more?
Nate’s time on Emmerdale and tragic exit
Nate first joined the soap in 2019, entering the village as a new worker at Butler’s Farm. He and boss Moira soon embarked upon an affair, to Cain’s fury when he discovered what had been going on.
However, there was a further twist in store. Nate was Cain’s son, and had sought out Cain and Moira in revenge for being abandoned as a child. Cain managed to convince Nate that he’d had no idea that he even had another son, and the pair eventually reconciled their differences.
This hit a rocky patch prior to Nate’s departure from the soap in 2024, when Cain became convinced that Moira and Nate were having an affair again. Their kiss was actually a misunderstanding, due to Moira’s brain tumour, and a bit of stirring from uncle Caleb. However, Cain leapt to the obvious conclusion, and beat Nate up as a horrified Tracy looked on.
Distraught, Nate packed up and set off for his new job in the Shetland Isles, Scotland… only to be intercepted by John Sudgen. Some fans had assumed Nate was dead anyway (in the barn fire, also started by Moira), but the truth was far darker, and more far-reaching than that.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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