Nathan appears Life in the Past Lane as Jane's romantic interest and a man involved in the retro-swing movement.
Physical Appearance[]
Nathan is a young man with a prominent nose and combed over brown hair. He owned both a zoot suit and Sammy Davis Jr's pants, and collected pre-1960s stationary, clothing, and objects.
Personality[]
Nathan was a charming, classically romantic young man, as shown by how asked for Jane's consent before kissing her, and dedicated to vintage clothes and lifestyle—compulsively so. He showed extreme vanity over his appearance (having to restyle his hair when Jane touched it), elitism over the retro-swing movement and people who weren't 'serious' enough, and a nostalgic view for the "standards" of the 1950 in contrast to a hated modern society. He'd eventually declare that retro, in his mind, was "about pride and standards that set up apart from today's mindless, insipid mainstream!" and that you had to be "with us or against us."
Both Daria Morgendorffer and Tom Sloane disliked him, thinking that he was a jerk, and also Nathan was unwilling to spend time with them.
However, Jane was enchanted by his style and old-fashioned chivalrous front, and enjoyed getting involved in retro culture. However, Nathan ruined the relationship in one night when he became obsessive over what they were going to wear on a date, and when told he was taking it too seriously went into his "pride and standards" speech. When Jane challenged him that it shouldn't matter to him if she wore sweatpants if he cared about her, Nathan responded with a horrified "you own sweatpants?!"
Background[]
Season 5[]
On a jaunt down Main Street with Daria and Tom, Jane spies a good-looking guy enter the office supply store and follows him. There, she strikes up a conversation and he introduces himself as Nathan. He explains that he loves the style and elegance of old-fashioned things, and when Jane concurs, he asks for her phone number.
As it turns out, Nathan is really into the whole "swing era" thing, complete with period outfits and visits to speakeasy clubs. Jane starts getting into it as well, even going so far as to dress in period fashions (which she found in the attic of her house), but Daria is openly contemptuous and mistrustful of Nathan, which upsets Jane (possibly because it's a replay of when she met Tom) and caused her to snap that Daria's just jealous because she and Tom are in a rut. This bothers Daria, and she decides to go on a date with Tom somewhere new; unfortunately, that new place is a terrifyingly cheery restaurant and they flee.
Back on the Nathan front, Jane manages to convince Daria to give the guy a chance, and she agrees to a double-date with them. On the way to their destination, she and Tom strike up a conversation with Nathan, who slowly starts to demonstrate that he may be a little too into the whole swing thing, though Jane still doesn't seem to realize it. Even though the date (to an abandoned drive-in theater for a get-together with other swing couples) is a bust for Daria and Tom, she decides to keep her opinions to herself for Jane's sake, and even agrees to give the guy another chance when Jane buys four tickets to Upchuck's big magic event.
Unfortunately, when Nathan comes to pick Jane up, they get into a fight over Nathan's overly obsessive behavior—Jane saying it's just a fad and all she wants to do is have some fun, while Nathan insists that it's not just a fad but a way of life—and his controlling nature, as he pressures her on her clothes and to hang out with his crowd over hers. Fed up, Jane snaps that "if you really liked me, it wouldn't matter if I was wearing fishnets or sweatpants!"
Nathan is horrified by the idea Jane wears sweatpants, and she responds by telling him to get out.
Trivia[]
- In an interview Anne D. Bernstein said she was into the swing dancing scene herself as a hobby and based on the episode on that, possibly Nathan's based on some real people she knew.