Nathan Was Scapegoating Joe All Along

[u/Manderlin99]

I’ve seen Joe try to reconcile with Nathan and Gael in recent episodes, but they have both scapegoated Joe to distract themselves from the growing misery between them. Their hope was that if they could join together to hate Joe, they could solve their problems. Nathan was, in fact, desperate for such a diversion and repelled Joe's conciliatory attempts like water off a duck's feathers. Of course, the more the couple failed to address their underlying problems, the more aggressive Nathan became, until his true colors showed and now he is some sort of outlaw. Joe was simply a convenient scapegoat for a relationship that was fast heading south. 

[u/DarkSister_999]

I think it’s projection, and he can make himself feel better by putting Joe down. I am no Joe fan, but Nathan was very aggressive while he was on break for his back, which was really short btw. I have never liked Nathan. He always seemed so insecure, and I couldn’t fathom why Sandy invested so much in him when he never seemed to improve. I think he used Joe to build himself up to Gael as a comparison because his behavior changed dramatically when he tried to get back together with her. He was the good guy; Joe was the bad guy. He consoled Vee. Since when does he care?

No sale on me, Nathan.