Nathaniel "Nate" Runck is a main character in That '90s Show. He is the son of Sherri Runck. He is Gwen Runck's maternal older half-brother. He is portrayed by Maxwell Acee Donovan.
Series arc[]
Outside, Leia hears a girl singing, so she walks to her window and is caught by the girl, who calls her a creeper. Leia apologizes and says that she has a bootleg from Chicago, which she says she will get for the girl, whose name is Gwen. In her room, Gwen and Leia talk about their hobbies. Leia says that she is part of the debate club, which makes the girl say that popular people suck. Gwen teases her brother Nate by playing music loudly, which makes Leia laugh.
At Gwen’s house, Ozzie cheats at Uno. Gwen tells Leia that both her and Ozzie had met in detention after he told his math teacher that his wife was cheating on him. Nate comes downstairs followed by his girlfriend Nik and a boy with great news. Jay sits next to Leia, who gets nervous by him. Nate says that while parked, someone mistook them and thought they were there to pick up a prepaid keg, which they took with them. However, they still need a tap.
Ozzie is impressed by how difficult it is to open the beer as Nate hits the keg. Leia says that they should go back to Mamma’s to buy a tap, but Jay says that it is not easy to do. Gwen and Nik are calm, as the former mentions that Leia should buy the tap because Mamma does not know her. Leia agrees to do it, but Ozzie says that it would not work because Leia would get carded.
In the basement, Kitty welcomes Leia, Ozzie, Jay, Nik Nate, and Gwen to their basement, as Red tells them the ground rules. Jay thanks Kitty for allowing them to use her basement, but phrases it weirdly, which makes Jay ask him what is wrong with him.
Jay, Leia, Nate, Nik, and Ozzie smoke weed in Leia’s grandparents’ basement, each of them feeling different effects of being high except for Ozzie, who decides not to smoke. Leia says that she would get snacks, but forgets she was being asked for Raisin Bran.
Nate, Jay, Nik, and Ozzie walk into Red and Kitty’s room, trying out different clothes. Leia walks in and says that she has never dared step foot in her grandparents’ room before they are quickly kicked out by Red. Kitty hands them all cupcakes on their way out, as Red tells Leia that since he had lived this once before, he would lay down some ground rules this time, such as no eating his food, drinking his drinks and no going in his room. Kitty tells Leia to invite her friends over for a movie night the next day.
Kitty opens the door, as a neighbor tells them that they had yelled at her kids. Red tells her that they deserved it. The woman says she is Nate and Gwen’s mother and her name is Sherri.
Nate walks in with Red, telling him that he had found a small cucumber in his backyard, which Red says is big. Nate sits down and says he wants to talk about his flannels, saying he wanted one because his girlfriend really liked him with them. Red tells him to get out as Sherri walks in in a bathrobe and says that she would be showering there for the time being.
In the basement, Leia hands Nate, Nik, Ozzie, Gwen and Jay a Raisin Bran, which does not seem to excite anyone. She plays the movie, but it turns out that it is only a recording of Leo talking about some of his life experiences. Leia asks if they have any fun stories to share, but Nate starts choking on the Raisin Bran until he is helped by Nik. Jay starts choking, and Leia leaves because she had wanted it to be a perfect night.
Leia leaves, followed by Gwen. Leia tells her she is a fraud since she had never even seen “Clerks”, and actually loves “Free Willy”. Gwen does not care, but asks why she had melted down before. Leia says that she feels like an impostor because they are all very close and cool, but Gwen tells her that she has a basement, adding that their town is boring and she actually found a bunch of people who do not fit in. Nate runs upstairs and tells them that he found weed.
In the basement, Leia hands Nate, Nik, Ozzie, Gwen and Jay all smoke weed and talk about how much they love “Free Willy”. When Willy jumps, even Ozzie gets very excited, which surprises everyone.
Nate thanks Red for the shirt, but he says not to make it weird. Nate asks if he can call Red “uncle” and is told to leave.
Nik and Nate make out as Leia walks down to the basement. Jay tells Leia they do not care, and as Gwen mentions kissing, Gwen and Ozzie realize that Leia had not kissed anyone yet. Leia says that she wants to kiss someone, so Gwen says that they need to get her to kiss someone and proposes they go the mall, which Leia agrees to. Ozzie says that he has kissed a boy named Etienne, who Leia says is his fake Canadian boyfriend.
Nik tells Nate that he might be having a reaction to one of her lip smackers, as his lips are swollen. Gwen describes it as looking like "a monkey's ass", so Nik takes Nate to a hospital. Leia asks what is wrong with her, as Ozzie mentions she is desperate. Gwen suggests she kiss Jay, as he is always flirting with her and he is a Kelso, which means he is a "man-whore".
In a front yard, Nate and Nik cannot believe that Jay did not kiss Leia, but Jay starts to realize that the reason he did not kiss her is because he likes her. Nik tells Jay to go tell Leia he likes her, but he says that his dad always told him never to tell a girl he likes her first because it gives them all the control in the relationship, using Nate and Nik as an example.
At the rave, Jay tells Nik and Nate that he put on a bunch of pheromones. Leia tells Gwen she thinks the car smells horrible, also saying that she brought the glowsticks and pacifiers. However, they realize that they did not bring Ozzie and had left him in the driveway.
Nik tells Nate that a hot tub would be disgusting because it is contaminated, but he says that it is free. Gwen teases him over the fact that he cannot grow a moustache and Nate insists on getting the tub and mentions that they need to talk about their relationship. Jay sarcastically tells Leia that he loves just being friends, as Gwen tells Leia that what she did work. After that, Nate and Jay go to get the hot tub.
Nate is excited to see the jacuzzi, but Jay is not feeling very good because of what had happened with Leia. An older woman walks out of her house, and tells them she wants to see the bathtub gone, but tells them to try it out first. She hops into the tub with them and starts touching her feet.
Gwen and Nik sit next to each other, saying that they never hang out on their own. Gwen says that she prefers other people, which Nik agrees with, but she says that she does not like that Nate went for the hot tub. When Nik asks if they want to do something, Gwen says that they have nothing in common, but they smoke weed and have a good time together.
Jay tells the older woman that he feels lost, to which Marion responds that she went through the same thing when she lost her husband. Nate says that she had basically told him the same thing except for the dead husband, as a girl walks out and yells at her grandmother for having tricked more guys into her hot tub. Marion tells them that she also has a king-size bed upstairs if they wanted to try it out as well, but they get out of the bathtub and the girl flirts with Nathan.
Nik and Gwen run into each other at a coffee shop, both admitting they had had fun and agreeing to pretend it had never happened. At their table, Nate tells Nik that he got the goat because it was free, while Ozzie tells Gwen and Leia that step seven would now be to tell his pediatrician. Jay walks in, so Leia asks herself how long she had to keep the friend thing going. Ozzie tells her that if he could come out to her grandmother, then she can tell the guy who knows she likes him that she likes him.
Leia stands up from the table and walks over to Jay, about to tell him, but the girl from the hot tub, Serena, walks in. She tells Jay about Nate's goat and how they have a nice story for their first date. Leia gets nervous when this happens.
Ozzie does not want to watch 90210 anymore, but Leia tells him it is a cope mechanism after what she calls a breakup between her and Jay. Nik, Nate, and Gwen walk in and tell her she needs to get it together. Leia wonders how long it will take her to feel better again, but her friends encourage her to feel better by smoking weed and giving her a sweater for her birthday. Leia is excited to turn 15 and says that it will be a new year for her.
Nik is concerned due to Nate having spelled her name wrong on a birthday card before sitting down next to Leia's, who was treating Gwen and Ozzie to lunch for having taken care of her. Ozzie laughs when she mentions she had not been that bad, but Gwen is relieved that she is finally better. However, Jay walks in with Serena, which worries Gwen and Ozzie. Leia walks over to them and greets them awkwardly, before inviting them to her party.
Leia tells Gwen that she will wait for Jay and go after him. However, after an hour, he still does not show up. She imagines David from 90210 there, but she is surprised by Gwen, who she tells that she is done being pathetic. As soon as the doorbell sounds, she throws herself at the door and opens for Bob, who tells her that she will sing for her. He sings a very inappropriate song, which Nate and Nik dance to romantically. Red offers Leia to get some air, which she accepts.
Ozzie finds it odd that Gwen wants to get a tattoo of the Kool-Aid man, but she tells him that the key is to not overthink it, while Leia tells Jay that she misses him. Nate tells him to come over, as Nik leaves because she was going to meet with her SAT tutor, which makes Nate jealous because she is with him all the time. Ozzie tells Nate that if it is bothering him, they should check it out.
Nate and Ozzie pop up unnanounced at a restaurant where Nik is meeting with her tutor. Nik tells Nate that she had told him she would be there, and both Nate and Ozzie see Trevor, who is very attractive. Nate and Ozzie greet Trevor, who Nik mentions got a football scholarship to Notre Dame and adds that his father is a congressman. Nik thanks them for stopping by, but says that they need to get back to studying. As they leave, Ozzie tells Nate that he is screwed.
Nate tells Ozzie that Trevor is trying to seduce his girlfriend, wondering how to save his relationship. Nate decides that the best way to fix everything would be to beat him up, but Ozzie does not agree with his methods. Nate decides that he would talk to Nik.
As Nate shoots some hoops, he is approached by Nik, who greets him and asks if he is okay. Nate says that she has been spending too much time with Trevor. She says that there is nothing going on and is going to college to have a future. Nate says tat he cannot imagine not being with her and asks that she always be with him. Nik says that she does not know what will happen in the future but all she can say for now is that she loves him. She asks if he is okay, while he replies that he is.
In the basement, Leia tells everyone that she has a hickey from Jay in order to get attention, which nobody can see. Gwen says that she is getting used to her and Jay being a couple. Nik asks if things were happening between them and if she touched "it," which Ozzie says he doubts. Leia says that she did not know she was supposed to and says that she was not going to touch "it". Jay walks in and asks what she would be touching as Nate has a hard time getting an umbrella in the house.
Later, Leia tells Nik that now she is overthinking everything that happens between her and Jay, as Nate offers everyone fancy candy from Japan sent by his father. Gwen points out that their father is the oldest player in the Japanese baseball league as Kitty heads downstairs and says that she would be grabbing some of Red's junk from the back. Gwen tells everyone that that is where they hide the stash, but Jay says that he hid it well in a box, which Kitty takes from him. Ozzie realizes they no longer have a stash adn everyone blames Jay for it, but he says that he would grab it.
Upstairs, Jay realizes that Kitty has a lot of identical boxes, making it hard for him to find the stash. Jay tells his friends, and Leia grows desperate, as Gwen says that they should split up and look for it. Gwen goes with Nate, Ozzie goes with Jay, and Leia is teamed up with Nik, who says they would cover the basement, which meant the same as doing nothing. Jay gives Leia a kiss and she throws her arms back awkwardly, which makes Nik question what had just happened. Nik makes fun of her, but Leia says that she does not know what is happening with her.
Nate tells Gwen that they should get a drug-smelling dog from the cops, which Gwen thinks is stupid. Kitty sees them, so she tells them to help, saying she needs Nate's muscles to get rid of a wooden moose.
Nate brings down the wooden moose, but finds Gwen using the shirt his father had sent him and got it stained. She tells him it is too small for him anyway, but she says that she cannot touch his stuff. Kitty says that she understands, but tells them to get everything out.
Kitty tells Nate that she needs more help. Nate shows Gwen that he has her blanket, which she cannot sleep without. The siblings start fighting and leave Kitty on her own.
Leia tells Nik that she feels terrible because of how weird everything is and wants to be like Nik and her relationship. However, Nik says that her relationship is not always easy due to her and Nate's different future paths and they have very dumb fights, so things would never be perfect.
Nate and Gwen keep fighting, as Nate says that he is really annoyed by the fact that she is wearing the shirt his dad had gotten him, saying she would not understand because she sees her father way more often. Gwen says that she still misses him because she does not see her father frequently either, but did not know that Nate felt that way about the shirt. Both of them hug and call each other idiots, as Kitty says that she also misses her father.
Sherri rushes into the house, telling Kitty, Nate and Gwen that Red was coming back and as Kitty tells Sherri about the shirt, Sherri calls Brian. She tells him that he needs to send Nate shirts that actually fit him.
Leia and Nik are happy to be smoking again, as Nate and Gwen laugh together. Jay and Ozzie are happy as well, joined by the wooden moose that Nate was supposed to move. As it stops raining, the teenagers go outside and dance together. Leia and Jay kiss without it being awkward and they sit together on the driveway.
Leia cannot believe summer is almost over, while Gwen complains and Ozzie mentions he had not even started his summer reading. However, Nik is optimistic about going back to school. Nate tries to support her, but is not able to and complains that he was supposed to work out for football, but had not done so. Jay tells him to go to his gym and also mentions he had changed shifts so he could spend the weekend with Leia on her last weekend.
Jay asks Nate if he is ready for the gym as both get ready to work out. While working out, both of them put in a lot of work as Jay trains Nate.
Nate walks into the Foreman’s kitchen telling Nik and Kitty saying that he was very sore from the gym. Nik tells him to go downstairs, but Kitty tells him to rub some Bengay on where he was sore in order to help, which she mentions she does when she is finished making breakfast, which makes her reconsider applying for the job. Ozzie and Gwen walk in ready to go to the country club, but their friend is not back yet, so Gwen gets angry.
As Leia walks into her basement, she sees Nathan on the couch. He asks her to pour water in his mouth because he could not move, so she helps him. Nate asks what she was doing there, and she says that his sister had said some mean things to her. Nate tells Leia to forgive her because she is like that sometimes, especially since she is sad to be losing her friend. However, Leia says that Gwen would be doing cool stuff while she went back to Chicago, which Nate says would not be the case. Leia says that she would be sad to lose Gwen and he tells her to tell his sister.
Jay tells Nate to push as he is still unable to move from the couch. Jay apologizes for not being there for him, but Nate mentions that Leia had helped him, telling his friend that he had lucked out with her, but Jay says that he did not believe he would not be able to make things work out between him and Leia when she leaves.
Ozzie, Nik, and Gwen pose for a photo as Leia tries taking them. Jay walks in, saying Nate has a keg while he has snacks. Nate mentions it is the same beer as the 4th of July. Ozzie mentions that they cannot be that desperate, but they all end up dancing as they drink it. Leia asks Ozzie if he will be sad when she is gone, but Ozzie says he will not. Nate gets confused and says that he thought things would get weird when he told Leia about them breaking up before she leaves, but he tells him he had not mentioned it yet, as Leia stands in disbelief.
Leia finds Nate in his house, but he says that Gwen is out. Leia says that she wanted to apologize because she had overreacted, but did feel that the fact that everyone was agreeing with Jay made it worse. Nate says that in reality, he agrees with Leia because of his own problems with his girlfriend. Nate says that love is very powerful and they reach the conclusion that it is very lucky to find a special person who understands you.
As Nate and Leia are about to kiss in the former's kitchen, Gwen walks in and is shocked. After Leia runs away, Nate says that there was a fly on his junk.
Leia thanks Red for everything, and he tells her that the basement was off-limits until she returned. Kitty tells her that her friends could use the basement whenever they want while she is gone. Nate walks up to Leia, and she tells him they do not need to talk about it, but he mentions that it had meant something to him, which she admits to as well after. Jay shows up followed by Ozzie, Nik, and Gwen, saying that he was glad to have caught up to her because he was wrong and is not ready to give up on them, begging for another chance. Leia tells him that is very sweet, but she is very confused. Jay kisses her, so Gwen rescues her as Donna makes it to the car. Leia apologizes to Nik, but Gwen does not allow her to explain. As Leia leaves, Ozzie finally cries, wanting her to come back.
Friendships[]
Jay Kelso[]
Jay is Nate's best friend. They've been friends since 1983[1] and are like brothers; calling each other "bro".
Romances[]
Nikki[]
Nikki is Nate's girlfriend, and they met in January 1995[1], with Nikki having turned down a senior for him.
Leia Forman[]
Even though the two didn't seem to have a romantic feeling for one another, in the last episode of the first season they had a emotional talk, during which Nate let Leia know he agreed with her during the fight the whole group had after Leia and Jay's break-up, The two are also talking about love and how strong it can be. Suddenly, the two started to speak slowly and looking into each other's eyes, almost kissing each other. They're interrupted by Nate's sister, Gwen.
Before Leia's leave, Nate comes to her, wanting to talk about what happened before, but is interrupted by Jay, who comes to speak to Leia as well.
Quotes[]
"You're hot and you quote Terminator 2!"
Photos[]
Trivia[]
- Nate's mother Sherri Runck was pregnant with him for 10 months.
- Nate's two front teeth are fake, as according to Gwen, he was kicked in the face by a deer.
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 In That '90s Pilot, Nate mentions to Nikki how Jay has been his friend for the past 12 years. Since the pilot is set in 1995, twelve years before would be 1983. In the same scene, he tells her how she and him have been friends for six months. Since the pilot is set in July 1995, six months before would be January 1995.