While what you’re trying to do is complex, it CAN be done.
I believe the key here is to treat the cell the same way you’d treat the ViewController. Since the cell contains a unique tableView, it will have it’s own delegate & datasource. My advice is to play around with a very basic implementation so that it is easy for you to get it working, and then go from there.
As far as implementation goes, if you’re using storyboards, then use a .xib file for your cell. Because cells are reused, then .xib files would be the most suitable.