Season 1 of Absentia had shown Nick in a full beard and messy hair look, while he transforms into a cleaner look by Season 2. The character is played by Patrick Heusinger, and fans are curious to know the reason behind this transformation in the character's look between seasons.In season 1, Nick is suffering an emotional turmoil of seeing his disappeared wife returning, while by season 2, he has found himself amidst the chaos, and is more stable emotionally. Moreover, Heusinger’s physique appears slightly fuller to give a sense of the passage of time in Absentia.Read on to know more about the changes the show has made in its character and why.Why did Nick’s appearance change between Absentia Season 1 and 2?Everyone in S2 got a dramatically improved skin comparing to S1 byu/ethanhigh85 inHeartstopperAOAs mentioned, Nick had a full beard and shabby hair in season 1 of Absentia, while season 2 transformed his look to make it look fuller and cleaner. His hair is shorter, and his beard is shaved. Even Nick's wardrobe is transformed to bear more fitted suits as compared to the casual hoodies he was seen wearing in season 1. All of these changes made him a more composed and mature version of Nick in season 2.In Season 1 of Absentia, Nick was going through some emotional turmoil. Therefore, his messier look depicted how unfazed he is about his being and that something is bothering him, affecting his functionality. In season 1, he was dealing with the unexpected return of Emily after six years and the chaos it had unleashed in his personal life. Emily does not recognize her world and has no memory of her captivity. Despite this, she eventually becomes a major suspect for a series of murders that happened in the locality.Meanwhile, her husband, Nick Durand, is suffering a huge change in his life, believing Emily to be dead all this time. Nick had already rebuilt his life and had remarried. This situation thrust him into an impossible emotional conflict when she reappeared. The shabby and petite look of Nick complemented his mental status and his character arc.According to reports, the actor, Patrick Heusinger, spoke with a TV fanatic and expressed how, in season 1 of Absentia, his character was mentally blocked and disturbed. He is introverted and has been pushed to handle complex feelings.“The writers gave me a man (Nick) who’s introverted and didn’t understand how to navigate complicated emotional waters. They gave me a man who is not a great communicator. He does not know how to have that conversation because he’s incapable of that. That’s just not the way he was raised. That was a big challenge for me to try to understand the psychology of this human being who was deeply traumatized, not once, when he thought his wife (had) died, and experienced severe trauma through that. He literally mourned her loss and figured out how to put the pieces of his life back together.”Therefore, this state has naturally influenced his look in season 1 of Absentia. While in season 2, Nick starts to emerge from the emotional paralysis. He now knows about his priorities and is more stable and assertive. He has started to gain more control over his life. This is depicted visually from this shift in his look and wardrobe, where he is now wearing tidy suits and is groomed as compared to the previous season. This polished look is a way to represent internal transformation.Therefore, we can say that the change in look is to depict the condition of the character's mental health and psyche in Absentia.