I just finished season 2, and this is what I wanted to come here and read about. The increasing amount of grey in Nate’s hair during each episode really stood out for me. Obviously this was on purpose, and the final scene of the season opens framing on his grey speckled hair.
During the first season I assumed Nate was supposed to be in his early 20s, so the greying was a way to accelerate his age from 22 to 45 over one season.
I do think the (downward) character arc for Nate does hold up back to the first season. As people have mentioned, lots of signs of his inner arsehole. He’s somebody who has always been bullied, and now that he has a bit of power and deserved praise, he doesn’t know any way to act other than as a bully himself. He can’t tell the difference between confidence and being a bully.
I did like the Coach Beard episode, because all shows need to have that one WTF episode.