Absentia Season 2 gave Nick Durand (Patrick Heusinger) a different look compared to Season 1. FBI Special Agent Nick Durand played a crucial part in Amazon Prime Video's Absentia Season 1 as he helped take down the serial killer who terrorized his ex-wife, Emily Byrne (Stana Katic). However, Nick has had his fair share of flaws since he initially believed Emily was the serial killer, rather than trying to protect her from the actual villain. Still, the good guys eventually prevailed, with Nick and Emily forging a fresh start after the chaos.
Absentia's sophomore run brought back most of the core characters from Season 1, with Nick being one of the key players in the FBI's investigation involving a deadly terrorist attack in the heart of Boston. However, fans noticed that Nick is sporting a much different look in Season 2, but there's a good reason why he had a new and deliberate stylistic choice.
Directed by Oded Ruskin, Absentia stars Stana Katic, Matthew Le Nevez, Patrick Heusinger, and Lydia Leonard. The series premiered on Prime Video on September 25, 2017, and its final season (Season 3) was released on July 17, 2020. Absentia recently joined Netflix's library in the United States and is experiencing a surge in popularity.
Why Does Nick Look Different In Season 2 of Absentia?
Absentia Season 1 showed Nick Durand with a fuller beard and slightly longer disheveled hair. However, Nick has a completely different look in Season 2, sporting a cleaner-shaven and more polished appearance. It is also apparent that the character has gained weight.
Nick had to go through much stress in Season 1 due to his presumed dead wife's return, his new marriage to Alice, and the serial killer who terrorized his family (who later turned out to be Logan Brandt). It's possible that he managed to let go of the internal turmoil, which explains his much cleaner look in Absentia Season 2.
There could also be a real-world explanation behind Patrick Heusinger's physical transformation. It's worth noting that Heusinger was attached to play the villain in the Tom Cruise-led Jack Reacher: Never Go Back in October 2016, and this could be the reason behind Nick Durand's new look in Season 2.
Speaking with Muscle and Fitness in October 2016, Heusinger confirmed that he had to retain a certain weight for his role in the Jack Reacher movie, noting that the studio didn't want him "to get too muscle-y:"
"I normally hang around 200-205, and then I got down to 167 for the play. I had actually just finished the play and was on vacation putting on weight, and the flight back is when I got the audition for Jack Reacher. After I got the job, [Paramount] looked at me—I had kind of gotten back up to about 185—and they were like, ‘We like this lean look. We want to keep you, we don’t want you to get too muscle-y, so let’s get you around 180ish.’"
It's possible that Heusinger may not have needed to maintain this weight moving forward with Absentia, which could explain the Season 2 change.
Nick Durand's Physical Transformation in Absentia Season 2 Has a Deeper Meaning
Absentia Season 2 offered a fresh start for all the main characters, especially after the traumatic encounters they endured in the previous season. It's worth noting that Nick had to go through the revelation that his presumed-dead wife, Emily, was still alive, and his new wife, Alice, and son, Flynn, were abducted in a hidden bunker in the finale. Nick's battle-worn aesthetic in Season 1 was justified because of his experience.
Nick Durand's physical transformation in Absentia Season 2 suggested that he embraced a new beginning and accepted the new normal for his family dynamic involving Emily, Alice, and Flynn. Moreover, the fact that the show's sophomore run picks up months after the wild Season 1 finale suggests that Nick reinvented himself to further embrace his maturity after being reckless the previous season.
If anything, Nick's cleaner look in Absentia Season 2 suggests that he is ready to abandon what made him flawed in the previous season, especially now that he is at the forefront of a brand-new conflict involving a dangerous terrorist.
