Well, I never got around to recapping the entire season, but there are a couple of points worth mentioning.

First, episode six: "The Room" is a microcosm for one of the major story arcs of the 1st season. All of the characters, but Nate in particular, feel a great guilt over losing out on their chance to get to know Nate Sr. It's a reoccurring theme during the show, but it's never more poignant than in this episode.

Nate goes on a physical quest to learn about his father, but ultimately comes up short. He's overwhelmed by the frustration in not being able to find definitive answers. The little information he does find (example: Nate Sr.'s pot connection told Nate that his father always bragged about how Nate had the guts to pack up and leave) can be interpreted in different ways (Nate Sr. mockingly suggests that he just said that to hide his embarrassment).

A less powerful show would wrap up the quest in a nice bow and give Nate peace of mind. But that's not how it works for SFU. Nate screwed up in that small window of his life where he had the chance to get to know his father. He can't get that back....ever. It's over. The best he can do is take the opportunity to get to know the other people he cares about...and to let them the chance to get to know him. It's a bittersweet realization, but it will eventual growth.

Which leads to my second, point, and possibly one of the most important scenes in SFU history. In episode 7, "Brotherhood", Nate finally breaks through David's personal wall. Sparked by a brother's mourning (coupled with pain of not "knowing" his father), Nate hugs David and tells him he loves him. The look of shock on David's face shows the confusion over the event. That's the moment where David stops resenting Nate and starts to build a new relationship with him. I love how gradual the changes take place throughout the rest of the season. In the next episode, David once again chastises Nate for not studying hard enough for the funeral director's exam. He finds Nate outside in the sun (and in shorts), but with the book in front of him. When Nate makes a comment about loosening up, David doesn't get defensive, but instead sits down next to him in the lawn chair. Sure, he's still in his suit, and he still huffs and puffs when he sits, but he does sit. And that's the breakthrough. He's willing to meet Nate in the middle, and starts to reevaluate his own life and problems. In that sense, Nate really does save David. Without that original hug, David probably never "comes out", and probably never stops with all of the self loathing.

I know I had two other points, but I can't remember them now. Maybe something about Nate saving Ruth and Brenda too. Claire's journey is a little cloudier.