I finally understand Jade!
I have been having so much trouble reconciling all of Nate's interactions with Jade over the seasons. She is purposely hard to read and obviously is "picky" with who she gives her time and effort, but I couldn't quite pin down what it was about Nate that she saw change in the moment she decided to sit down and eat with him the first time.
I think Nate was waiting for his new fame and success to win her over, which it clearly didn't. And it wasn't him simply standing up for himself - he did that for his parents' dinner as well and she wasn't swayed like she was when he stood by his choice to try and get his date to stay and eat at the restaurant.
We saw her superpower in S3E9 with her interactions with Rupert. Jade was completely impervious to his charm. She didn't buy ANY of his bullshit - his wit, his money, his flirting, his attempts at emasculating Nate. You could see in Rupert's eyes (a great performance by Anthony Head) how much he noticed her NOT picking up what he was putting down and how much he hated not being able to get away with his usual shtick. Nate was still slightly oblivious to it, but boy did he catch on quick on the "boy's night" (and not a moment too soon).
Jade could read Nate's reliance on faux confidence and toxic masculinity (and internal loathing e.g. mirror spitting) from the very beginning. She only started interacting with Nate in a friendly way when she saw him start to be authentic.
Watching their relationship grow is so beautiful and I can't wait to see more of her dead-eyed judgment of Rupert.
