'True Blood' finale: Things got kinda awesome

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After a sloooooooooow start, True Blood finally becameinteresting. I started watching out of curiosity (sweet ad campaign, HBO), keptwatching out of loyalty (Six Feet Under is just so great), and finished watchingbecause it got kind of awesome. Most of my friends stopped after the firstcouple of episodes, but that’s when it finally got good. I was bummed when thefirst season ended last night, and not just ’cause I won’t get to see ashirtless Ryan Kwanten until next summer (well, there’s always On Demand). Somefinale musings (with spoilers):

• It was pretty clear that Sookie would finally figure out whowas terrorizing Bon Temps, but did anyone else think the reveal of Rene as thekiller was a little abrupt? I guess I’d have to re-watch, but I didn’t noticeany clues about his true identity until the beginning of last night’s episode whenit became glaringly obvious. (I didn’t recognize him in the photo sent to thesheriff’s department last week.) Seeing as the writers hit us over the headwith the Sam/shape-shifter thing from episode 1, it just felt rushed.

More musings, after the jump…

• I don’t know how Bill thought he would help by slowlylurching toward Sookie and Sam in broad daylight, seeing has he gets explode-yin the sunlight. It’s the thought that counts, I guess?
• Please take a minute with me to appreciate the badassnessthat is Rutina Wesley. (Did you see her in the pool scene? Damn, she isripped.) Let’s hope the writers will be able to even out her character’s ridiculousmood swings next season.
• A final thought: Lafayette,noooo! The chef/drug dealer could always be counted on for humor, sage advice,or vampire blood. The most obvious tie to the vampire-gay allegory, Lafayettehelped keep the other characters from getting too annoying (everyone else istoo dumb, whiny, or both).

It was a pretty satisfying ending for a firstseason. Thebig storylines all wrapped up nicely, in case the show doesn’t getpicked up for round two, but the unsolved loose ends have me curiousenough to startwatching once it comes back next summer. Did anyone else watch thefinale lastnight? What do you think about the plot developments? Will you watchseason 2?