Yes, the season finale was a "What the!?!?!" to me. As I've said the series goes all over the place in the biggest extremes I recall seeing in a regular show. It's reached the point where the kitchen sink is the least of the bizarre things thrown in. There are too many sub-plots and characters to keep track of, that barely relate to each other.

Also, the extremes of character have been at their most ourageous this season. As you mentioned Bill's total religious fanaticism which we never saw even a hint of in any of the other seasons. What is he a bi-polar vampire and we are just now seeing him in his mania stage? Also, at the begiining of the season Lafayette was at an all time low with the death of his lover and the craziness of his newly discovered medium gift. Not to mention getting his mouth sewn shut. Yikes. But with the snap of a writer's fingers on a keyboard he is completely recovered and the comic relief of the whole episode. Only Tara's complete change of personality is understandable to me. Being turned into a vampire can totally change your POV.

I don'y know if I even want to start watching the next season. The Bizarro world-ness the show has begun takes away my emotional enjoyment of it. But I might end up watching just to see the zaniness that come up.

 I'm watching it right now...and I can't believe this crap.  This season was doing SO WELL, and then they just decide to get stupid at the end..."My light broke"..."BLAST HIM!"...are you F***ING serious?

I agree with monkeyfoot.  I'm not sure I want to commit to another season of this show.  I don't share Joel Rickenbach's fervor for Alan Ball's scripts (was Ball trying to stay true to the books).  I thought the show was all over the place this season...the Ifrit (fire monster), the Fairy Elder, Maurella's quadruplets, Mr. and Mrs. Stackhouse (who make their offspring sound like intellectuals), etc.  It all got a little to silly / stupid for  my tastes.

Joel also mentioned the incredible fragility of the vampires in this series (calling it a peccadillo)...I see it as a major flaw in the show.  You can exterminate True Blood vampires by exposing them to sunlight, driving (or throwing) a wooden stake through their heart (a sharp wooden pencil would probably due), you can shoot them with, arrows, wooden or silver bullets (not sure which it is),  inject silver into their blood stream, or trick them into drinking blood with silver in it, chop off their head, or if you are a shifter turn into a fly, fly into their mouth, and than turn back into a human (witches and fairy's can also knock them on their ass if they don't get bitten first).  Russell Edgington somehow managed to survive for  3,000 years but was killed rather easily in last ngiht's spisode.. Next season I imagine the Vampire's will be dispatched by kids shooting holy water at them from water pistols.  A few year's ago Lafayette was traumatized by a absolutely frightening Eric (who kept him locked up in a dark cellar) this year Jason and (the new) Eric call each other names like children until Sookie scolds them.

The Twilight and True Blood series have de-fanged vampires.  I long for a vampires that resemble the vamps in Salem's Lot or Dracula.  Let's hope some writer doesn't come up with a Zombie love story / soap opera.

 I think what I find frustrating is that there is so much in the series that now makes no sense whatsoever if you haven't read the books, and therefore have the background.

@ Blankczech Have you watched the movie Stakeland?  Even though those creatures are quite mindless, their ferocity goes along with the type of creature you long to see :)

Do you still doubt that "a 40 men can date a 30 or much younger women".....all at "ageloving_com".....answer you well

@BlankCzech - I second the vote for stakeland.

I love the show, but know that it has it's flaws.  Look forward to next season in hopes that Bill Compton stays dead forever.  I knew when he turned into a puddle of goo it was to good to be true.

Stakeland is a cool film, it too has it's flaws, but definitely worth checking out.

For all it's flaws True Blood is still a show I love to watch.  Only thing I didn't like about the finale was Russell's death.  After delivering such an amazing scene at the end of last episode, he deserved a more satisifying ending.  Best moment for me was Sam exploding out of that vampire lady.  Definitely one of the best kills ever on the show.