While this post does not contain spoilers, the comments might (should, in fact).
# Was the last 30 seconds of the season finale pre-planned, or tacked-on after they found out they were getting renewed?
# Will it be resolved within the first episode back, or will it be an ongoing plot thread (along with the requisite casting change)?
I think the last two episodes probably replaced two episodes that would have been in the middle some place (and different) if they had not gotten picked up. It feels like the episodes where Dr. Cox quits and is rehabilitated, and the episode My Deja Vu My Deja Vu were written as decent final episodes.