I just finished watching the season finale, and one hell of a season finale it was! I can't wait for Season 2, mostly because, like the president of Cinemax, I can't wait to see how they write their way out of much of what went down in the finale.
As for the stitches on Starr's lip, they didn't look the least bit out of place because I seriously doubt his character went even one ep without having at least one huge brawl. It would have been more out of place if he
didn't have stitches on his lip.
But for all the violence in the show, the articles are not lying when they say it's the characters' personal stories that are really the heart of the series, particularly the love story between Starr and Milicevic's characters. In fact, I'd say that their rocky (to say the least) love story is really the most satisfying part of the show.