Personally, I liked how they handled Amon up until the last episode or so. I just wish they had left the public unaware of his bending ability. Obviously he'd still be dead by the end, but I think his martyrdom could have been an interesting side component of season 2.
I was also disappointed that the scars weren't real. I was kinda hoping the story would just leave that question in the air, or maybe even imply that those were self-inflicted wounds. It's not like Avatar fans have anything against characters with permanent facial scars.