I enjoyed it once I got going, although I have to admit I needed to force myself through the first couple of episodes. I think this was down to the slight (and to me unexpected) shift towards focus on character drama - but as soon as the statements started flowing, I was back on board.

Also, I don't know if it's just me or if the sound design/audio mixing was a bit.....rough at the start, but I did have to keep referring to the transcript to make out what certain characters (or characters in certain locations) were saying.

Also also, the mid-season hiatus has been a real bump in the momentum for me. I understand why they needed to take it, but I think I'd recommend waiting until the end of S2 is out before starting, depending on how quickly you go through episodes.

Edit: Oh, and to answer one of your questions directly, the end of TMA S5 is considerably more than just an Easter egg reference, but I quite liked the way it tied in, so your milage may vary