[quote name='bobo2k4']This episode was much better than last weeks. I still can't stand the Others. We can tell that they are not the bad guys but they are

ing annoying.
I'm tried of them trying to look mysterious.
[/QUOTE]
That's what I was saying during the episode as well. Their "leader" isn't very strong and inspiring, their only appeal early in the show was the mystery about them, and their "master plan" seems to be just to waste our time.
One gripe I have about it is that the flashbacks are getting pretty stale. I remember when the flashbacks used to be interesting and insightful about the character but now it seems like they're just getting in the way of the show.
Another thing that's really bothering me lately is having a plot twist just for the sake of having a plot twist. Oh wow, there's a smaller island...

Who the

cares? I'm half expecting next week's plot twist to be that we find out in a flashback that Jack used to be a woman.
I think all of these things are indicative of the writers simply running out of new ideas. They seem to need to try to outdo themselves so rather than "reveal" one of the mysteries and risk it being uninteresting and failing, they instead choose to make new mysteries to confuse us.
[quote name='slimpip']Des mentioned "there's something wrong with your roof" to Claire and an entering Charlie early in the episode. As we saw in the Locke "speech" episode he has somehow gained an ability to see into the future. My best guess is that lightning bolt was meant for Charlie, Claire, and the baby (Aaron). His lightning rod experiment changed the outcome of the future. Brutha.[/QUOTE]
Despite his foresight being yet another "mystery" I really feel like Desmond is one of the few interesting characters left. Everyone else, despite the writers' attempt's otherwise, have become just typical cookie cutter characters.
Its just amazing how different this show feels from first season. I still feel like the first season of Lost is one of the single greatest season of any TV show (premiere season or otherwise) but the story since then hasn't lived up to the bar that was set by the first season.