Does anyone notice that each episode is now being devoted to a certain number of characters like 5 or 6 diff characters per episode.

In series 1 we saw nearly every character each episode and now we just see them when there storyline is important.

I liked having all of them appear in episodes like they did in series 1 anyone else agree?

Yea - we didn't any of the women (except Ana Lucia) in One of Them.

I'm not sure your criticism is valid, it is for 'One of them' but everyone was in The long con and Fire + water.....

I am in the process of rewatching old eppies, and in the first episodes, we had to find out who all the characters were. You could just not have Michael and Walt or Sun and Jin in say "White Rabbit" because that would just be strange. We'd all be like, "Where is that Korean couple?" It would be too difficult to put everybody in now. We wouldn't get to see more important stuff.

ya thats cos s1 we had to learn about the characters, we know each of them now, their weaknesses and fears, so s2 doesn't have to spend as much time on 1 specific character each ep, its showtime...

There were glaring absences in the first season, as well. I remember wondering where the blonde and her brother were going to live when everyone split up into the caves and the beach...