I am glad to see both your thoughts!I have been thinking of Jay as a major player for this episode, but then I was thinking how he emerged out of nowhere, so I was wondering if I was wrong to think that. From what you say, it appears you think of him that way too.
I wasn't talking about major PLAYERS but rather the characters who got face time in the pre-merge. I feel that someone who doesn't have a lot of face time during that period may come on strong and have an arc of a few episodes post-merge, but is less likely to hang in to the end.
Like Grant, who was a major challenge stud, we just didn't hear much from him for a long time, and then we did, and then he was out.
Troyzan we have been listening to his story since Day One.
I agree that the preview storylines were non-stories. They were maybe the farthest from reality that I have seen yet for season previews.