Yeah sure they story would suck if they didn't do that but at least I could figure out what was going on.
'Kay but here's the thing.
If we all knew what was going on, who would watch?
I know that I enjoy the OP characters a lot, but one of the main reasons I keep reading is not only to see what happens each week, but to see how much it gets to explaining things like:
D
One Piece
The secret of the WG
The Ancient Weapons
etc.
If we didn't have these enormous arching mysteries, there's no reason to come back and see our heroes doing what (let's face it) is essentially the same thing time and again, fighting shit and winning.
Even for dramas without huge mysteries like LOST, most of us wouldn't watch if we knew exactly what happened to the characters we liked at the end.
The Producers said it best I think in that LOST is a series that DEMANDS time and attention from viewers. I like the fact that they don't hide that.
And actually, much of what they're presented makes a great deal of sense, esp. when read in conjunction with the game from last summer. Just reading the Trivia from individual episode summaries at lostpedia will consume hours and reveal the show in a whole new light.
ie. it's the first mainsteam show for ultra nerds.