they are not just all in on some secret little plan to surprise us all with his return

That really saddens me, because I had been sorta clinging onto that hope, and planning to pick the show up again when he returned. And yeah, I sorta resent being given huge hints he will be back when it looks like there still isn't a concrete plan for his return, especially since a lot of fans must be hanging on precisely for that. Sigh. I guess I'll cling onto whatever shreds of hope are left, but that's really disappointing.

:-(