Yes, definitely my favourite too, except probably Firefly but part of that was still pretty heavily tied in with the Over There arc. And I think we share our amusement/relief at reconfirming Olivia as the active hero.

The jump into the future was a bit surprising but not, perhaps, in retrospect? It's a scifi show that's already done stuff with the Observers and the nature of time. I think as long as there's an Olivia in the future, however heroic Peter is, she'll top him. ;) But my main thought is, is this the device we'll be seeing in season four, similar to the way Over There was introduced in season three? I don't believe they'll get rid of Over There in any way, but they might add another layer of strangeness.