Wow, episode 27... that was some wicked stuff. For a mostly mecha anime this episode sported some really good covert ops and stealth battle. Holland was friggin scary as hell early on in the episode, and Charles...

Man, that was just raw. Using the gun to lift up the bulletproof vest and firing off until there's nothing left, raw. And the end, holy shit, if it already wasn't messy enough...

I also got the feeling that someone from the Gekko-go will die sometime in the future, it just seems to always happen that way around the end of season 2 or beginning of season 3 in anime. One important character from the bad guy's side dies, then one from the good guy's. My money is on Moon-doggie or Stoner getting killed, especially after Stoner's words in 27.

Some questions I hope are going to be answered: What is going on with the Nirvash? Is it permanently linked with Renton/Eureka's minds now?
What exactly is Ray's deal with childbirth and how did it get that way? (answered in ep. 28)
Is Eureka even a human being? Ray certainly made it seem like she wasn't...

Episode 28, here I come!

Oh,and I concur on the generally negative consenus about the new opening.

Edit: I love the small visual effects that they do so well in this anime. The expressions on people's faces say more than most dialogues, gestures are usually meaningful. Best of all, as someone mentioned recently, is the small details that are done so well in this show.
I love that the blood wasn't all washed off from the Nirvash. At first you see just a smudge on the white paint in the blurry foreground, then they go to a long-shot where you can see the whole Nirvash, including the arm that is still bloody despite obviously being washed. Then they cut to a running shower. Then to the messed up inside of Charles/Ray's kitchen, and what is in the very center of the initial shot? Spilt tomatoe sauce all over the floor. Slow pan up towards the empty table. New shot: focus on the table from above, everything white except for the RED condiment tray in the center. Next shot: inside the refrigerator, a slow pan downward ending on uncooked meat. Oh the visual innuendo's are beautiful in this show!

28 was great as well. Damn this show kicks some major ass