What I don't get is why when I pick the re:link, the bbs dumps me into threaded mode, against my preference.

The only explanation I can think of is that it wants you to be sure of which post it's referring you to. This is also the explanation I have for the threaded search results. You see, when the thread loads, it will take you to the post, then if pictures load they will most likely throw you off from the post you wanted to see. I think that dumping you into threaded mode is the way to make sure.

This is also annoying when you choose "view your post" after posting, and I'd like it to automatically move down to my post. But this isn't too much of a problem with the "end" button