*SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES THROUGH SEASON SIX

In its sixth year on HBO, Game of Thrones recently wrapped up its highest rated season yet, which included two of the series’ finest hours back-to-back. But coming into Season Six, no one really knew what to expect. A number of lingering questions loomed over the off-season, most notably being the fate of Jon Snow. Death and certain resurrection aside, a larger dilemma finally manifested itself – the show caught up to the books. “What if?” finally became “What now?”

Until Season Five’s finale, HBO’s adaptation maintained an asymptotic relationship with the novels, always approaching a point of convergence but never intersecting. Early in the series, the confluence of both mediums always seemed far enough away that it didn’t pose a legitimate threat. Even author George R.R. Martin never thought it would happen. But with every season finale, the possibility became more likely, haunting the show like a ghost elephant in the room. Perhaps that was Martin’s greatest mistake – underestimating the inevitability of this moment.

HBO’s first countermeasure was to split up book material across multiple seasons – an effective tactic that seemed to work. That is, until it became clear that Martin would miss the necessary deadlines to release his next book, The Winds of Winter, before Season Six. For once, the show would be ahead of the books. Although Martin and book loyalists likely thought armageddon was upon them, the opposite happened for fans of the show.

The first few episodes were great. And they only improved. No longer weighed down by the books, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were imparted with a newfound creative freedom. Their first course of action was to address the series’ pacing.

Equipped with the best GPS in Westeros, characters could now reach their destinations at a fraction of the time it once took them. Voyaging from Mereen to Dorne and back again within 45 minutes became a non-issue. Or maybe Varys is actually a merman, and my point is completely mute. All jokes aside, disregarding conventional travel patterns allowed Benioff and Weiss to focus on more important details.

As a series often plagued by too many storylines, HBO’s adaptation occasionally suffered in service to its source material. In an effort to streamline all existing narratives, Benioff and Weiss strategically grouped multiple characters and locations en masse -Jon, Sansa, Davos, and Melisandre, Daenerys and the Iron Islands, Highgarden and Dorne, etc. What was once a weakness evolved into one of the show’s historical strengths – the unlikely pairing of previously unrelated characters. Consolidation will ultimately pay dividends during the series’ conclusion, especially with next season’s reduced episode count. Season Six prepared quite the smorgasbord of material for fans to devour in Season Seven.

Character arcs that have gestated for years, some at a more laborious rate than others, received a necessary jolt. Dany’s seemingly endless quest toward King’s Landing leaped forward, receiving the essential resources to finally sail west. Arya’s time in Bravos – initially an exciting arc yet ultimately squandered -concluded in bloody fashion with the satisfying deaths of the Waif and Walder Frey upon her return to Westeros. There were less Sand Snakes and generally more moments that fans really cared about. For the first time, all character perspectives were equally enjoyable. And enjoyment is typically an emotion that couldn’t be farther removed from the this universe.

Despite being known for its epic and fantasy elements, Game of Thrones has generally rejected the romanticization of war, instead opting for a more “realistic” approach to the casualties of conflict. As they say, “Valar morghulis” – all men must die. Ned Stark’s Season One death established early on that no one is safe; maintaining a “favorite” has typically been futile. If anything, the very act would likely sentence them to an untimely death by some fan-superstition-osmosis. Flash forward several years to Season Six, though, and circumstances were quite different.

This time around, not only did favorites survive. They won. On some crumpled up piece of paper, maybe Martin has written plans for Jon Snow to lose or Arya to die. Maybe Jon doesn’t even meet Ramsay Bolton on the battlefield. To their advantage, Benioff and Weiss weren’t obligated to wait around for an answer.

Years of pain and suffering quickly gave way to some much-needed emotional levity. Few scenes offered the same gratification as seeing Ramsay Bolton become dog food or the Stark banners return to Winterfell. ‘Battle of the Bastards’ and ‘Winds of Winter’ alone, may have contained more satisfying moments than the entire series combined.

By that truth, Season Six was the most uncharacteristic season yet. Only in retrospect is it apparent just how much Benioff and Weiss altered the series’ thematic framework. Exploring uncharted territory didn’t just benefit fans of the show.

For book readers, this also meant the resolution of various, long-standing fan theories. None were bigger than the cryptic theory known to the initiated simply as R+L=J (Rhaegar Targaeryan + Lyanna Stark = Jon Snow). But it was the validation of another popular, albeit smaller theory that demonstrated the need for and power of divergence.

One of the books’ most mysterious figures is a character known simply as Coldhands. Fans have surmised for years that Coldhands is actually Benjen Stark, who disappears in the first novel. Show-only fans may remember Benjen’s brief stint in Season One before he vanishes beyond the Wall.

But his presence has certainly been felt, most recently in the Season 5 finale, used in name only to bait Jon Snow prior to his assassination. According to notes written by George R.R. Martin, he rejected the theory with a resounding “NO.” In the absence of an official novel answer, Benioff and Weiss defied Martin and confirmed the theory by reintroducing Benjen this year in a slightly new interpretation of Coldhands. It was fan service at its finest, but logical, nonetheless.

Sure, Benioff and Weiss could have waited for The Winds of Winter to be released. But why deny fans the reward of answers that have conveniently been seeded from the beginning? Had the sixth book been released prior to this season, it’s unclear how many of these loose threads would have been resolved. Some may argue that HBO simply pilfered Martin’s future content, but a great idea is nothing without proper execution. And Benioff and Weiss executed flawlessly.

As a non-book reader, it always felt like HBO’s series was caught between a rock and a hard place. In hindsight, the show’s weakest seasons were likely a result of stalling to delay the inevitable. Even Game of Thrones‘ most disappointing episodes were still better than the majority of shows that occupied the TV landscape at the same time. It’s hard not to wonder, though, how much better the show could have been if Benioff and Weiss let loose earlier instead of waiting until it was absolutely necessary.

Fortunately, the reigns seem to be off for good. If Season Six is any indication of future quality, the final seasons may be the series’ crowning achievement. All will be revealed next summer when Season Seven airs. Until then, maybe George R.R. Martin will surprise fans and release the next installment in his 20 year-old series. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.