Season six of HBO’s highly popular "Game of Thrones" a turning point for the series, because the show has started to diverge from the novels more drastically, and television writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are left to continue the series without guidance from George R.R. Martin. While fans of Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series were skeptical, Benioff and Weiss have delivered and brought us another great season.

The departure from the novels is apparent in the first few episodes, where the storylines seem to stumble a bit. Deanerys Targaryen and Arya Stark’s stories were lacking in the first half of the season, having a lot of buildup and no real substance. At a point, it seemed as if these stories were going nowhere, leaving many fans with a bitter taste in their mouth.

These worries are alleviated by later episodes, where the long build-up of these storylines pays off in a big way. These somewhat disappointing storylines eventually lead to some of the most memorable parts of the season. Jon, Sansa, Davos, Sam, and Bran are all exactly where they were before, but eventually end up somewhere entirely different by the end of the season. This is a nice surprise, considering every season of Game of Thrones typically has at least one or two storylines that fall flat.

Season six has a lot of build-up, but even more payoffs. Everything viewers have been hearing about finally happens. Jon Snow’s past is revealed, Deanerys takes more steps towards Westeros, and the religious conflict in King’s Landing is finally dealt with. Because of all the action taking place, season six may be the best since the third season, with some scenes being even more shocking than the infamous ‘Red Wedding.’

While the first few episodes of season six are disappointing, the final two are the best the series has had so far. The ninth and tenth episode run together, and feels almost like a two and half hour finale that leaves you excited for more. Any concerns I had at the beginning were gone by the time the credits rolled on episode ten, and this season has everything people have come to love about "Game of Thrones." The show may not be on-par with Martin’s novels, but it still manages to be the most exciting and intriguing series currently running.