Game Of Thrones: 12 Ups And 4 Downs From Season 6

9. Heroes Win, Villains Lose

Until this point, heroes haven't had too many victories. It's a well-worn adage when it comes to Game of Thrones that you should never become too attached to a character, because the moment you do they're probably going to die.

It's why Joffrey was allowed free reign for over three seasons, while Ned was killed in Season 1. Why Roose Bolton and Walder Frey walked out of the Red Wedding intact, while Robb paid the ultimate price. Why when the Viper all-but-defeated the Mountain, it was actually he who stayed dead.

This season changed that considerably. Sansa and Theon successfully escaped from Winterfell and Ramsay's chasing men (and hounds). Jon Snow came back from the dead, and the mutineers were hanged. Jon later beat Ramsay to a bloody pulp, in one of the most satisfying scenes of the year, and it was followed-up with the equally satisfying moment of Sansa unleashing the hounds on her tormentor to finish him off. Dany defeated the Khals, and the Masters of Slaver's Bay. Sam stood up to his horrible father. Arya defeated the Waif, reclaimed her identity, and then returned to Westeros to open the throat of Walder Frey, a scene we'd long been waiting for.

All of these were moments of the heroes winning against the villains, and while they were fan-servicey, they very much worked in terms of advancing the show as we near the endgame: it's got new villains in place for Season 7, and the stage is a little clearer for our heroes to face the biggest test yet when the White Walkers come calling.