But Season 6 broke the mold in many ways; Sansa and Jon finally reunited, Arya returned to Westeros from Braavos, and Dany set sail to conquer the kingdom.
It does seem like the folks behind Game of Thrones are cognizant of fan reaction.
The large ensemble cast was spread across various locations in Westeros, and it seemed like crossovers and reunions would never happen.
Toward the middle of its long tenure, the series suffered a bit from a pacing problem.