I think for a very long time, we just had a difficult time wrapping our brains around the loss of Anton, and what it meant to the show.
And that involved finding someone who could help us do that.
There was a long time when none of us really wanted to — we knew in the back of our heads that there was a practical requirement that we find someone who could finish out the series in Anton’s stead.
I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I think we all sort of knew what would help get us over that was the appreciation for the fact that the best way to honor Anton and to celebrate his life and his contributions to the show would be to get it out there into the world, and that involved finishing it.