It was the execution of the dual chronology that made it interesting. It was subtly done in terms of the production of suspense and continued interest.
It was certainly more subtle than your average HBO/AMC "let's kick off three or four soap operatic storylines each involving one half to one third of the recurring cast, then we'll end one dramatically mid season to stop momentum from flagging, and have the other two or three implausibly contrive to run together in a huge train wreck in the last two episodes, leaving everything neatly resolved (and half the non-recurring cast dead or permanently banished) except for the established master multi-season arc, and some absurd cliffhanger hook for next season" thingummy.
