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After weeks of hype, the first major televised GOP debate of the 2016 presidential campaign is finally in the books. While there weren’t many big surprises in the two-hour, 10-way gabfest, the few that emerged were notable.

• Sen. Marco Rubio’s performance was head and shoulders above other participants. Despite a demeanor that often comes off as boyish — as in lacking in sufficient presence — his comments on issues ranging from immigration to new-economy commerce to the Iran nuclear deal to his own depth of experience were thoughtful, forward-thinking and delivered with grace and good humor.

Rubio’s explanation for why some Americans are so angry about lack of immigration reform, provides a thoughtful, respectful example: “This is the most generous country in the world with regard to immigration … and people feel we’re being taking advantage of.”

• Billionaire bully Donald Trump’s past is finally catching up with him, and vulnerabilities were on full display Thursday night. He was caught surprisingly flatfooted by co-moderator Megyn Kelly on a question regarding his history of demeaning, ugly comments about women, and his meanspirited retort — aimed at comedienne Rosie O’Donnell, whom he famously feuded with years ago — was the antithesis of presidential.

Likewise, comments on his business bankruptcy filings, high-profile political donations, the lack of any evidence to support his horrible comments about Mexican immigrants, and more, exposed him as a value-less braggadocio, an opportunist of the worst sort — the kind of person none of us raise our children to be.

For numerous reasons, he’s unlikely to implode, as did Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain in 2012, but we may well look back on tonight as the moment that the phenomenal Trump surge cooled and slowly began to contract. As problematic as his comments above are, it was his first diatribe of the night that cemented this — when he stubbornly refused to rule out running as an independent, if he doesn’t win the nomination, as the partisan audience loudly booed. He’ll be in this for some time yet, but his days as dominant frontrunner are likely over.

• Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Ted Cruz enjoyed solid nights, with strong crowd response at various points. But hometown hero Gov. John Kasich of Ohio — the debate was held in Cleveland — drew extended applause on multiple answers, which was amplified to a national television and online audience. All three might legitimately find new support from their performances, but expect Kasich to benefit the most.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul were mostly notable for the heated squabbling between them throughout the night, and Paul for his the right hook he landed early on Trump (“He buys and sells politicians of all stripes; he’s already hedging his bets on the Clintons, OK?”). Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker were genial, but bland, offering performances likely to be quickly forgotten.

One of the most notable participants of the day, though, was in the earlier debate — its seemingly consensus winner, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina. Asked whether Trump was getting the better of her, Fiorina offered a breezy but laser-focused smackdown.

With Hillary Clinton hobbled by attacks from all quarters, Sen. Bernie Sanders ascendant and the looming possibility of Vice President Joe Biden joining the race on the Democratic side, what once looked like a somnolent 2016 campaign suddenly seems to have all the makings of a fascinating presidential election.

“Well, I don’t know. I didn’t get a phone call from Bill Clinton before I jumped in the race. Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton,” Fiorina asked, pointedly referring to news reports this week that Trump conferred with the former president before deciding to run. “Maybe it’s because I hadn’t given money to the (Clinton) Foundation or donated to his wife’s Senate campaign.” She later added, “Since (Trump) has changed his mind on amnesty, on health care and on abortion, I would ask, what are the principles by which he will govern?”

She followed that with well-presented comments on stopping cyber terrorism and the Iran nuclear deal, leaving the impression of a very capable player. In fact, Fiorina was the most-searched candidate name nationwide during the early debate, according to Google, making it even more perplexing that the Republican Party didn’t work a little harder to get its only woman candidate on the main stage.

As the real force behind the conception and execution of the debate, Fox News did an admirable job, with anchors Kelly, Chris Wallace and Brett Baier asking tough, pointed questions, often boring in when candidates dodged. Despite the nakedly conservative context of a great many questions, none of the three threw softballs, delivering a debate stronger and more substantial than many expected. While there is plenty to disagree with among the candidates’ answers, the format in which they provided them forced them to focus on questions most would have rather avoided and to articulate direct answers.

With Hillary Clinton hobbled by attacks from all quarters over the past two months, Sen. Bernie Sanders strongly ascendant and the looming possibility of Vice President Joe Biden joining the race on the Democratic side, what once looked like a somnolent 2016 campaign — sometimes referred to as a likely Clinton coronation — suddenly seems to have all the makings of a fascinating presidential election; between both parties, a widely diverse range of candidates, in ideology and individual backgrounds, ready to debate the issues on their merits.

Trump is the crass, uncivil outlier in the overall field of 22 Republican and Democratic candidates. For that very difference, he’s likely to endure — as an anomaly, impervious to criticism and comfortably capable of funding what will increasingly appear as a vanity run. If for only exposing those realities for the electorate, the first debate for 2016 has to be considered a success.