"Game of Thrones" episodes have always been action-packed, and little in the way of "filler" was seen as the first six seasons of the show unfolded. All sixty episodes had been exciting and told a story that kept viewers guessing and on their toes. That is why, when it was announced that there were only 13 episodes left after season 6 — and all of them spread thin across the final two seasons — fans were dismayed. Were the creators and screenwriters running out of meaningful stories to tell? Will there be not as much intrigue, drama, and political (and personal) backstabbing in seasons 7 and 8?
Season 7 and 8 episodes will be as long as movies
Not quite. It was announced that Season 7 would only have seven episodes, but the difference is that some of these episodes will be significantly longer than the usual 50 to 55-minute affairs that "Game of Thrones" has had for the past six seasons. HBO has already revealed the run times for Season 7's episodes, and three of them run past the 1-hour mark. Season 7, Episode 3 will be 61 minutes long; Episode 6, 71 minutes; and the finale will take an amazing 81 minutes of Screen Time. That's like a feature-length film!
And it does not stop there. An article from Bustle reported that Season 8's episodes would be even longer. According to "Game of Thrones" sound designer Paula Fairfield, season 8 episodes will be as long if not longer than season 7's finale.
If this is true, then we will have a season that will consist entirely of feature-length episodes.
Where is the story headed?
This is welcome news, as almost everyone has claimed that the "final thirteen" episodes were initially indicative of the showrunners running out of ideas. We now know that this is not true; we are still getting an awful lot of screen time, but this time packed in fewer episodes.
Anyway, mileages may vary; some may be in favor of shorter episodes, and some may favor longer ones. But if the creators thought that adapting into this design is what's best for the show, fans may be getting some surprises that justify the change.
As for the stories to be told in the final two seasons of "Game of Thrones," quite a few ideas were presented.
The same article from Bustle speculated that season 7 would be dealing with the Iron Throne conflict once and for all, resolving the age-old conflict regarding the "rightful" heir to Westeros rule. In turn, Season 8 could be focused on the greater war: that is, the humans' war against the white walkers.
