HBO has released some unsettling news regarding the ''Game of Thrones'' final season's episodes. And, it did that just one month ahead from the starting point of the eighth and final season of ''Game of Thrones''. According to Forbes, the ending chapter of the highly-acclaimed series will have six episodes only. The previous season had seven episodes, and the general opinion was that the show was kind of rushed to its end. Let's not forget that the first six seasons they all consisted of ten episodes each.

According to IMDb, Season 8 will have its premiere on April 14.

HBO has also disclosed some disturbing news regarding the running time of the first two episodes of the soon-to-start season. The season will premiere with a 54 minutes long episode, while the second one will stretch out for about 57 minutes. Both are less than an hour long which somehow contradicts the needs of an already shortened season.

Shortening the episodes may be a double-tailed strategy

We may not know the reasons that stood behind the decision to shorten the first two episodes of the eighth season, but we know that this fact may unsettle some hearts. Some may fear that the very same sense of urgency that had been present all over Season 7 is likely to crawl its way throughout the next one as well.

But, again, we don't know the intricacies of the script, and without that, it's hard to make a thorough assessment. Maybe the creators decided to cut out some non-vital parts so that the narrative could remain compressed, appealing, not letting the viewer off the hook.

When it comes to the audience's point of view, the fans have all the right in the world to be a bit shell shocked by the news.

After all, when the first news on Season 8 emerged, they were promised longer episodes as a form of compensation for the reduced number.

Too many loose ends that need a clarification

When the previous season ended, we're left somehow baffled and confused. The reason was a cornucopia of narrative threads all converging to the same spot, all carrying around dozens of secondary stories.

It's a genuine narrative web with so little space for maneuvers.

The Night King and the Army of the Dead pierced the Wall and are now threatening the very existence of Westeros. Cersei Lannister is still pursuing her obsession with the Iron Throne.

Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are now having a carnal relationship. Still, they're both completely unaware of the incestuous nature of their intercourse.

About Jon Snow, Brann and Sam have just discovered who his father, a development that may cause significant turmoil possibly shifting the balance of power on legitimacy grounds.

And those are the major narrative threads waiting for a clarification. Season 8 will wrap up one of the greatest stories of the TV Series spectrum. Would it bring a fair amount of satisfaction for the audience? That remains to be seen.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED