'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 6 Runtime May Not Be Enough to Satisfy

Only seven more days stand between Game of Thrones fans and the show’s final episode. Season 8, Episode 6 (title unknown) will attempt to provide closure on one of the biggest and most popular TV shows of all time. But can Game of Thrones stick the landing? Even an extended runtime may not be enough.

Here are the facts: Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6 airs on May 19 with a runtime of one hour and 20 minutes. It’s written and directed by GoT showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That all sounds promising in theory, but there’s reason to believe the series finale could be doomed to fail.

First, let’s talk about the runtime. Despite clocking in at a lengthy 80 minutes, Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6 won’t be the longest episode of GoT. That honor goes to Episode 3, “The Long Night,” which focused exclusively on the Great Battle of Winterfell. It was the longest battle scene ever recorded, and pretty damn good despite some lighting issues.

Episode 6 likely won’t take the same approach, instead offering closure on the major remaining characters. It’s possible it could replicate Episode 4 (runtime: one hour and 18 minutes), which basically acted as two separate episodes crammed together. If Episode 6 does the same, it could end up feeling like two more rushed episodes.

As for Benioff and Weiss (or D&D as the fandom refer to them), the duo’s reputation has plummeted in the past few weeks, as fans reacted poorly to Season 8’s rushed pacing, flawed logic, and (arguably) lazy storytelling.

It’s possible we could see D&D finally step up and nail the Game of Thrones series finale as the one episode they’re both writing and directing. Then again, the only other episodes these two have directed were “Two Swords” and “Walk of Punishment.” Both are fine episodes, but neither could be considered a classic like “The Rains of Castamere” or “The Mountain and the Viper.”

Then again, after a phenomenal Episode 5, Game of Thrones looks primed to actually pull this thing off.

Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5 below.

Episode 5 delivered an incredible 80 minutes of television, offering a satisfying Cleganebowl, an epic battle at King’s Landing, and the Mad Queen Daenerys Targaryen. It was a great episode that also set the table for a satisfying conclusion in Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6.

Will Dany be queen? Or will Jon Snow step up and claim the throne after seeing how dangerous she really is? Will Arya kill Daenerys to fulfill her “green eyes” prophecy? Plus, what about Sansa, Brienne, Bran, and everyone else back at Winterfell?

Honestly, that 80-minute runtime might not be enough.

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 6 airs Sunday, May 19 at 9 p.m. on HBO.