A lot has been made of the idea that the final six episodes of Game of Thrones may be longer than usual, and with the production spending just as much time filming season 8 as it did on prior seasons, we wouldn’t be surprised. Also a good sign: according to Entertainment Weekly, HBO’s other flagship show — Westworld, which has its second season premiere this weekend — will have several supersized episodes. Said co-creator Jonathan Nolan:
"The second season the premiere is a little over 70 minutes. The fourth episode — which is one of my favorites — is a little longer than an hour. And the finale is just going to keep going and going — it’s a bit of an epic."
For reference, the longest episode of Game of Thrones — “The Dragon and the Wolf,” the season 7 finale — is 81 minutes long. The second-longest — “Beyond the Wall” — is 71 minutes. It looks like HBO is becoming more comfortable with inflated episode run-times, which bodes well for Game of Thrones season 8.
Select critics were allowed to watch the first five episodes of season 2 ahead of time, with many hailing it as bigger, bloodier, bolder, smarter, faster and stronger than the first. Critics like EW’s James Hibberd agree that Episode 4 — “The Riddle of the Sphinx,” the first episode directed by co-creator Lisa Joy — is a highlight. Like the premiere, it will clock in at 70 minutes, and will reportedly feature an excellent performance from newcomer Peter Mullan as James Delos, “the park’s founding overlord.”
I’m glad to hear Nolan describe the season 2 finale as “epic,” as well. Let’s see if they can top the season 1 finale, where Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) killed Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) and kicked off the host uprising.
The Westworld season 2 premiere, “Journey Into Night,” airs this Sunday, April 22, at 8:00 p.m. CST. We’ll be covering it.
Next: Five reasons why Game of Thrones fans will love Westworld
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