The Next Game Of Thrones Episode Is The Shortest In Series' History

It feels like this season of Game of Thrones has absolutely flown by, and unfortunately for those of us who longingly await the next episode, the series is showing no signs of slowing down.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the next episode of Thrones is the shortest one in the series' history. Season 7, episode 4, "The Spoils of War" clocks in at just 50 minutes in length, only slightly briefer than several past episodes that hit the 51-minute mark. 

"The Spoils of War" is considerably clipped in comparison to this season's previous installments, especially the episode that immediately precedes it; episode 3, "The Queen's Justice," offered up 63 minutes of Thrones goodness. Both the premiere and second episode came in just shy of an hour-long run time. 

But don't worry too much, dear Thrones enthusiasts: All will return to normal next week, when episode 5 pops back up to 59 minutes. Additionally, there's even something to look forward to as the weeks roll on: the season 7 finale. To balance out the brevity, the closing episode is more than 80 minutes long. This takes out the previous longest episode, the season 6 finale, "The Winds of Winter," that ran for 69 minutes. 

Showrunner David Benioff confirmed the run times before the season started. "One [episode] will be our longest episode ever—it's coming in around 90 minutes. Another is going to be our shortest episode at 50 minutes," he stated, though the hour and a half estimate was later proven inaccurate when the official episode lengths were revealed (via Elite Daily). 

Thrones fans would be wise to savor every minute of "The Spoils of War," as it'll be gone before they know it. Until Sunday, take a look back at everything you missed in the most recent episode.