LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) -- For many fans, the latest 'Game of Thrones' episode, 'Beyond the Wall,' was an emotional roller coaster. It's teased deaths, major plots developments, and hinted at budding romances that left social media reeling.
Unfortunately, though, Season 7 is shorter than the usual 10 episodes, but fans can take solace in one thing: the finale, airing this Monday, will be the longest episode of the HBO hit yet, clocking in at 79 minutes and 43 seconds, the networks confirmed on Tuesday.
HBO also revealed the episode's name: 'The Dragon and the Wolf.' The Season 7 finale will feature a meeting of the warring forces of Westeros, houses Lannister, Stark, and Targaryen, in order to discuss how to deal with the threat of a White Walker invasion, as shown in a teaser for the episode.
Given the slowly building tension between Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, whose house sigils are a dragon and a wolf respectively, and the tender moment they shared in last week's episode in which Jon finally agreed to bend the knee, the episode title could be alluding to the relationship many fans have been rooting for.
Alternatively, the title could also reference the in-world reveal of a long-held lineage secret. Up until now, very few characters in the 'Game of Thrones' universe knew of Jon Snow's true parentage: that he is not a bastard, but rather the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
Considering Gilly's recent discovery that Rhaegar and Lyanna were married in secret, this could be the perfect time for Jon's heritage to make a splash. Since Jon is not, indeed, a bastard, he is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, a position which Dany has be eyeing since Season 1. The competing claims to the throne could drive a wedge between Westeros' newest alliance and may even provide Daenerys' prophetic final betrayal for love.
The season finale of the penultimate season of 'Game of Thrones' will air at 11am this Monday.