There are only seven episodes left to "Game of Thrones." Period. The final episode of Season 7 airs next Sunday, Aug. 27, following Episode 6, which was directed by the great Alan Taylor.

Taylor talked to Deadline about his penultimate episode, "Beyond the Wall," and what's ahead in the Episode 7 finale, as well as the six episodes of Season 8, which will start filming in October.

Alan Taylor: "Part of my episode was doing the job of braiding stories together that've been separate for a long time, braiding characters that've been separate for a long time, and that will only continue into Season 8. Now everything's converging, and that's going to get only more so in Season 8 when really, all the storylines come together."

Deadline asked what he would say is coming in next week's Season 7 finale and how that continues into Season 8.

Taylor: "What I enjoyed when I read all the scripts for this season and when I started to see what my fellow directors were doing, was that there was a thrill in realizing that this ball, this machine is revving up bigger and rolling faster and with more inevitability. But it also has just as many surprises, and that just continues to happen. So, from my episode to the finale next week, the plot points of my episode are topped by the plot points in the episode coming, and Season 8 progresses in the same way."

Deadline asked if that means the showrunners are "going out with a very big bang or fireball."

Taylor: "Well, the storylines are interweaving more tightly. The plot points are going to continue to sort of be like gut punches, and each of these characters that've been so fully fleshed out and so well-rounded are going to be moving towards their resolution, is what I'd say. I think people will be really surprised, but also fulfilled by where it goes. It's going to keep building the way it's been building, and I hope people stick around for it."

Who's not going to stick around for it?! If you've come this far, you're probably anxious to see how it all turns out. We're anticipating and dreading the end in equal measure.

Episode 7 is going to be a record 80 minutes long, and Entertainment Weekly reported that there won't be a major battle scene, with "Beyond the Wall" giving us our last big battle of the season.

It's exciting to hear that the finale "plot points" may top everything we just saw in Episode 6, with Season 8 topping everything in this high-impact season. It's still not clear when Season 8 will air, but hopefully it stays on track for a 2018 premiere.

The Season 7 finale, title as yet unknown, airs Sunday, Aug. 27 at 9 p.m. on HBO. Official photos usually come out Wednesday afternoon, but you can watch the preview now.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.