Viewers of the new Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon have been left divided over the at-times extreme level of violence and gore in the series premiere.
HBO Max viewers in the US got the first viewing of 'Heirs of the Dragon' as it aired last night, while UK and Irish viewers will be able to watch it this evening.
But be warned - there are some particularly gory moments throughout the hour-long episode, particularly as it approaches its final few minutes.
READ MORE: 'House of the Dragon is an orgy of intrigue, treachery, backstabbing, blood and gore'
In the premiere episode of the Game of Thrones spinoff, there are a number of violent scenes.
These include:
- A man being beheaded
- Numerous men being savagely beaten
- A man having his genitals cut off with a knife
- A man having his arm removed
- A mutilation of a horse
- Scenes of a violent birth
Some believed the show went too far - but others welcomed the bloody scenes, saying they harked back to the initial series.
One person wrote: "And House of the Dragon is already disturbing as f**k, insane violence, weird sex, crazy ass dialogue, and a screaming lady giving birth who will most likely die, yup GoT is back lol"
A second chimed in with: "I really missed the unnecessary violence"
Other people were less impressed, with one writing: "this was the worst instance of blood and violence i’ve ever seen on television. i feel sick."
Another added: "you gotta cut down on the gore. Jesus, I could only watch about half of the show!
While a third wrote: "The gore is serious. I’m feeling a bit queasy"
The series is set 200 years prior to the original Game Of Thrones series.
Instead of showcasing various families and lands, the spin-off will focus solely on the Targaryen family - though a few familiar faces and names are dropped throughout the first episode.
King Viserys’ reign represents the peak of Targaryen supremacy. As the house has never been so powerful, there are strong rivalries developing.
This ultimately leads to the Dance of the Dragons, a civil war fought between rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty, who battle it out to succeed King Viserys I Targaryen.
We are set to see brother fighting brother, mother fighting daughter, and dragon fighting dragon.
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