Game of Thrones fans watching the season eight premiere in China earlier this week missed out on the episode’s violence, cursing, and sex scenes — basically all the bits that make Game of Thrones, well, Game of Thrones.
CNN reports that the premiere episode, which contained swearing, prostitution scenes, and celebrities getting arrowed through the eye, was heavily edited because of China’s strict censorship rules.
The exclusive rights to stream HBO’s show in China are held by conglomerate Tencent, which came under fire from viewers who stated that the censorship would push them toward illegal viewing means.
“I’m not unwilling to pay Tencent for this show, but how can I watch when they cut so many scenes?” one viewer wrote on movie review website Douban. “I’ll have to download the video from the internet eventually.”
Episode two of Game of Thrones’ eighth and final season will air this Sunday, April 21.
