‘Game of Thrones’ returns at last

Explosive opening to season seven

Los Angeles – Game of Thrones returned for its seventh season premiere on Sunday.

This ended a longer-thanusual wait for fans craving its unique weekly offer of sex, violence and dragons.

Already one of television’s events of the year, viewers were not disappointed.

Many took to social media to express delight at the explosive start opening, the arrival of dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen in Westeros and a widely hyped cameo by pop sensation Ed Sheeran.

“There are very few shows that can deliver as much action and excitement as the season six Game of Thrones finale, and there are perhaps even fewer shows that can make a tablesetting episode this much fun,” the Hollywood Reporter said after the premiere.

“So it’s all the more bittersweet that not only is winter here, but the end is in sight.”

The debut episode, entitled Dragonstone, saw evil Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), now ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, making alliances that threaten newly anointed King of the North Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Trained poisoner and throat slitter-in-chief Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) exploded out of the blocks in a shocking opening by taking vengeance on the killers of her family at the infamous Red Wedding.

Such was the online interest that the HBO.com website even crashed due to a surge in visitors for the first half of the episode.

It is due to run for a shortened seven episodes this year before returning for a six-episode final season.