15 Times S**t Got Real In Game Of Thrones
9. Cersei Is Seized By The Sparrows
This turning of the tables started slow and really snuck up on us. The faith seeming at first to be Cersei's foot soldiers made things appear to go the way they normally do for House Lannister but this betrayal was so shocking because it stems from a lack of corruption on the part of the High Sparrow.
Cersei is incredibly devious but, unlike Tywin and Tyrion, she suffers from hubris and a comparative lack of patience. These things led her right into the lion's den. It's rare that characters in 'Thrones fall into traps of their own making but this wasn't an obvious blunder.
Creating a monster in an armed faith, Cersei was trapped long before she, or even we, realised. As the High Sparrow talks about vanity and stripping away finery, Cersei's face becomes a fixed mask as she begins to comprehend her situation and calculate her chances. For the first time since Stannis' attack the audience were in the exact same boat as the Queen Mother.
The High Sparrow is slowly revealed as highly intelligent and more than a match for her. Previous scenes saw him reach a stalemate with Olenna - no mean feat - and with Cersei's capture he had taken control of the power behind the throne.
After being treated to a powerless Cersei, her threat to Septa Unella provides a strange comfort to the audience.