Game Of Thrones Season 8 Premiere: 8 Ups And 3 Downs From 'Winterfell'

Downs...

3. Cersei Feels A Bit Of A Spare Part

Game of Thrones is a series that's built on the idea of power, and the shifts - whether small or seismic - in it. We've seen Kings and Queens come and go, but the balance of power has always lied in King's Landing through it all. Until now.

The biggest shift in power we've seen is that the show has shifted its major focus from the South to the North, since that's where the army of the dead will be arriving. On the one hand, that's great, because the North is the best (and I may not be talking about just theTV show anymore), but it does have its downsides, and here, that's Cersei.

She's grown into one of the most complicated and compelling characters in the entire series. She's taken power, held it, but now what? Most people have left her behind. She may no longer be pregnant. And while her scenes in this episode aren't bad, they do amount to little more than complaining there are no elephants (fair) and controlling then sleeping with Euron Greyjoy (also fair). For the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the best actress on the show in Lena Headey, and one of its richest characters (in all senses), that doesn't feel like enough.