[user104658]

Well like I said, they

Spoiler:

had Ramsay Snow, who at first didn't seem like Ramsay Snow but it turns out is basically just Ramsay Snow, lock the dog away and shave off Medusa's hair within the first episode

So I definitely think they're masking budget issues . The characters they still have with their powers in play are the ones with more TV-standard practical abilities (super strength, super fightyness etc.) and Black Bolt who (true to the source material, to be fair) is so over-powered that he actively avoids using them most of the time.

I have to say it did raise a chuckle when

Spoiler:

They flashed back to him as a teen just after getting his powers, and he says "Why!?" to his parents and all that's left of them after is a red smear on the wall

...though I guess that's not meant to be funny. .