The Mother of Dragons is in protection mode, this time protecting the rep of her show.
When asked about criticism that Game of Thrones is sexist, Emilia Clarke, a.k.a. GOT's Khaleesi, told Entertainment Weekly, "There are women depicted as sexual tools, women who have zero rights, women who are queens but only to a man, and then there are women who are literally unstoppable and as powerful as you can possibly imagine. So it pains me to hear people taking Thrones out of context with [an] anti-feminist spin — because you can’t do that about this show. It shows the range that happens to women, and ultimately shows women are not only equal, but have a lot of strength."
Game of Thrones faced criticism last season for a brutal (and some argued, completely unnecessary) rape scene. GOT writer Bryan Cogman defended the scene, though. He explained, "[When] we decided we were going to do that, we were faced with the question, 'If she’s marrying Ramsay, what would happen on her wedding night?' And we made the decision to not shy away from what would realistically happen on that wedding night with these two characters, and the reality of the situation, and the reality of this particular world."
Game of Thrones will return, likely sparking more discussion, on April 24.