I think it's obvious to me and everyone who has read the books that the frequent scenes of sexual violence in Game of Thrones are a commentary on gender in fantasy in general. Where frequently fantasy stories focus themselves on the heroism of the male rescuing the damsel in distress, George R.R. Martin lingers with the so-called damsel and offers a rather stark, uncomfortable portrayal of what being "in distress" in a feudal system might actually mean. Also, there's no rescue to speak of, and knights are defined less by honor and more by simple force of arms: They're not knights because they're chivalrous; they're knights because they have swords and armor and can kill you. And chivalry is even less believable then, you know, zombies.
The thing is, not a single woman I've watched the show with who hasn't read the books gets this from watching the show. Instead, it comes across to them as just crude, sexual exploitation meant to entertain a male viewer. I'm drawing from a small and very politically conscious subset of the population, but I think it's a genuine problem with the HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones so far. What's supposed to be a commentary on gender and heroism comes across as something else entirely.
