Winter Is Problematic: Gender, Race, and Ableism in 'Game of Thrones' (2011) episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 14, 2025 · 38 MIN

Winter Is Problematic: Gender, Race, and Ableism in 'Game of Thrones' (2011)

from The Problematic Gaze

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we rewatch the very first episode of Game of Thrones with our eyes wide open — and the rose-colored glasses off. Once hailed as a gritty feminist epic, the show’s legacy now looks a lot messier. We dig into how Game of Thrones glorified sexual violence, punished ambitious women, and stripped its female leads of power and complexity. But it didn’t stop there: we also unpack the show’s troubling handling of race — from the white savior fantasy of Daenerys to the one-dimensional portrayal of the Dothraki and Unsullied — and how disability was reduced to metaphor or moral punishment. In the game of thrones, you win or you die… but some characters were never even given a fair shot.We watched Game Of Thrones Season 1, Episode 1 'Winter Is Coming' on Sky Box Sets on the UK.To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!Click here to follow us on all our socialsPlease leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.  And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Winter Is Problematic: Gender, Race, and Ableism in 'Game of Thrones' (2011)

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