HBO’s wildly popular Game of Thrones saw its share of criticism regarding how the show depicted rape (and general violence). The epic-fantasy series, which ended in 2019, was often called out for gratuitous brutality and titillating, porn-esque shots. (Sansa Stark’s brutal season five wedding night particularly upset viewers.) So fans and critics alike have been understandably curious as to how its much-anticipated prequel, House of the Dragon, will handle similar issues. According to House of the Dragon writer and executive producer Sara Hess, her show takes a different tack.

The prequel, which premieres on HBO on August 21, is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of a generational war in House Targaryen. It’s been described as more of a family drama than its sweeping predecessor, with co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik telling The Hollywood Reporter that House of the Dragon “pulls back” on sexual content. Despite that, Sapochnik caused a stir almost two weeks ago when he seemed to say in the same interview that the show would essentially still depict women being brutalized.

“Violence against women is still very much part of the world” in which House of the Dragon is set, the trade wrote, though Sapochnik said that scenes of such violence are done “carefully” and “thoughtfully” on the series. “[We] don’t shy away from it,” he continued. “If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect. You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified.”

(The series is not historically accurate, of course; it’s based on writer George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones fantasy universe, which draws elements from medieval Europe.)

But Hess had a somewhat different explanation when we asked her directly about the controversy. “I’d like to clarify that we do not depict sexual violence in the show,” she told Vanity Fair of the series, which is based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood. “We handle one instance off-screen, and instead show the aftermath and impact on the victim and the mother of the perpetrator.” So unlike with GoT, House of the Dragon viewers will not actually watch sexual violence unfold.

“I think what our show does, and what I’m proud of, is that we choose to focus on the violence against women that is inherent in a patriarchal system,” Hess continued in a statement to Vanity Fair.

“There are many ‘historical’ or history-based shows that romanticize powerful men in sexual/marriage relationships with women who were actually not of an age to consent, even if they were ‘willing.’ We put that onscreen, and we don’t shy away from the fact that our female leads in the first half of the show are coerced and manipulated into doing the will of adult men. This is done not necessarily by those we would define as rapists or abusers, but often by generally well-meaning men who are unable to see that what they are doing is traumatic and oppressive, because the system that they all live in normalizes it. It’s less obvious than rape but just as insidious, though in a different way.”

So while House of the Dragon will include rape in its story lines, viewers can rest assured that the act won’t be shown in a gratuitous way. “In general, depicting sexual violence is tricky,” Hess said, “and I think the ways we think about it as writers and creators are unique to our particular stories.” As a woman creating in the traditionally male-run Martin universe, she certainly brings a unique –and much-needed– perspective.

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