7 Ways Game Of Thrones' Unaired Pilot Episode Was Completely Different

4. Daenerys Isn't Raped

The relationship between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo is one of the show's most controversial, given it goes from him raping her in the first episode to eventually becoming a consensual and even loving relationship.

In the original version of their wedding night, though, Daenerys does give her consent. The script reads:

He pulls her down into his lap. Dany is flushed and breathless. He cups her face in his huge hands and she looks into his eyes. Khal Drogo: "No?" She takes his hand and moves it between his thighs. Daenerys: "Yes."

This is a notable difference, both in terms of their relationship and the amount of agency Daenerys has in her story at that point. It's still quite a complex one to try to unpack though - if Daenerys consents here, does that mean she also consents in the other instances where she's raped by Drogo?

Their entire relationship is much more than just this one action, and it can be argued that it's important to Daenerys' growth as a character. It's a traumatic event to witness, but it underlines the horrors she's faced with and just how much she overcomes, not only in Season 1 but across the entire show. Ideally you could achieve all that without having to have someone raped, but it's unclear whether or not they would've been able to do that as successfully had this moment remained intact.