I agree entirely with everything you’ve said. It gets very demoralizing at times. I’m not a GOT watcher, but I have recently started watching both The White Queen and The Spanish Princess — two shows on Starz that are based in history, the first about the war of the roses and the second about Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how strong all of the characters are, and how spunky the female ones are in particular. They lived during a time when women’s sole value was for shoring up political alliances and producing male heirs, but these characters are still talking back, refusing to be controlled, showing backbone and moxy — it’s quite remarkable. The Spanish Princess is written by a man, so perhaps there is some hope out there.