Hm. I took something quite different from Dany's scenes. I haven't read the books, and I'm very unsettled by the rapeyness, but I don't think I would have wanted a situation where, as you said, Drogo is praised for being less rapey. Because there was this change in Dany's face while she was getting raped and her eyes settle on the dragon eggs, and it's like... idk, like a determination came over her. I read the look as her no longer wanting to be subjected to something, but that she was going to take control, and hence her seeking advice from her handmaidens about sex. I mean, by god, it is really really gross, but I feel like she came to a realization about her situation. She is stuck, but that doesn't mean she cannot take charge. She is using the only tool in her possession, which as gross as it is meta-narratively, makes sense within the context of the story. If she has power over Drogo, she has power over his khalasar. And in this manner, I don't feel like Drogo is made sympathetic, and the praise doesn't go to him for being less rapey. He is just as rapey as before. It's Dany who turned a situation over on her own terms as best as she can.

With that said, it remains to be seen how the relationship will be portrayed for the rest of the season, because they do seem to be getting kinda lovey dovey, in which case, my head will meet my desk swiftly.