*Warning - The following article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2*
The latest instalment of House of the Dragon season 2 contained scenes of heartbreak, brutality and cold-blooded deception. Fans of the Game of Thrones spin-off were left fuming to find that, despite his furious temper and dirty dealings behind closed doors, Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) continues to “fail upwards”.
Episode 2 of the HBO show saw Ser Criston order Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) to assassinate Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) to avenge the death of Prince Jaehaerys. In a tragic mix-up, the six-year-old boy was murdered by men hired by Rhaenyra’s husband Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith), who had actually ordered them to kill his uncle Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell).
Hatching an ill-conceived revenge plot, Ser Criston pressured Arryk to kill Rhaenyra by suggesting he was to blame for the young prince being unguarded. However, fans were left rolling their eyes over the blatant hypocrisy of it all, as in fact it was the former who had abandoned in favour of joining Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) in her bed chamber.
In the end, Ser Criston’s plan to kill failed, as Ser Arryk was stopped by his brother Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor), and the pair both died following a heartbreaking battle between brothers. However, before the tragic events at Dragonstone unfolded, volatile and grief-stricken King Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) decided to reward Ser Criston for his loyalty.
Aegon’s grandfather and Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), was horrified to find that Ser Criston had killed and strung up every rat catcher in the kingdom by order of the king, after it was revealed that one of Jaehaerys’ murderers was of the same profession.
He also quickly dismissed the knight’s foolish plan to assassinate Rhaenyra, but was met with defiance from his grandson.
Rather than listening to Ser Otto, Aegon decided to cast him out, appointing Ser Criston as the new Hand of the King in what will undoubtedly prove to be an awful decision.
Taking to social media, various viewers of the Sky Atlantic show expressed their ire over Ser Criston’s undeserved success.
Posting on Reddit, @glencocococo wrote: “If Criston Cole has a million haters, I am one of them. If he has one hater, it is me.
“If he has zero haters, I have died. If the world is against Criston Cole, I am with the world. If the world is for Criston Cole, I am against the world.” (sic)
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“Never hated a character as much as him. He making the sand snakes look likeable,” @Thug-shaketh9499 agreed. (sic)
“I think it’s cause we know someone who is of resemblance in our lives. Just a hypocritical person walking waiting to be put in place. Every time he gets on screen, my face hurt,” @Significant-Two-1527 added. (sic)
While @yosoygroot123 commented: “I hadn't hated Ser Criston Cole for f***ing two queens and being a hypocrite. But tonight was end of it. Failing to do his job and sending Ser Arryk to die. I am fully on hate Criston Cole bandwagon.” (sic)
House of the Dragon season 2 airs in the UK on Mondays at 2am BST (British Summer Time) on Sky Atlantic and NOW. The same episode also airs again on Monday at 9pm.
