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“That’s Compelling”: House Of The Dragon Director & Actor Weigh In On Aemond’s Motivations At Rook’s Rest
This article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon season 2, episodes 1-3.
Summary
House of the Dragondirector Geeta Vasant Patel teases Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) becoming a more relatable character by the end of season 2. Since season 1, Cole’s selfish, short-sighted, and harmful actions havecemented him amongHouse of the Dragon’s most despicable characters. Season 2 has only taken him further in this direction given the decisions he’s made as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and in his recent promotion as Hand of the King to Aegon Targaryen.
In an interview withVariety, Patel shared that despite the trajectory of Cole’s character, anoticeable shift will occur in season 2’s remaining episodes, particularly by the time of the season finale. The director also discussed how the seeds for this development were planted in episode 3, “The Burning Mill,” in the way Cole’s walk to the Small Council meeting was filmed from his point of view,grounded in the anxiety he was experiencinggiven his recent failures and new responsibilities. Read the rest of Patel’s explanation below:
With Criston Cole, I really wanted to insert point of view. Watching him and having a moment of anxiety and walking with him downstairs, passing the men with a continuous shot going into the council chamber, that was intentionally designed so that we would feel him for once. We would be in his space, rather than everyone else watching him. A lot of times the lack of liking someone comes from not being in their point of view. When we’re in that space, we see everything happening at that table. That was one technique to start bringing his dimension out and start building to what’s going to happen in the season finale, where I think you are going to really understand him.
He’s a very interesting character by the time you get to the season finale. There’s a lot of things that we will relate to and we will be embarrassed to relate to. What he shares with us in Episode 8 is pretty awesome — we all have a bit of Criston Cole in us. That’s what we’re building. There’s this vulnerability in Episode 3, and then it keeps building from there and by the time you get to Episode 8, he has this beautiful moment where he shares what he thinks about the world and what he thinks about war.
Making Criston Cole Relatable Is A Tall Order
He’s Arguably The Most Hated Character In Season 2.
It’s worth noting that Patel only said that Cole would be relatable, and embarrassingly relatable by the end of season 2, and not that he would be likable.
Even with the scene filmed from his point of view in episode 3, it’s stilldifficult to imagine Cole becoming relatable by the end of season 2. In this season alone, his negligence made it easier forBlood and Cheeseto infiltrate the Red Keep and behead the young Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen. Instead of taking accountability, he responded by commanding Arryk Cargyll to travel to Dragonstone alone to slay Rhaenyra Targaryen, a plan that had no chance of succeeding.
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Arryk was killed by his twin brother, Erryk, and Erryk took his own life afterward, with both knights needlessly dying because of Cole, who was rewarded for taking action by being named Hand of the King. Cole is also unlikable because ofhis toxic attitude when he was having an affair with Rhaenyraand his similarly toxic attitude toward Alicent Hightower now that he is having an affair with her. All these elements make it difficult to empathize with Cole, regardless of the anxiety felt from his point of view in episode 3.
Episode 8
August 03, 2025
It’s worth noting that Patel only said that Cole would be relatable, and embarrassingly relatable by the end of season 2, and not that he would be likable. Cole isn’t suddenly going to become a heroic or kind individual, but his vulnerability, how he handles the stress of being the Hand of the King and successor to Otto Hightower, and his outlook on war and the cruel world he lives in may be enough to make him relatable. As hated as he is, Cole’s arc will be intriguing to watch asHouse of the Dragonseason 2 continues.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
