House of the Dragon showrunner compares Criston Cole to Jaime Lannister

In the world of House of the Dragon, Criston Cole, played by Fabien Frankel, stands out as a unique character. Unlike the dragon-riding lords and ladies, Criston is the son of a steward, yet he has risen through the ranks to become a key player in the Greens’ campaign. As we saw in Season 2, Criston’s trajectory took him from Commander of the Kingsguard to Hand of the King, leading armies in the Crownlands. Showrunner Ryan Condal sheds light on Criston’s current mindset, exploring where he believes he fits in the grand scheme and his predictions about his fate.

Criston Cole’s comparison to Jaime Lannister

Ryan Condal, series showrunner of House of the Dragon, surprisingly compared Fabien Frankel’s Ser Criston Cole to Jaime Lannister, a beloved Game of Thrones character. This comparison seems at odds with fans’ negative perceptions of Cole. Condal argued that Frankel’s performance challenges these initial impressions and encourages viewers to reevaluate their opinions. Condal praised Frankel’s scene-stealing moments, which he believes demonstrate Cole’s complexity and empathy, much like Jaime Lannister. Ryan Condal in an interview with Collider said,

“Condal went on to praise Frankel’s performance in the season and also compared Criston Cole to fan favorite Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in that Criston “forces people to take a little bit of a different look at Cole, who I think many people have prejudged over the course of the season.”

Credits: HBO

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A turn of events for Criston Cole

Criston Cole’s perspective on war has shifted dramatically after Rook’s Rest. As a non-dragonrider and son of a steward, Criston’s rise to power was remarkable, but now he sees himself as mere cannon fodder in a dragon-dominated war. He understands his fate is sealed and the war’s outcome is certain. With his strategic mind, Criston has accepted his likely demise and the devastating conclusion of the conflict.

“I think Criston’s in a dark place at the end of this season, and understandably, I mean, he’s marched off, he’s going off to link up with Vhagar, knowing that if that happens, that the men on the ground, as they were at Rook’s Rest, are the cannon fodder, even the knights on horseback, even the reserves of the cavalry.

We’ve given the war to the dragons. And I think he’s realized and processed his own role in that, not only where his end is likely to be, which is not a pleasant one, but also where the end of this entire war is to be, as somebody that understands, on a strategic level, how warfare works and how this thing is going to play out, and he’s seen it on a micro and macro scale, at Rook’s Rest.

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