Otto Hightower gets fired as the Hand of the King again in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2

The Hightowers are a pivotal House in “House of the Dragon,” with their role in the narrative being critically significant. One of the most prominent of them is Otto Hightower, who has served as the Hand to a number of kings. He has been on and off his job before, this time, he’s kicked off once again. In House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2, we saw a grieving Aegon II dismiss Otto Hightower as the Hand, offering the position to Criston Cole instead.

Aegon replaces Otto with Criton Cole as the Hand

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King Aegon II was already on alert since Episode 1, when Larys warned him of his grandfather’s manipulations. The second episode sees him lose all his faith in Otto after losing his son. He now takes a more militaristic approach, diving nose-first into the war with Criston Cole. After Cole sends Arryk Cargyll to assassinate Rhaenyra by disguising himself as his twin Erryk, Aegon II seems to approve his move.

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Furthermore, Aegon II also orders all ratcatchers to be hanged in order to ensure Cheese is killed, completely undoing Otto’s moves to use young Jaehaerys’ death to gain sympathy for the Greens. As Otto confronts Aegon II about his moves he deems stupid, the young king defends his moves, and sides with Criston’s plans. Otto spends a good while calling the pair idiots before getting fired as the Hand of the King, but not before he reminds Aegon II that King Viserys never wanted him as the king in the first place.

Is Criston Cole the right choice for the Hand?

Criston Cole has his own agenda, and now the king’s interest aligns with his own – the destruction of the Blacks and Rhaenyra. Though he might have on-field experience, he is no Otto, and is prone to emotional outbursts. Only time will tell if Aegon’s trust in Cole will stand the test of troubling waters.

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