Major spoilers for dragon house Season three, episode 6 below. you have been warned.
Ser Kristen Cole’s watch has ended. within the first ten minutes of this week dragon houseThe most polarizing knight in Westeros has joined countless others as the latest casualty of a civil war fueled by family feuding.
Doom has followed Cole (Fabian Frankel) for the majority of season one and a half. Since the terrible battle of Rook’s Rest in season two, Cole has come to understand that he is an ant under the foot of a giant. Fighting with a sword and shield was one thing, but Cole’s encounter with a walking, flying, fire-breathing beast capable of turning people and buildings to ash in the blink of an eye caused his eyes to open into the void, and ever since then he’s been stuck there, staring right into it.
It’s a deep, dark, and overall pretty nihilistic arc for a character, let alone someone like Cole. Understandably, and perhaps a little unfairly, Cole has faced criticism from fans of the show for the way he conducted himself after switching allegiance from Rhaenyra to Aliscent. While some saw him as smug, self-righteous, hypocritical, or even uncaring, Frankl brought great depth to the character. His performances often reminded me of the best heel work in WWE; Sometimes people need a character to hate, and it felt as if showrunners Ryan Condal and Frankel were ready to present Cole in that position.
That’s why his season three arc has been completely compelling. across both dragon house And even last year’s exaggeration WorkFrankl carved a niche for himself by playing characters obsessed with redemption. Several other titles taken by Cole throughout the series focus on appearances; At the end of the day, he’s a fighter who rose far beyond his station because he was in the right place at the right time.
And looking back, season three has been a clear death march for the character. Roux Rest rearranged his thought process so drastically that he found freedom in nihilism. But having adopted the notion that humans on the ground had no role in the Dance of the Dragons, it was only a matter of time before its end came; He finally declared his death wish out loud to Gwen (Freddie Fox) in last week’s installment before marching off to his fate.
The events taking place in the field at the beginning of the episode are known as the Butcher’s Ball in George RR Martin’s novel. fire and blood The novel—is just as cowardly as was anticipated in Martin’s text. Surviving a brutal ambush is just one stage of a two-part trap. As Cole begins to challenge Lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) and Lord Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan) to single combat, both reject the notion, and Cole is attacked by an archer. It’s kind of fitting for a character who is defined by what other people – either people around him on the show or fans of the series – think of him so that Cole can choose his destiny. Despite the dishonorable way in which Cole died, there’s a dignified freedom to it, a freedom that comes with the understanding that Cole didn’t often get the chance to forge his own path.
Cole was the messy-beating heart of the show, a character who perfectly portrayed how messy, complicated, and downright cruel this whole endeavor has been from the beginning. And I will miss Frankel’s presence and performance on this show, which will go down as one of my favorites in a series full of great acting. Ser Kol is dead. May he rule for a long time.
