Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) ought to be the sort of man who has songs written in his honor. A low-born knight, elevated to the Kingsguard, then made Lord Commander, earlier than lastly rising to the place of Hand of the King. Our good-looking knight has some … anger points, sure (who doesn’t on this world?), however he seems to be an honorable and gallant knight — and actually that’s all that issues so far as the histories are involved. He does have one deadly flaw although, one thing fully outdoors of his management: he was born in the age of dragons.
Episode 4 noticed Criston rise to his highest but. His successive navy victories earn him the acclaim of the plenty. For a low-born knight to be named “kingmaker” is the stuff of legend, however right here we noticed simply how far he can fall. As dragons conflict in the sky over Rook’s Relaxation, Criston is thrown from his horse and spends most of the battle unconscious. Whereas there isn’t any scarcity of sweeping dragon-on-dragon motion, the focus of this sequence is remarkably human. This climactic battle represents certainly one of the most necessary days of Criston’s profession, the second this complete marketing campaign has been resulting in, however he spends it face down in the mud. It doesn’t matter what somebody’s standing is, when confronted with a dragon they’re little greater than a sack of meat and bone.
However this is only one setback in what has been a protracted line. He was elevated to the Kingsguard, solely to find the limits of his station. He’s always beneath royalty (and you may take that in any method you’ll), which implies he hardly ever has depart to behave of his personal accord. He has had two royal flings thus far, and neither have gone notably effectively. Even when issues go his method, he’s uncomfortably conscious of his personal fragility. It doesn’t matter what he does, how laborious he tries, he simply isn’t sufficient. His navy is bigger and higher outfitted than that of group Black, however they’re little greater than specks when seen from dragonback. He has seen males tossed apart like dolls, and burned in dragonfire. He is aware of that his little battle of males and land is a farce — there are higher powers in the sky. However Criston rails in opposition to these limits. Confronted along with his personal powerlessness, we see him declare this a struggle of dragons, not males. He’s stressed in his place, and it’s straightforward to see why.
Criston is fully satisfied of his personal self-importance. To be truthful, he has a great deal of proof to assist that perspective, even past what’s outlined above. He unseated Daemon at the tourney and shortly received his place on the Kingsguard, and his navy victories are all his personal. Aegon appears pathetic when positioned subsequent to Criston (although that is true of most individuals, to be truthful), however even the extra formidable Prince Aemond was his pupil. He has finished the not possible already, so it isn’t any surprise that he’s so assured in his personal skills; he can already hear the songs that will probably be sung in his honor.
Photograph: Theo Whiteman/HBO
However that honor is fragile. He tries to bury any and all proof that implies he’s not suited to his place, first by murdering Joffrey again in season 1, and extra lately by deflecting blame for Jaehaerys’ homicide onto Ser Arryk and sending him to his demise. Criston is expert, sure, however he’s additionally recklessly prideful. He’s locked in a relentless battle to show to himself and others that he deserves his place, however he always falls brief. Episode by episode we will see his frustration mounting, Frankel deftly portraying the rising anger of a person who can’t fairly get it proper. We will all sense the hazard right here: We have now a person who needs to show his personal greatness, who blinds himself to his shortcomings, but is cursed to spend his life in the shadow of dragons.
Typically, this sort of self perception would serve one effectively. Criston is ruthless and daring, and whereas that aids him on the battlefield, it presents an issue when the battle begins to escalate. The battle at Rook’s Relaxation has clearly shaken him, however the place some would rethink, he doubles down. He endorses Aemond as regent, realizing that he’ll escalate the struggle. Criston has seen a battle between dragons firsthand, he is aware of the chaos it will deliver to the Seven Kingdoms, but he nonetheless leads group Inexperienced down the path of struggle. He’s not pure evil, however he’s delightfully hateable on this second. Alicent pushes for him to facet along with her, however he is aware of he can’t. It’s the dilemma at the core of the sequence, and Criston would reasonably see the Seven Kingdoms fall to break than be on the shedding facet. He’s simply as doomed as anybody else in King’s Touchdown, regardless of how excessive he climbs.
Criston’s makes an attempt to rise above the dragons finally be certain that he’ll all the time be underneath them. Determined to show himself, he’ll lead this struggle of dragons to its bloody finish. His legacy is ready in stone, no less than so far as his temporary point out in A Feast for Crows is worried. Of all the tragic and inconsiderate errors characters in Home of the Dragon have made thus far, pitting the dragons in opposition to each other would possibly simply be the most important.
