House of the Dragon Delivers the Death Game of Thrones Fans Have Wanted for Years Now, “I CAN’T STOP SMILING”
It’s no secret that House of the Dragon fans have their favorites. The same way that Game of Thrones itself had the fandom split among their favorite characters, each pining that their POV would become a focal point in any given episode, House of the Dragon has the same. Between the two sides of the “greens” and the “blacks,” it’s easy for viewers to latch onto someone. There is one character on the series, though, who almost no one likes, and this week’s episode of House of the Dragon gave the haters the thing they’ve wanted for years. As expected, spoilers follow.
The added context that is needed here requires us to remember last week, not only when Sir Criston Cole realized that no help was coming to him from the masters he served but also his bold proclamation about his. Cole noted that his death would come in a grand battle, so grand that songs would be sung about it years afterward; he even went on to call himself the realm’s greatest warrior. At first, it seemed like this week’s episode of House of the Dragon would give him what he wanted, as the Stark forces surrounded him on an open field, only for the arrows of Alysanne Blackwood to strike him down in the chest and face, killing him. As expected, House of the Dragon fans found themselves positively thrilled with the development.
House of the Dragon Fans Celebrate Sir Criston Cole’s Death
Sir Criston Cole’s death is no major surprise to fans of the Fire and Blood book that House of the Dragon is based on, but it still comes as a surprise in the episode itself. Criston Cole is…was…the worst because he’s the Westeros version of an internet “nice guy.” The self-righteousness at his core, which is made worse by his hypocrisy, quickly made him a character fans love to hate, with his inherent misogyny a cherry on top of the rotten Sunday that made him so despicable. As a result, his demise has started a ticker tape parade online.
“CRISTON COLE DEAD AND I CANT STOP SMILING,” one fan wrote online. “THESE ARE THE MOMENTS THAT MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.”
“Criston Cole thought he was gonna have a moment only to be cut off and killed with 3 arrows from a WOMAN after fighting a war to deny a WOMAN as the rightful Monarch,” added another.
Considering the extensive history of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon character deaths that have elicited shock and surprise, the fact that one of them has created fervor and celebration among others is something of a surprise, but a welcome one.
Perhaps the only equivalent to be found across the eight seasons of Game of Thrones and all of House of the Dragon‘s other episodes in terms of a character death that had fans euphoric was Joffrey Baratheon. In part because he was such a tyrannical and sniveling character that it was a long time coming, but also because the reveal that Olenna Tyrell was the one who had him killed created a meme unto itself.
Time will tell if Sir Cristen Cole’s death will be memed just as much as Joffrey’s was, but in any event, the entirety of social media feels like Endor at the end of Return of the Jedi right now.
