Cole’s brutal demise: a riverlands execution that redefines ‘anticlimactic’

Ser Criston Cole’s reign of calculated cruelty ended not with a blaze of glory, but a chillingly efficient assassination in the Riverlands. Episode 6 of House of the Dragon delivered a swift, brutal death that’s already sparking furious debate amongst fans and raising uncomfortable questions about the show’s narrative choices.

A shot in the dark – and the gut

The scene, mercifully brief, unfolded with a horrifying precision. Cole, lured into a deceptive ambush by Oscar Tully’s Rivermen – a field of strategically placed corpses – was met with a volley of arrows. Twice through the gut, then through the cheek. The executioner? A relatively unknown figure, Alysanne Blackwood, who, remarkably, hasn’t yet received a single line of dialogue in the series.

Fan reaction: disappointment and irony

Immediately following the broadcast, Reddit exploded with commentary. The prevailing sentiment wasn’t shock, but a palpable sense of disappointment – and, perhaps, a bitter irony. One user succinctly described it as “a wild way to start off” the episode. Another dubbed it “extra salt in the wound,” highlighting the narrative sting of such an abrupt and unceremonious end for a character so consistently steeped in ambition and betrayal. A third observer noted the stark contrast: Cole, who’d frequently delivered dramatic, whiny pronouncements about the inevitable loss to dragons—likening his army to mere ‘canon fodder’—died at the hand of foot soldiers, utterly devoid of draconic support.

Frankel’s perspective: acceptance of fate

HBO’s “Inside the Episode” offered insight from Fabien Frankel himself. According to Frankel, Cole “knows that it’s over, and there’s a relief in that for him.” This suggests a character stripped of his illusions, accepting a fate far removed from the heroic death he so desperately craved. The actor’s measured response underscores the show’s deliberate subversion of traditional ‘dragon’s death’ tropes.

A bookish missed beat

The grim reality isn’t lost on fans of George R. R. Martin’s source material. While the scene’s core elements—Tully’s deception and Cole's demise—were faithfully adapted, a specific moment from the book—a Riverlands knight delivering a final, disdainful rebuke: “I’ll have no songs about how brave you died, Kingmaker”—was conspicuously absent. Though Oscar Tully’s line was retained, the omission feels significant, considering Cole’s constant yearning for a legendary death.

A dismissal of discomfort

Despite the fan outcry, Frankel’s performance has been widely praised. One social media user succinctly stated: “Fabien Frankel you absolutely nailed the character of Criston Cole.” The fact that a character so consistently reviled by the audience elicited such a universally positive assessment speaks volumes about the actor’s nuanced portrayal – a testament to the show's willingness to embrace uncomfortable conclusions. Cole is gone.