Thank god. Finally. Ser Cristen Cole is no more. And what a mundane end to such an odious man. For a character who began as a potential love interest for both Rhaenyra and Alicent – both of whom ultimately rejected him because, let’s face it, he’s not a catch – to meet his demise on the battlefield not in a vicious struggle but taken down by a single archer (the badass Alysanne Blackwood, who hasn’t been in nearly enough of the season thus far), well, I loved to see it. One of the things I think House of the Dragon, like Game of Thrones before it, sometimes forgets is that not everyone of name or note ends up with a glorious epic death. Most people die in simple ways, without heroic struggles or dragon fire. It was lovely to see a main character die like a thousand other nameless soldiers. There won’t be songs sung about Ser Cristen’s death. And no one will mourn. Fitting for such an awful person.
Speaking of awful people, Ser Ormund is a hell of a piece of work. From his treatment of Gawayne – questioning not only his pride and commitment to the cause, but also his sexuality openly – to his continued manipulation of Daeron (who, thankfully, sees through at least some of it, if his conversation with Gawayne is to be believed), Ormund is just the worst. Although, it’s odd to me that no one has truly tried to use his aversion to smells against him. Yes, the assassins made a feint at it, but you could truly smoke him out if you wanted to. That being said, I suspect Tumbleton isn’t going to remain unmolested for long. Now that Hugh has all but lost the trust of his wife and Ulf was publicly beaten by Daemon, I suspect those two might be up for a switch in loyalty sooner rather than later. Because it’s looking like Rhaenyra might be losing control of her forces simply by focusing too tightly on rooting out Aemond.
A lot of this episode was seeing those who think they control their fate realizing that they actually do not. Corlys, who threw his fit two episodes ago and ran off into the woods, was finally ready to return to Queen’s Landing, only to realize that trying to fight on land isn’t his strong suit. Aemond is convinced that he can just head out into the woods to search for Vhagar, when he’s really much safer back in Harrenhal with Alys – who is also learning that she can’t control Aemond like she has been able to with men in the past. Which probably just makes him all the more enticing for her. Alicent thought she still had a trump card to play with the location of Aemond – and Helaena’s dreams – and realized too late that Rhaenyra only sees her as a pawn in her master plan. Ulf and Hugh? Both at the beck and call of Daemon unless they want to try a new master. Daemon? He can’t keep the Gold Cloaks safe from a pack of faceless assassins that aren’t afraid of him or Rhaenyra as they know she won’t order the burning of Tumblton. And Rhaena? She’s just an absolute mess out there in the Vale.
For being the people who have the power in this world – where dragons equal power – it’s interesting to see so many of them realize that despite having control over such majestic and powerful beasts, they still don’t have the upper hand when it comes to life off of their mounts. Without a dragon by their side, they’re no different than anyone else in the Seven Kingdoms. And that’s a terrifying thing for someone conditioned to believe in their power and invulnerability to realize.
Of course, even without knowing precisely how this war will end, I think everyone watching is aware that nearly everyone of name on the show is likely going to die before the end – along with their dragons. So, I suspect this initial batch of people who think themselves invulnerable starting to realize that they can’t control everything around them is just going to get more and more prominent as the series pushes towards its conclusion. A dragon might make you a god among men, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t still perfectly human. Cristen Cole might not have had a dragon, but he truly believed he could fight nobly to the death. And he was shot down like a dog. Jace thought he could mount his dragon and turn the tide of the war, and he ended up shot down like a dog. Death comes for everyone, even those who think themselves gods. And this episode showed that for many of our characters, the clock is ticking, and they can’t control it.
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