Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 5 of House of the Dragon, now available on HBO Max.
In tonight’s episode of “House of the Dragon,” Sir Christon Cole (Fabian Frankel) declares he’s ready to die — and die with honor.
As the war for the Iron Throne rages on, Criston marches with his men, including Gwaine Hightower (Freddie Fox), to stop the Libermen from reaching King’s Landing and rescuing Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma Darcy). However, their journey to catch up with the Rivermen becomes increasingly difficult when one of their horses gets caught in a trap. When he crosses a burnt-out bridge to cross the river, he realizes that he has no chance of catching up.
Gwaine and Christon meet again to discuss what to do next, and the number of men they originally had together is reduced by half. Gwaine said continuing to move forward would be “pushing us towards certain death.” It was then that Gwaine realized that this was Christon’s goal, and Christon began a revealing monologue. “All my life I have been a servant, both to the green and to the black. I have defined myself by vows, unyielding devotion. And the noble-born have cherished me as they please to do so. But I will not let them degrade me now. I will not be rejected, and I will not return rejected. I am the greatest of the kingdoms,” and a warrior I will die. ”
Frankel says he doesn’t read much into fan reactions these days, but Season 3 has made it easier to understand the controversial character’s motivations: “I can only understand why people feel the way they do about him as a character. As an actor. It’s hard, because obviously I just don’t see him that way. It doesn’t make any sense to me to see him that way. You always have to be a bastion of character, and I feel very much like a bastion of him.” ”
Frankel spoke to Variety about Christon’s suicide mission in detail, why being a soldier is “the only honest version of myself,” and what fans can expect from the upcoming Butcher’s Ball, if it continues to follow the lead of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire as expected.
This was a pivotal moment for Christon, who declared that he was ready to die with honor. Can you talk about his journey throughout this episode and how he got to this point?
It’s something that’s been brewing inside him throughout the show’s run, probably since about the middle of season two. The idea is, “What am I going to become? What am I going to leave behind? How do I want to go out?” I think that’s really noticeable in the fire scene with Gwaine.
Does he have a specific vision of how he wants to die? How can he guarantee that he will act and be remembered the way he wants?
I don’t know if there’s something in his head. It’s like saying “succumb to glory”, right? Christon Cole started out as a soldier before finishing his 20 years in King’s Landing. That’s how he started, and that’s how he wants to end it. In his mind, the only honest version of himself is that of a soldier. Everything else is just a sham. Diplomats are a sham. There is a certain amount of pretense in the hands of the king. Commander of the Kingsguard, there is a certain level of appearance. I think all of that is psychological, brain-driven work. He’s not, he’s very guided by his sword and his fighting instincts. I think it’s honest to think that he will be remembered in this way.
Gwaine eventually realizes what is happening. Once Christon decides on his suicide mission, he is very open about it.
Christon has a genuine love for Gwaine. They have a yin and yang aspect. Oddly enough, I think Gwaine superficially represents everything that Christon despises in this world. But deep down, Christon has found someone to go into battle with him, someone who certainly has a heart, someone who has empathy, and who is much more than he seems. So their relationship is built on this and these guys end up at war with each other. When you hear soldiers talk about being at war, no matter what war, they will say that the relationships they built were closer than you could imagine because you were experiencing life and death with them. They are risking their lives for each other. As a result, their relationship gained depth.
Theo Whiteman/HBO
So why did Christon choose not to tell Gwaine about his suicide plans for so long?
I don’t think he’s waiting for Gwaine to figure it out, it’s not a game. Admittedly, I didn’t think it was a game. I think he knew the moment he told Gwaine that it would cause a lack of motivation to continue. Gwaine’s distaste for this plan is passed on to the rest of the soldiers, and Criston ends up losing an army he would otherwise have had a chance to fight. There’s definitely some selfishness in Christon’s plan, right? He looks out for himself, but I think he’s so used to a world where everyone is looking out for themselves all the time. Unfortunately, every selfless endeavor becomes self-inflicted. For all the characters, it’s a world of the fittest.
You’ve talked in previous interviews about not always knowing Christon’s code and where his motivations are from episode to episode. Were you able to utilize these more as the season progressed?
Nihilism comes with a certain degree of freedom. This is a character who, at least towards the beginning of Season 2 and the end of Season 3, has resigned himself to the notion that the war is over. This means that we humans have no real role to play in a war that ultimately will be won or lost by the dragons. They’re so powerful that to meet him at the top of season three is just a kind of — I wouldn’t say nihilistic, but I think it’s a little reductive. But there is certainly an agnosticism to him. He is losing motivation. He realizes that will as the season progresses, and certainly the planning scene with Gwaine in episode 4 really gives him the drive. It re-energized him, and he certainly rediscovered his sense of code, or rather, a sense of purpose.
The episode takes place shortly after Christon learns that Aymond (Ewan Mitchell) has left him, and he is once again struck by the feelings of abandonment he has felt all his life. How does that affect his behavior here?
That’s hard, dude. I’d like to think there’s a part of him that’s intelligent enough, not quite intelligent, but certainly aware of who Aemond is. I don’t think it’s too surprising that Amond didn’t show up, even though he was playing. In order to sell our stories as humans, we often follow the concepts that seem most natural to us. So when Christon says, “He’s not going to abandon us, I can’t believe that,” it seems like he’s playing a version of this character who needs that information to rediscover his sense of self and purpose.
How does he look back on his relationships with Rhaenyra and Alice St. Hightower (Olivia Cooke) now? Do you have any regrets? When he spends this long period of time heading into battle ready to fall on his sword, is he contemplating his decisions or is he just focused on charging forward?
Isn’t that what men have always done throughout history? Just march on and go to work. “I’m not going to deal with what I really feel. I’m just going to go on and do something, so that takes precedence over what I’m feeling!” But it’s inevitable that both Rhaenyra and Ariscent are always on his mind. I think Aristo is much better than Rhaenyra. Admittedly, Rhaenyra has become something of an afterthought for me. And in reality, it’s just the idea of winning the war for Aristo.
Despite Christon being such a controversial character, did it become easier to bring out his humanity?
There’s real insight into who this guy is and what excites him. Well, I think it made it easier to understand his humanity. It’s hard, you can’t undo his actions. He has done what he has done, and those things have been, at times, very morally reprehensible or questionable, to say the least. That’s why I understand how people feel about his character. For me as an actor, that’s difficult. Because obviously I don’t see him that way. Seeing him like that means nothing to me. You always have to be a stronghold of your character, and I feel very strongly about Christon Cole’s stronghold.
How do you look back on your career on the show and your role as Christon?
I learned so much from Christon Cole’s play. He has a calmness that I don’t naturally have as a person, and I think I learned a lot through that. Although we are very different as people, I look back over the past few years with great warmth towards the people I have had the pleasure of working with. It’s the company you work for that creates any experience, whether it’s playing a character or creating a show.
Former House of the Dragon co-star Millie Alcock is having a big summer on Supergirl. Have you had a chance to see the movie? Do you keep in touch with Millie?
I am always in touch with her, yes! I talked to her on the phone two weeks ago when she called me from Brazil. I think she was in the press. I’m extremely proud of her and not surprised in the slightest. I told my agent that he should sign her as soon as we finished Season 1 of House of the Dragon together, and he did. I’m very happy for her and very proud of her. I haven’t had a chance to see “Supergirl” yet, but I’m definitely going to see it!
I know fans of this book are looking forward to Butcher’s Ball. That seems to be set up at the end of this week’s episode. Can you say anything about the upcoming action scenes?
All I can say is it’s a beautifully choreographed fight that was long and hard to learn the choreography for. There are so many incredible stuntmen that make this fight what it is, so I’m really excited for people to see that side of Christon. It’s a side of him that we’ve never really seen: what he’s like in a man-on-man situation.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
