House of the Dragon Fans Agree That This Is the Most Pathetic Character on the Show
You can be forgiven for being irritated by him.
Summary
- Of all the blackguards on House of the Dragon, there is one character who annoys fans the most.
- His petty actions are a disgrace to his order.
- He has committed many crimes just because he was offended once.
The hit spin-off of HBO's super-popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones has plenty of despicable characters, just like its predecessor. Whether it is the ruthless Daemon Targaryen, the cunning Otto Hightower, the short-tempered Aegon II, or his insecure brother Aemond, there are plenty of unpleasant people on the show. But somehow these scoundrels also have appealing qualities that make up for their flaws.
Daemon, for example, is extremely brave, as is his nephew Aemond. King Aegon II may be impetuous and irascible, but he is a loving father. And Ser Otto Hightower is wise and strategic in his decisions. Meanwhile, there is a character whose few positive qualities are not even remembered when his flaws are discussed. For as great a knight and warrior as he is, he has no honor and is downright pathetic.
The Shame of the Kingsguard
Ser Criston Cole, aka Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and current Hand of the King, seems to be the most universally hated character on House of the Dragon. The second sword in all of the Seven Kingdoms, Criston's journey in the Targaryen court began with a bit of luck. During the Heir's Tournament, he proved himself a worthy knight and greatly impressed Princess Rhaenyra. She granted him her favor. With Rhaenyra's help, Ser Criston became a member of the Kingsguard.
During this time, Criston Cole seemed like a true knight in shining armor, but things changed after his brief affair with Rhaenyra, who managed to seduce him. Criston proposed to her, but was turned down. He took it as an insult and has held a grudge against Rhaenyra ever since.
Petty Revenge
Since that 'no', Criston Cole has done everything he can to spite Rhaenyra. In fact, he may have only supported Team Green because he didn't want to see the princess on the throne, even though her claim was legitimate.
What's more, whenever Criston mentions Rhaenyra, he adds a few insults to her name – 'the bitch queen' being a prime example. This shows that Cole is fixated on Rhaenyra, and he is obviously bitter towards her because he cannot forgive her rejection.
Ironically, Rhaenyra doesn't even think about him because their affair was meaningless and there was no reason for him to get so upset, which makes him utterly pathetic. After all, he went so far as to break his knightly vow to serve the crown just to get back at Rhaenyra. And now that war is imminent, he will do his best (or worst) to hurt her and her cause just because his proposal was turned down by a teenage girl. Isn't that the definition of pathetic?