Don't you think the day is a little brighter today? The air feels a little bit fresher, and suddenly a weight has been lifted from the shoulders of House of the Dragon fans. It is all thanks to the long-awaited death of Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who was regarded as one of the most hated characters of the hit HBO show as a whole.
We were all counting the days until Cole would meet his end, and such a glorious moment finally happened in House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6. Even Criston himself was eager to run head-first into battle, fully knowing that he would not be returning home. He only asked one thing in return: to die a warrior's death in a fair but legendary battle, so that songs of his prowess could be sung across the Seven Kingdoms. However, that ended up being far from the case, as he was unceremoniously shot with a bow from far away in the event known as the Butcher's Ball.
A few arrows marked the end of a man who was once honorable but became arrogant, self-centered, and more than willing to send others to their death without a second thought. But perhaps one of the reasons Criston was so hated by the community was Fabien Frankel's amazing performance. Whenever audiences come to hate a fictional character with passion, it speaks volumes about the impeccable work of the actor who brought them to life.
Now, Frankel has bid farewell to Criston Cole in an Instagram post after portraying him for two and a half seasons of House of the Dragon:
Furthermore, we got to hear from Frankel himself about what it was like to bid his farewell to Criston Cole in the official House of the Dragon behind-the-scenes episode published by HBO:
"It's been five years. A lot of my, sort of, formative set years were on this job. So, I've made friends that I'm going to miss. It's like moving into a different school, and also, who knows what school is going to have me, you know what I mean? I've laughed immensely on this show, and I will miss that. I will miss seeing Matt [Smith]'s face, and Freddie [Fox]'s face, and [Olivia] Cookie's face, and [Tom] Glynn-Carney, and all the cast."
To make things a little more emotional, the behind-the-scenes episode also included footage of Frankel's final words after wrapping his last scene as Criston Cole in House of the Dragon: "I'm so grateful to everyone who's worked on this show. Every department. Jobs like these come once in a million, and I'm eternally grateful for this show, so thank you all so, so, so much."
Frankel was also one of the guests in the latest episode of the House of the Dragon official podcast, and there he opened up about how playing Criston Cole has been one of the highlights of his career: "I genuinely felt immensely emotional. I feel emotional thinking about it now. It was such an amazing way to finish something that's been such a massive part of my life, and definitely the biggest part of my career (...) it was a weird thing. I was genuinely very moved at the end."
Frankel hasn't been the only one to express his thoughts on Cole's death. Many other people involved in the making of House of the Dragon have also bid their farewells both to the character and to the talented actor who played him.
House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal mentioned: "We love you, we will miss you deeply. We are very proud of the work you did. This is a series wrap on Ser Criston Cole, Fabien Frankel." Freddie Fox, who portrays the role of Ser Gwayne Hightower, added: "I love [Fabien] as a friend. I really admire him as an actor, and I'm sad to see him go."
Last, but certainly not least, Daemon Targaryen himself, Matt Smith, also bid his farewells by saying: "Fabs, dear boy, what will I do without you, my great friend throughout this whole process? I'm just really excited for Fabien's next chapter. I think he's gonna go off and make great movies."
Goodbye, Criston Cole. While you won't be missed, Fabien Frankel certainly will.
New episodes of House of the Dragon season 3 air every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
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