Fabien Frankel fan backlash proves Criston is the best House of the Dragon character

Let me get this out of the way first: House of Dragon fans seem to need a reminder that just because an actor plays a character on a show does not mean they’re anything like their character. I get it, separating the actor from the character can be hard at times, but the recent treatment of actor Fabien Frankel is more than disappointing to see, it’s downright disgusting.

Frankel has been forced to disable and limit comments on his Instagram after fans have begun harassing the actor with hateful comments thanks to the actions of his character on the show, Ser Criston Cole. As Frankel has turned off comments altogether on his recent posts – posts not even directly promoting the show but rather promoting a recent shoot he did with UK publication Man About Town – the worst of the comments have since been hidden; however, a tweet captured by one Game of Thrones fan account on X (formerly Twitter), showcases a mild sampling of the types of comments which flooded Frankel’s feeds:

I remind you, these are just some of the more mild comments that were lobbed Frankel’s way due to fans’ inability to separate Frankel the person, and Criston the character he plays on a fictional TV show. Many strongly worded replies harassed Frankel over Criston’s actions on the show, most notably those in the second episode of season 2.

Imagine simply doing your job and receiving so many harassing comments spewing hatred and even violence against you that you have to limit replies to your social media posts. It’s a sad reality that many actors and actresses have had to face thanks to social media, which can be an amazing place, but also can bring out the worst in people as we’ve seen in the last several days with the treatment of Frankel.

Yes, he might play a villainous character on House of the Dragon, but that in no way means he’s like his character. In fact, he’s quite the opposite, and many who have had the chance to interact with Frankel have spoken out against his mistreatment, including those within the industry such as The Mary Sue editor Rachel Leishman, who called Frankel “one of the nicest people” she’s met on the job, reflecting on how he was “so much fun to be in a room with.”

The irony here is that the fans coming for Frankel are the same fans who refuse to give him credit for playing one of, if not the, best characters on the show.

Reactions to Criston Cole prove he’s the most effective villain on House of the Dragon

To clarify again, I absolutely in no way condone the actions of the fans who have harassed Frankel on social media. What I will say, is that the fan’s hatred of Ser Criston Cole as a character is exactly why it’s time everyone starts giving credit where credit is due and praising Frankel for creating the show’s greatest villain.

Ser Criston Cole is not the hero of House of the Dragon and he was never meant to be. It’s clear through the writing and through Frankel’s performance that the show's goal with Cole was to give fans a villain they could root for and love to hate. And that’s exactly what Frankel and the writers have managed to achieve.

Criston was a character we all loved when we first met him. You might refuse to admit it now, but before he spitefully turned his back on Rhaenyra in season 1, he was a likable character in the mix. That heel turn was one of the most effective villain origin stories we’ve seen on the show.

As my colleague Camila Domingues rightfully pointed out, Criston is the most twisted character on the show. “Instead of taking the rejection like a champ, he decided to let his heartache fuel a vendetta.” 

And that was just the beginning of his villainous turn.

Since then, Criston has quickly become one of the most despised characters on the show, and the events of season 2’s second episode, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” proved just how effective he is as a villain. Fueled by his own guilt over what happened to Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen in the season premiere — the young prince was killed when Criston was again breaking his celibacy vow as a member of the Kingsguard by sleeping with Alicent Hightower at the time of the murder — Criston set in motion the events that ultimately led to the deaths of both Arryk and Erryk Cargyll, manipulating Arryk into going on a suicide mission that forced him to fight his own twin brother. That ploy pretty much pushed Criston right to the top of the list of the franchise’s most hated characters, which served as the catalyst for fans’ harassment of Frankel on social media.

And therein lies the problem. Fans have again showcased their inability to separate the actor from the character they hate, leading to Frankel’s mistreatment, instead of fans giving him his rightful praise for giving us a character which inspired this much passion.

Frankel has given a masterful performance as Ser Criston Cole that is getting lost amid the backlash to the character’s actions. We hate Cole in the way we do because Frankel is that phenomenal of an actor! He has managed to create this character that has gotten fans talking and given them someone to root against, which is what makes Criston one of the best characters on the show.

You can’t have heroes without villains who serve as their foils, and Criston is honestly one of the best villains the franchise has given us. It's easy to see his manipulative and hypocritical ways and root against him. Take him off the board, and who is going to be out there creating chaos and triggering the chain of events that helps give our favorite heroes their shining, standout moments?

Hate him as much as you will, but it’s time you give Fabien Frankel the credit he’s due for giving us such a fun villain to root against, rather than attacking him for the actions of the character he’s so brilliantly portrayed!

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