This article contains spoilers for the “House of the Dragon” season 2 finale.
After “Game of Thrones” went from a lauded adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy books to one of the most despised endings in TV history, the prequel spin-off “House of the Dragon” has managed to strike a phenomenal balance between faithfully translating the page to the screen and making changes that expand and even improve upon its source material.
While some of the big additions to the story, like aging down Alicent and making her relationship with Rhaenyra the central focus of the story, have made this a much better show, other changes have been less successful. The pacing, for one, has been inconsistent, particularly in season 2. Because the series’ source material, Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood,” is presented as an “objective” account of historical events, it doesn’t explore the inner thoughts of its characters (much less intimate moments that they and they alone know about). Because of this, “House of the Dragon” has had to expand significantly on what happens in between the major historical events worth writing down decades later by a non-present maester. This has led to season 2 simultaneously slowing down while rushing to an ending devoid of a climax due to the season’s shortened episode count, resulting in a rather disjointed overarching narrative.
The season 2 finale features one such scene that, on the surface, helps flesh out the characters and the world, but reveals some baffling choices when scrutinized. It’s when Criston Cole and Alicent’s brother Gwayne Hightower start talking — in front of all their soldiers — about Criston’s affair with the dowager queen. This is an egregious betrayal of Kingsguard vows and a crime that would normally cost Criston his life, yet they talk about it casually while EVERYONE stares at them.
Gwayne and Criston Cole’s conversation won’t matter
That Gwayne already knows about Alicent and Criston’s affair indicates that this was already a relatively big rumor — though not as widespread or impactful as Rhaenyra’s kids being fathered out of wedlock. As good as the scene might be, it suffers from two things. First, it forces the audience to spend more time with Criston Cole, the most despicable man in the entire seven kingdoms (and Essos). Second, it opens up the possibility of severe consequences that we know will never once be actually explored.
Regardless of Gwayne and Criston’s influence and power, they’re still talking about a serious crime openly. But that doesn’t mean their men will care enough to try and take down their commanders or even talk about this with other people. This is especially true when you consider that the Greens, and the kingdom at large, is in such disarray. Between Aegon nearly getting himself killed with his clownish behavior and Aemond taking over the throne temporarily while Rhaenyra sparks social revolutions, who can blame a common soldier for thinking the dowager queen sleeping with a member of the Kingsguard is not even the fifth most important thing happening that week? Gwayne may not even have the authority and control to shut down the rumors and prevent his men from spreading further slander about his sister.
Still, the bigger problem is that the audience has now been privy to a conversation that will, most likely, never be brought up again nor have any significant impact on the series. On top of that, it’s unlikely “House of the Dragon” will ever bother explaining why none of the soldiers around Gwayne and Criston care enough about their conversation to actually do something, which only makes this scene that much more frustrating.
The improvised kiss won’t matter either, and that is a problem
The same thing happened earlier in season 2, with the scene where Rhaenyra kisses Mysaria. It’s a fantastic scene that was made up on the spot and improvised by the actors, and it ends up saying a lot about not only who Rhaenyra has always been, but even adds more layers to her relationship with Alicent. It also adds to Rhaenyra’s relationship with Mysaria, a character who has taken on a bigger and more influential role in Team Black’s council.
But no matter how good the scene is, the fact that it was unscripted means it was not planned for. This, in turn, means that it is unlikely that “House of the Dragon” will actually reckon with this at all in the future — which is a big shame. Rhaenyra being bisexual is huge for both the show and for the character, and given how important the Rhaenyra and Alicent relationship is to the story, adding some romantic feeling on Rhaenyra’s side makes their falling out and the war that it caused all the more tragic.
Yet, the rest of season 2 mostly ignores this kiss, to the degree that Rhaenyra and Mysaria act like it never even happened — because it wasn’t part of the original script. Most likely, this moment will prove to be nothing more than a compelling standalone scene that came out of nowhere and has zero impact on anything in the final two seasons of “House of the Dragon.” The odds are, sadly, the exchange between Gwayne and Criston is likely doomed to a similar fate.
“House of the Dragon” seasons 1 and 2 are both currently streaming on Max.
