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Criston Cole & Rhaenyra's Love Scene Is More Important Than You Think
Warning! This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 4 and Fire & Blood.
House of the Dragon episode 4 introduced a key part of Fire & Blood in the romantic relationship between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Criston Cole, a relationship that is very important to Westeros' future. While the episode portrays the tryst between the two as mostly just a way for Rhaenyra to momentarily free herself from the rules and regulations surrounding a princess, this relationship will become very important, and more critical than this episode presents it, given the importance of the pair's dynamic in the source material. While House of the Dragon has certainly made some changes to the book, such as characters' ages or the expansion of background characters that TV allows, its general plot points remain the same.
These largely minor alterations from the source material are expected to continue with the remainder of season 1, and certainly did with House of the Dragon episode 4 and the introduction of some of Rhaenyra's major romantic exploits. One of these came at the end of the episode, with Rhaenyra promising to fulfill her royal duties and marry Laenor Velaryon. The other two came in the middle of the episode, in the form of her uncle Daemon Targaryen and later Criston Cole, her sworn Kingsguard. While all three relationships play a big part in Rhaenyra's future, both near and distant, it is the latter that arguably shapes Westeros the most.
As is known from Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon will eventually lead to the Targaryen civil war between Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon: the Dance of Dragons. The reason why Criston and Rhaenyra having sex in House of the Dragon episode 4 is so important is due to Criston's loyalties during the Dance. Eventually, Criston turns away from Rhaenyra and joins the other side of the war in service to Alicent Hightower and her son, Aegon. The scene between the two in House of the Dragon episode 4, then, only goes to make this eventual plot point more important and tragic.
What Happens Next Between Rhaenyra & Criston In House Of The Dragon
While Fire & Blood does contain somewhat of an unreliable narrative - in that its events are transcribed by two different people with different versions of events - the outcomes remain the same. Originally in the book, Criston Cole had known Rhaenyra since she was seven years old, as he was her sworn shield. When she was around 14 or 15 years old, Rhaenyra attempted to seduce Criston based on teachings from her uncle Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith in the show. Disgusted, Cole rejects Rhaenyra. After this, when Cole was the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Rhaenyra was arranged to marry Laenor Velaryon. Because of this, Criston Cole confessed his love for her - which she rejected, stating that, as a Targaryen, she was meant for more than being the wife of a sellsword.
While the unreliable narrative of Fire & Blood has another character state that it was Rhaenyra who confessed her love to Cole and was rejected, the outcome remains the same, with Criston beginning to hate Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra then leaves for Driftmark with Harwin Strong as her new sworn shield. Criston then attended Rhaenyra and Laenor's wedding, at which he fought in the tourney for Queen Alicent Hightower, wife of King Viserys Targaryen, besting Harwin in combat. This led Alicent to name Criston her sworn shield. Eventually, Criston's allegiance to Alicent and her family, and bitter feelings towards Rhaenyra, led him to renounce Rhaenyra's claim to the Iron Throne and support Aegon.
This went on through the resulting civil war in which Criston served as Hand of the King to Aegon with the former becoming known as the Kingmaker due to his unwavering support of the latter. While House of the Dragon has certainly changed some of these events, it is all building to this end result. This is what makes the love scene between Rhaenyra and Criston Cole in House of the Dragon episode 4 so vital to the future of the show, as it is foreshadowing the eventual betrayal of Rhaenyra by Criston, and the downfall of their relationship as a result.
New episodes of House of the Dragon release every Sunday on HBO/HBO Max.
