“House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 6, “Faceless Men,” contains one huge surprise, right at the beginning of the episode. Ser Criston Cole has been a major character since the first episode, but it seems fighting for the Greens did him in. In the opening scene, Cole leads a doomed march against the forces of Oscar Tully and the Winter Wolves. He comes upon a ruined Tully camp and walks into a trap, because the corpses littering the ground are not corpses, but soldiers who were feigning death.
While Cole’s death is the major story of the episode, there is another story, one that has been dragging on for several episodes. Namely, Rhaenyra took the crown in a bloodless, mostly bloodless, sort of coup. However, she has no money, has many enemies, is plagued by the restless city populace and is obsessed with dragons. Do you think she will ever solidify her rule?
What Happens in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 6
The episode is noteworthy in that a major character dies. There is also continuing turmoil in the rule of Rhaenyra. Here are the two major issues of this episode.
Ser Criston Cole Dies
The very first scene of the episode is the Butcher’s Ball, the battle in which Ser Criston Cole dies. This battle reminds viewers of the brutality of war. Cole always has a plan, and he does in this episode as well. This time, the plan is to die fighting at the head of his men. A ferocious fight follows as seemingly dead soldiers come to life and engage Cole and his knights. At first, Cole’s men seem to be doing well, but they are soon surrounded by enemy forces. Cole offers to fight Oscar Tully and Roderick “Roddy the Ruin” Dustin, two against one.
He never gets the chance. Alysanne Blackwood fires three arrows, two to the chest, one to the face, killing Ser Criston Cole instantly. The Riverlands forces then cut down what is left of his men. In the final moments, Cole clings still to Queen Alicent’s handkerchief, a token of affection she gave him when he left King’s Landing. He said he wanted to die as a knight, in battle. He got his wish. Though it is possible he did not want to die here, in the dirt, hoodwinked by soldiers playing dead and killed at a distance by arrows.
Turmoil in the Rule of Rhaenyra
With her ascent to the throne, it seemed Rhaenyra was quite secure. Nevertheless, she remains tormented. The most vexing issues for her rule are the lack of money in the treasury and the unrest among the so-called smallfolk. Both of these issues threaten her rule. She meets with her small council, where the main subject is the murder of about two dozen Gold Cloaks, including their commander, Ser Luthor Largent. The empty treasury makes things worse. The surviving Gold Cloaks have not been paid, and they resign despite Daemon’s efforts to keep them.
She also has the problem of the insurrection of Ormund Hightower, who is behind the murder of the Gold Cloaks in the city. He is promoting Daeron Targaryen, Alicent’s youngest son, as king, in direct contravention of her rule, and he is directing a troubling campaign that continues the war and threatens the kingdom. She is also plagued by her husband, Daemon, who always wants to be more aggressive than she. He wants to burn Ormund out of Tumbleton, even though that would kill her own subjects who live there.
Rhaenyra instead sends assassins to Tumbleton under the Baratheon banner, but Gwayne Hightower spots them in time, and Ormund and Daeron survive. As the episode ends, Ormund’s men seize Lord Corlys Velaryon. It seems the challenges to her rule will never end.
Conclusion: Same as It Ever Was
“House of the Dragon” Season 3, Episode 6 is both jarring and eerily familiar. It is jarring because a major character dies. Ser Criston Cole was a fixture in previous episodes and one of the most hated characters on the show, yet it is still a shock to see him go so quickly. At the same time, this episode continues the story arc of the shakiness of Rhaenyra’s rule. She seemed secure when she first took the Iron Throne, but has been troubled by a lack of funds, a dogged resistance from Ormund Hightower and discontent among the city populace.
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