WTF Is Going On With Alicent & Criston Cole In House Of The Dragon Season 2? (2024)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2, episodes 1 & 2.

One of House of the Dragon season 2’s most surprising moments is not a brutal death, but the reveal that Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole are having a sexual relationship. As two prominent members of House of the Dragon’s Green faction, it makes sense that Alicent and Criston would be spending a lot of time together. That much was clear even in season 1, when he became Alicent’s sworn sword after turning away from Rhaenyra Targaryen. But, well, sworn sword takes on a whole new meaning in season 2.

There are two sex scenes between Alicent and Criston in the season 2 premiere: the first with him performing oral sex on the Queen Mother, the second with them in bed together… while Blood and Cheese are killing Prince Jaehaerys. Then there is another in episode 2, coming right at the very end once again. The Game of Thrones franchise is no stranger to sex, of course, but there can be no accusations of it being gratuitous here. Instead, it’s a relationship that says a lot about its two characters.

Why Alicent & Criston Have A Sexual Relationship In House Of The Dragon Season 2

There Is A Meaning To It, Even Though It'll Be Divisive

There are several reasons as to why Alicent and Criston have a sexual relationship in House of the Dragon season 2, which goes far beyond desire and two hot people wanting to f**k each other (in fact, there seems to be little suggestion they actually like each other). Instead, it’s reflective of their feelings towards Rhaenyra and towards themselves.

For Alicent, there are a few factors. It shouldn’t be overlooked that this is the first example so far of her actually experiencing sexual autonomy: she was pushed into marrying King Viserys and had to do what’s considered her duty; the scenes regarding Larys Strong and Alicent’s feet were about power and information. Alicent is actually in control here, so there’s perhaps a sense of freedom, but it’s telling that Criston Cole is the person she’s chosen to experience it with.

Criston was one of many wedges between Alicent and Rhaenyra when they were younger. The knight sleeping with the princess changed Alicent’s view of her friend, and while they were already growing apart, it helped cement that division. At the same time, Alicent clearly longed for the kind of freedom Rhaenyra had. Having sex with Cole is taking something from her, and getting to have the experience she’d long been denied (and note that this is happening in Rhaenyra's old bedroom).

He’s also someone who a) has a clear hatred of Rhaenyra, and b) presents himself as being just as honorable and pious as Alicent likes to consider herself, so there’s a way she can tell herself it’s OK and not morally wrong. Tell herself, but not believe it, because there’s also an element of self-loathing in this too. Alicent has long been seen self-harming, particularly when younger, and it’s very much a physical act; there’s a suggestion that her relationship with Criston is something similar to her.

For Criston himself, it’s perhaps a little more straightforward, and not just because he could consider himself to be obeying orders. He has obviously long been hung-up on Rhaenyra; he may profess to hate her, but she is the woman he wanted to be with. In Alicent, he sees the idealized version of Rhaenyra that he could never attain. That she is good and pure, and that buttresses his own belief that he is those things, despite knowing (and loathing) that he has already dishonored himself and continues to do so.

He also, perhaps, sees it as a victory over Rhaenyra, a means of getting back to the woman who rejected him by sleeping with her former best friend and now great enemy. With all of that, Alicent and Criston’s relationship is a twisted, complex, and unhealthy one.

How House Of The Dragon's Showrunner Explained Alicent Hightower & Criston Cole's Relationship

After the season 2 premiere, showrunner Ryan Condal explained Alicent and Criston's relationship in House of the Dragon season 2, offering his own thoughts on what each of the characters is feeling. Similar to the above, he discusses how the pair are emotionally stunted, and not really prepared for this kind of intimacy or how to navigate it. He said:

"...The idea is that these two characters have this very stunted emotional development, particularly in the world of intimacy with a partner. Cole, because he's been a canned man his entire life in the order of the Kingsguard and his past sins with Rhaenyra and wearing that like a millstone around his neck.

"And on Alicent’s side, she was married off at 14 years old to a guy that was 20-plus years her senior. She doesn't really have a — certainly, she was physically intimate with Viserys, but I don't know that they had a romantically intimate or emotionally intimate experience just because of the huge age gap between them. So it's led us to this place where you see these two characters who don't experience a lot of pleasure, experiencing great pleasure together in a nice way that I think makes the audience go, “Oh, okay. These are two humans enjoying themselves.” But they don't have the emotional know-how and modeling for how to exist in something like that, particularly, something they have to keep a secret."

When Did Alicent Hightower & Criston Cole's Relationship Start?

Were They Already Together Before King Viserys' Died?

One of the other intriguing questions surrounding Alicent and Criston's relationship is just when it started. Based off dialogue in the season 2 premiere, in which Alicent says it can't happen again, the suggestion is that it was already an established relationship rather than that being the very first time. But if that is the case, how far back does it go? After all, House of the Dragon season 2's timeline picks up just a few days after season 1's ending.

Alicent and Criston were certainly close even before Viserys' passing, so there was an opportunity for it to happen. There are also a couple of quotes from season 1 that could fit with it: Rhaenyra's accusation of Alicent "hiding beneath the cloak of [her] own righteousness," from episode 7, and Alicent's own line to Criston about "the love you have for me as your Queen." That leaves room for it to be possible, but is far from confirmation.

The points against it would be, in a way, Alicent's own righteousness. Her feeling of superiority was what she had to cling to, and it would be a surprising (if not impossible) level of hypocrisy for her to be having sex with Criston at that point. She performed her marital duty with Viserys, and a relationship before his death may go against her arc too much. It would also, I think, be strange to have never seen it before now. It makes sense to hide from the characters, but not to hide it from the audience.

That is somewhat backed up by Condal, who says that this is a new relationship, though there is deliberately some obfuscation in regard to the timeline of it all. The showrunner added:

"Are they comfortable with each other? It feels very awkward there. They're literally talking about the weather. So, that's the thing, it's a brand new relationship. We don't specifically get into, intentionally, when and where it started. Part of that is the fun of leaving it up to interpretation by the viewing audience. But it's certainly a new thing, a new romance."

What Alicent & Criston Cole’s Relationship Means For House Of The Dragon

It Could Have A Real Impact, Especially After Blood & Cheese

Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole’s relationship has already had a clear impact, as seen in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1’s ending. The pair were in bed together when Blood and Cheese were killing the prince, which should not only lead to both of them feeling a greater sense of shame and guilt, but also questions over where, exactly, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was when it was happening.

Beyond that, it’ll be interesting to see how their relationship continues and how much it affects their decision-making. Criston defends Alicent when speaking to Aemond, suggesting he does have some affection for her that could influence his choices. The same, so far, cannot really be said for Alicent, but the guilt and self-loathing over it could well play out as the Dance of the Dragons progresses.

It’s also possible someone besides Helaena - who seems unlikely to tell anyone, unless she blurts it out without realizing - will discover their secret. It would cause great scandal, bringing shame not only upon them but also on Team Green as a whole (Westeros PR is important, and people breaking vows will, officially, be seen as a Bad Thing, even if many others do far worse).

Why Alicent & Cole's Relationship Continues Even After Blood & Cheese

House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 2 Makes Things Even More Twisted Between Them

Alicent Hightower and Criston Cole spend much of House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2 keeping things more formal, and their clothes very much on when they're together. It's telling that, when Alicent has a bath, Cole is kept outside the room; there's a clear sense of distance and separation, which is a purposeful choice from them after what happened while they were in bed together.

That changes in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 2's ending, when the pair has another charged sexual encounter... which comes after Alicent slaps him... and that itself was after she'd witnessed her son, Aegon, in floods of tears. I think this speaks to the comments from Condal on them both being "emotionally stunted" and not sure how to express their feelings. There's a mix of guilt, shame, anger, lust, and loneliness all thrown together here, and it's a potent mix.

Alicent wants to be mad at Criston. To blame him for what's happened, for leading Aegon down a dangerous path, plotting to kill Rhaenyra, and contributing to her father being ousted from his position as Hand of the King. But that also turns to passion, too, while also a sense of wanting to just feel something else. At moments where she's lost the trust of so many people close to her, being with Criston can make her feel wanted and, in her limited view of emotion, perhaps even loved. Forget Aegon, she wants him to be her hand as well.

It seems clear this particularly toxic affair won't be going away anytime soon, although with Criston's new role and the Dance of the Dragons seemingly about to get a lot hotter than their trysts, they may be forced apart anyway. This relationship is not in Fire & Blood, so there’s no blueprint for where it will go, but that just makes it a more intriguing subplot as House of the Dragon season 2 continues.

New episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 release Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and Max.

House of the Dragon

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Taking place about 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the rise of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria. The popular HBO spinoff show first starred Milly Alco*ck and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before they were replaced by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters. Also starring in the series is Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen.

Cast

Jefferson Hall , Paddy Considine , Fabien Frankel , Ryan Corr , Eve Best , Gavin Spokes , Graham McTavish , Steve Toussaint , Olivia Cooke , Sonoya Mizuno , Bill Paterson , Matthew Needham , Emma D'Arcy , Matt Smith , Rhys Ifans , David Horovitch

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Seasons

2

Network

HBO Max

Streaming Service(s)

HBO Max

Franchise(s)

Game of Thrones

Showrunner

Ryan Condal