In the latest episode of "House of the Dragon," Ser Criston Cole appears to embark on a suicide mission, and actor Fabien Frankel has explained the character's mindset to Variety, describing a growing "nihilism" as Criston loses the will to carry on. The moment marks a significant turning point for one of the show's most divisive figures, as years of serving both the Green and Black factions of the Targaryen civil war culminate in a desire to die honourably rather than live on having been "spurned" and "rejected" by the highborn he served.

In the episode, Criston and Gwayne Hightower lead men in pursuit of the Rivermen to stop them reaching King's Landing and reinforcing Rhaenyra Targaryen, but setbacks including a lamed horse and a burnt bridge leave the mission hopeless. Gwayne realises Criston had engineered their doomed march deliberately, prompting Criston's monologue declaring himself "the realm's greatest warrior" who will die as such rather than return in disgrace. Frankel told Variety these feelings had been building since roughly halfway through Season 2, and he also teased what might lie ahead at the forthcoming Butcher's Ball, should the series continue to follow George R.R. Martin's source novels.