Review | House of the Dragon 3×06 Review: The Death of Criston Cole and the Chaos in Westeros

(The text below contains spoilers for the sixth episode of House of the Dragon season 3)

The game has changed once again, but this time with some painful stumbles along the way. Our House of the Dragon 3×06 review breaks down how the show accelerates its overall pace. We get a script packed with aggressive moves and heavy consequences.

Deaths, kidnappings, assassination attempts, and fresh political setups completely dominate the HBO screen right now. Fans expecting a slow burn are in for a shock. The tension is reaching a boiling point.

This episode, titled “Faceless Men,” shakes the board pieces roughly and without much care. The series tries to resolve several long-standing narrative debts at once. To do this, the showrunners use some very questionable shortcuts.

The final result delivers solid ideas on paper. However, the episode suffers from highly doubtful dramatic execution on screen. We expected a smoother ride.

House of the Dragon 3×06 Review and the Disappointing End of Criston Cole

Criston Cole’s death easily leads the list of severe problems in this chapter. The Lord Commander received a ridiculous and rushed send-off. His final moments feel completely disconnected from his massive initial importance.

The character’s suicide mission served only to fill screen time this season. Audiences watched him survive impossible odds before, making this end feel cheap. Fans deserved a proper payoff for the show’s biggest antagonist.

The writers heavily forced a cheap redemption arc for the former Kingsguard. They based it on the romanticized idea of dying as a free man. This choice ignores all the terrible things he did previously.

Cole started the series as a central, highly complex figure. Now, he ends up tossed into the narrative trash bin. The conclusion of this long arc brings no real weight to the Westeros universe.

Rhaena’s storyline also follows a highly frustrating and lateral path. Jeyne formally kicks her out of the Vale. This happens after the young girl tries to visit Baela in secret.

The young Targaryen continues serving merely as a loose piece in the game. The writers push her around the map strictly according to script convenience. She desperately needs a solid motivation of her own.

Aemond’s Soap Opera Mysticism in Harrenhal

The entire Harrenhal plotline openly flirts with dramatic and mystical exaggeration. Alys Rivers reveals a clutch with five hidden dragon eggs inside the cursed castle. This massive reveal feels rushed and poorly explained.

The witch boldly proposes a joint rule alongside Aemond Targaryen. She even seals this bizarre political alliance with a kiss. The whole sequence feels completely out of place for this universe.

This strange relationship crashes hard into a cheap soap opera tone. It totally isolates the prince from the very real, bloody war happening outside. We need him commanding armies, not playing house in a haunted ruin.

The series urgently needs to turn these endless visions and promises into concrete actions. Harrenhal cannot continue functioning merely as a spooky waiting room. The military clashes need to start right now.

Daemon and the Crime Thriller Vibe in King’s Landing

Thankfully, the episode delivers excellent moments when focusing on the capital’s rapid decay. Daemon takes on an excellent plotline, disguised as a common soldier of the City Watch. It is a fantastic callback to his early days.

The rebel prince actively investigates and executes a local criminal. This brings back the highly praised police thriller atmosphere to the show. It grounds the fantasy elements with some gritty realism.

Out on the filthy streets, Rhaenyra Targaryen’s government struggles heavily. She fails to maintain even minimal order among the smallfolk. The city rots away rapidly under her watch.

The crown deals with daily guard desertions and a massive spike in common crime. They quickly discover that sitting on the throne of swords was the easy part. Ruling a starving city is a nightmare.

To contain the exploding urban violence, the queen takes a highly drastic measure. She promises to use House Velaryon soldiers to heavily police the capital’s dark alleys.

This hardline decision militarizes the domestic management of the city. It perfectly highlights the hardening of the current Black reign. Rhaenyra is losing her grip on the people.

Ormund, Corlys, and the Dragonseed Tension

Far away from the capital, Ormund Hightower continues showing off his eccentric, sinister personality. The failed assassination attempt against the lord delivers a genuinely great tension sequence.

The script smartly hides the true endgame of this new antagonist. Still, it leaves his absolute danger completely clear to the audience. He is a wild card in this war.

The end of the episode drops a massive bomb right in the public’s lap. The sudden disappearance of Corlys Velaryon is a huge shock. This kidnapping generates a very strong cliffhanger for the civil war’s next steps.

Fans know the golden rule of television by now. If the Sea Snake were truly dead, the director would absolutely show the body on screen. Expect a rescue mission soon.

Meanwhile, the bastard riders deal with much more grounded, human dilemmas. Hugh desperately tries to convince Kat to run away. This dialogue perfectly exposes the raw fear of the common citizen.

Ulf continues suffering highly unnecessary humiliations from the nobles. This is a very severe military mistake. The crown will pay a heavy price for treating dragon riders like trash.

Alicent Hightower’s Repetitive Mistakes

The Green faction suffers heavily from Alicent Hightower’s sharp intellectual decline. The former queen makes terrible, poorly thought-out decisions. She increasingly reminds us of the blind arrogance of the late King Joffrey.

The long-standing conflict between the two matriarchs loses a lot of power here. Alicent acts like the sole guilty party for all her faction’s stumbles. The nuance of her character is fading fast.

The resolution of last week’s cliffhanger also ruins any previously built expectations. Alicent and Helaena escape the secret prison with annoying, unbelievable ease. It felt like a massive cheat.

We can only hope the trap set by the Green queen generates better consequences later. Right now, her master plans look incredibly foolish.

“Faceless Men” easily takes the spot as the most irregular chapter of the current season. The plot strongly suggests clever disguises and deep conspiracies. Sadly, the actual execution completely lacks a firm, coherent stitching.

The series just cleared away some silly shortcuts. Now, it desperately needs to deliver a truly breathtaking final stretch. The fans are waiting.