House of the Dragon cut two HUGE scenes that would’ve completely changed how we saw Criston Cole

Criston Cole has always been one of the most controversial characters in House of the Dragon. Some people love to hate him, while others have argued that there was always more going on underneath the anger, bitterness and terrible decisions.

And now, after his death in season three, it turns out there were moments that could have shown a completely different side of him. Fabien Frankel, who plays Criston Cole, has revealed that two major scenes were filmed but never made it into the final episodes. And they would have massively changed how viewers understood his character.

So, here are the Criston Cole deleted scenes that could have changed everything.

1. Criston actually wanted the rapist punished

via HBO

Speaking to Vulture, Frankel explained that, in season three, Criston was originally shown trying to maintain some sense of honour.

He said, “In the first episode, Gwayne says: ‘This woman was raped in the camp,’ and Cole responds: ‘All men become beasts before our end.’ That’s how the scene ends in the aired edit.”

“But in the original scene, Gwayne says: ‘Only if they lose their dignity,’ or something like that, and Cole says: ‘Bring the rapist to me.’”

Frankel even admitted he was disappointed that the moment was cut. “That was a touch of humanity that would have been very useful to avoid making it seem like he suddenly stopped caring about everything. I was sad to see that get cut,” he said.

He joked, “It was a bit of a turn that I didn’t expect. But, you know, the writers want to keep me unlikable, man, and they want to keep my career derailed. Anytime we try to bring a little bit of humanity to the thing, Ryan [Condal] and Sara [Hess] just want me f**king really down in the dumps.”

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2. Criston breaking down in Alicent’s arms

via HBO

This is probably the deleted scene that would have changed people’s opinions the most. It was at the end of season two. Frankel told The New York Times, “There was a scene that never made it into the cut. Criston goes to Alicent’s quarters and collapses crying in her arms, and she holds him like a child”.

He added, “The nature of the beast is that sometimes scenes just don’t make it. But for me as an actor, I remember doing that scene with Olivia. It was the final scene of the whole of season two, and we wrapped as soon as the scene wrapped.”

Frankel then continued, “I felt that was the moment. The admission of all the wrongdoing, all of the guilt, all of the realisation that ultimately his annihilation is his own doing. He’s caused and created so much of the mayhem around him.”

One of the biggest backlashes to Criston’s death is that his attachment to Alicent feels a little underdeveloped. When Criston dies, he wraps Alicent’s favour around his sword hilt. It shows that she is the person he is thinking about at the end.

But that emotional connection didn’t get enough screen time. The deleted crying scene could have completely changed that.

Of course, deleted scenes happen all the time, and not every moment can make it into the final cut. But with Criston Cole, these two cut scenes actually feel like they would have changed the entire way audiences viewed him.

As a Criston Cole hater, I’m actually a little annoyed we never got to see it.

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