The dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is one of House of the Dragon’s most polarizing characters. She was pawned off to King Viserys Targaryen by her father, Otto Hightower, and ended up living an unhappy life. Still, once Viserys died, she made her power move to secure the Westeros crown for her son, Aegon, at the expense of her former best friend, Rhaenyra.

A major parameter was that she would have to keep blurring moral and ethical lines. She did, especially when Fabien Frankel’s Ser Criston Cole, head of the Kingsguard, swayed to her side. However, as Season 2 kicks off, Criston could end up inadvertently shooting Alicent in the foot.

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In House of the Dragon, Daemon Targaryen is one of the most feared fighters in the realm – a major asset for the Blacks. Yet his impatience, arrogance, and seeming lack of faith in others around him has – so far – been an overall negative to his side. He appears to be an asset and an impediment in equal parts for non-book readers. Given the ending of Episode 201, it seems Daemon will have difficulty making up for his mistakes and actually proving himself worthy of his spot in Rhaenyra’s court.

Criston has gotten together with Alicent, but they’re keeping it quiet. She tries to break it off, knowing how illicit it is, but she can’t. She was deprived of love and sensuality for so long that Criston — someone she crushed on as a teenager — is the perfect guardian and lover. Criston knows it’s wrong as well, but he will keep partaking as long as Alicent wants. A big part is that he does have strong feelings for Alicent, but he is also blinded by rejection.

In Season 1, he had a tryst with Rhaenyra years back, which caused him to break his oath. But when he fell in love and wanted to elope, she rejected his marriage proposal. She was meant for royalty and the Iron Throne. Some of it was arrogance, but Rhaenyra understood the path of duty her father mapped out for her. She couldn’t leave because the Targaryen bloodline had to stay in charge. This left Criston angry. Since then, he has become more malicious by painting Rhaenyra as a villain.

Matters only got worse when rumors swirled that her sons belonged to Harwin Strong and not her then husband, Laenor Velaryon. Criston basked in how everyone turned against Rhaenyra. The problem is Criston is still taking things personally and is making rash decisions. He goes from educating Aegon smartly on the rules of war to then listening to Aemond plot genocide. This version of Criston is obsessed with wanting to make Rhaenyra’s Team Black suffer.

To that end, Criston’s words might conflict with the Hand, Otto Hightower. Criston might even become vulnerable enough to be corrupted by Matthew Needham’s Larys Strong in the political game to see who should be Aegon’s adviser. Though Criston is meant to serve the throne, he is instead obsessed with hurting Rhaenyra and using his relationship with Alicent to further fuel his vendetta. He thinks he has power and that he is winning against a woman who rejected his marriage proposal. This doesn’t provide the clear head he needs in such a pivotal job on the king’s council.

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If Criston maintains these trysts in House of the Dragon Season 2, bad things could happen at the expense of someone who doesn’t care about him. He thinks he’s spitting at Rhaenyra, but she has moved on. She has her children, the death of Lucerys to deal with, and the throne in mind. Criston comes off like a petulant child and his tryst with Alicent is equally hypocritical. As a member of the Kingsguard, Criston still has to uphold his chastity vows. If the truth gets out, citizens will view the Alicent fling as a carnal insult.

If the queen mother can’t respect the institution of the throne and laws set out to protect its sanctity, this would easily paint Criston and Alicent as setting a bad example. To that end, in Westeros, it could sully the Hightower name. Larys has spies in the chamber and other moles, which means this information can be easily leaked and weaponized. Optics are an important component of the political campaign, as Otto has repeatedly said. He doesn’t need a public relations scandal as it will defame his House, and Alicent and Aegon’s claim to the throne.

Despite the silver-haired family members, people would surely wonder if Alicent was faithful when siring her sons. It’ll just be a scandal and rumors that people would love to add negative spins to. The last thing the Greens need is public contempt. They are trying to rally support, add to their armies, and ensure the local economy succeeds. A scandal of this proportion will pile the pressure on. Team Black already has a blockade to stymie goods coming to King’s Landing. The citizens are restless, so if they think Team Green is inept and disgracing the throne, they may well decide to align with Rhaenyra’s Team Black.

Team Black has strong leaders and cults of personality like Daemon, Corlys and Rhaenys as well. With the Starks pledging fealty too, they are strengthening. Criston’s mistakes and possible exposure can cause a trickle-down effect and send a deluge of support to the enemy. In the end, Otto cannot afford to dissuade his allies. From one stare that Otto shoots at Criston, he senses the fling, so he will have to act to ensure they do not alienate assistance.

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Originally, fans did feel sympathy for Criston in Season 1. However, he went from a tragic knight to a violent one, willing to maim and kill after Rhaenyra spurned his hand. Since then, his toxic masculinity has amped up. He doesn’t care if he puts Alicent’s station in disrepute. He selfishly wants to satisfy his lustful urges, even when he knows better and should end the affair. He simply cannot let go of his grudge. He wants to milk the little power he has by overseeing Alicent and her sons. It reiterates that he is indeed part of a larger patriarchy that will always ruin the realm.

Just like Otto and Viserys, Criston sees women as pawns in his selfish ambition. To him, Alicent isn’t breeding stock, but she is the royal lover he thinks he deserves. It’s a case of pleasure breeding pain and morose consequences, especially after the premiere. Rather than keep watch at the Red Keep, Criston has 𝑠e𝑥 with Alicent again. This leads to Daemon’s hitmen, Blood and Cheese, killing Jaehaerys, Aegon’s heir. Criston performing his duty as a member of the Kingsguard would have reduced the chances of the assassins sneaking in to commit the murder.

Criston’s developments confirms how much House of the Dragon is about repercussions due to the actions of caustic men. Viserys and Otto kickstarted the civil war, Aemond amplified it by aggravating Vhagar to kill Prince Lucerys, and now Criston and Daemon are kicking things up a gear. It’s all about inflated egos and narcissim. Whether it’s direct or inadvertent, these men are damaging the realm as they mull strategies and consolidate power. Unfortunately, it’s a comprehensive, corrosive cycle that won’t be broken, as Game of Thrones fans will see down the line.

Apart from characters like Ned and Jon Snow, virtue will be hard to come by. Centuries before, Criston falls into the vitriolic trap and helps embolden the misogynistic, chauvinistic wheel that Daenerys would try to break in due time. The sad thing is Criston plays the victim, as if he has no say and just goes with the flow. But he very much knows what he is doing, benefiting from a desperate, lonely Alicent. It’s predatory, capitalistic and a move that doesn’t endear him to audiences, or what Aegon is trying to do: stabilize the region from political turmoil.

New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday at 9 PM ET on HBO.