House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has explained the relationship between Queen Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole in season 2, unpacking what it means between the pair. During season 1 of the show, the guardsman slowly became loyal to the Greens, pledging his allegiance to the Queen after feeling he was betrayed by Rhaenyra Targaryen. House of the Dragon season 2 revealed that Alicent and Criston have started a relationship together, keeping it a secret from the rest of the major characters on their side.
Speaking with Collider, Condal explained how Alicent and Criston’s relationship in House of the Dragon season 2 developed, revealing the extent of their feelings for each other. The showrunner explained how they both still feel strange doing what they’re doing together, but that it also provides them with an outlet that can’t be found anywhere else. Check out what Condal had to say about the pair below:
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. And 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.
What Alicent & Criston’s Relationship Means For House Of The Dragon Season 2
For some time, Alicent and Criston were able to keep their relationship a secret from everyone, ensuring that scandalous rumors wouldn’t damage their overarching goals. However, House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere ended with Helaena rushing into the Queen’s bedroom after Jaehaerys is killed, making her the first person to know about how intimate their relationship really is. While it doesn’t seem like she’ll tell anyone about what she saw, the fact she was able to find out so easily means the pair are going to have to be more careful in the future.
Since the duo’s biggest focus is on the brewing civil war, the pair are unlikely to further develop their physical relationship into a proper romance. While something could happen between the two that brings them closer emotionally, it’s too early to tell how serious the pair will be once the Dance of the Dragons truly begins. However, their closeness so far signals a shared loyalty with one another, something that will continue to be reflected in how they work together going forward.
While their relationship is only just beginning, Alicent and Criston could have a serious future ahead of them depending on how deep into romance the pair become. It’s possible this closeness will grow as the series continues, perhaps even carrying over into House of the Dragon season 3. However, if something were to happen to either of them during the civil war, it would lead the other on a path of revenge so great, not even Rhaenyra may be able to stop the destruction.