House of the Dragon Season 3 episode 6 kills off Criston Cole

House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 Kills Off Criston Cole

The Dance of the Dragons has reached a more destructive phase in the latest broadcast of House of the Dragon. In Season 3, Episode 6, titled Faceless Men, the series ended the long rule of Ser Criston Cole, the Kingmaker, during the events of the Butcher's Ball.

The episode introduces Alysanne Blackwood, known as Black Aly, and immediately places her at the center of the conflict. Played by Annie Shapero, Black Aly is a noblewoman from House Blackwood, one of the oldest families in the Riverlands and staunch supporters of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. Described as a capable battlefield commander and accomplished archer who resists traditional expectations for highborn women, she provides a striking entrance by delivering the fatal blows to Criston Cole.

This sequence represents a departure from George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood. In the novel, Criston Cole's end is described as intentionally unceremonious. After his exhausted army is surrounded, Cole offers to surrender himself to spare his soldiers, but the proposal is rejected. He then requests a trial by combat against opposing commanders, but the Riverlords instead order a volley of arrows. In the book, Red Robb Rivers and other archers fire the three arrows that kill the Hand of the King; Martin never attributes the fatal shot to a single person.

HBO reshaped this moment to give Black Aly the three decisive shots. While the identity of the archer changes, the core theme remains: Criston Cole is denied the glory or the final duel he believes he deserves.

Omens and Uncertainty in King's Landing

While Team Black finds a victory in the Riverlands, the atmosphere in King's Landing is growing more unstable. During a sequence where Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen hears petitions from smallfolk while seated on the Iron Throne, she accidentally cuts her finger on one of the throne's blades.

Director Loni Peristere stated that the moment is an instigating event for a lot of bad things, suggesting that the physical wound mirrors the infection and rot spreading through Rhaenyra's court and the realm. Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra, noted that the moment contains significant foreshadowing, though the character may perceive the injury as part of a broader hostility rather than a specific omen.

The scene evokes the history of the Iron Throne, which is said to reject unworthy rulers. This was previously seen with King Viserys I, whose worsening injuries reflected his declining health and the unraveling of his reign. However, in Fire & Blood, this "rejection" is presented as political propaganda and legend rather than objective fact. The show's decision to depict Rhaenyra bleeding on the throne suggests a move toward treating the superstition as true, contrasting with the ambiguity of the source material.

The Fate of the Sea Snake

The episode concluded with a dramatic cliffhanger regarding Lord Corlys Velaryon. As Corlys prepared to lead his men to support Queen Rhaenyra, he was confronted by a squad of soldiers loyal to Lord Ormund Hightower and Ser Bold Jon Roxton. An assailant grabbed Corlys from behind and began choking him before the scene abruptly cut away.

Because no body was shown, viewers have sparked a debate on social media about whether the Sea Snake survived. Some fans pointed to the Season 3 trailer, which reportedly shows Corlys and Daemon talking, as evidence that he remains alive. Others suggest he may have been captured. In the novel Fire & Blood, Corlys survives the entire civil war and remains a significant character.

HBO has not confirmed the status of Lord Corlys. Viewers will find out the outcome in Episode 7, which is set to release on August 2, 2026.