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Finding new and interesting takes on vampire stories is a pretty tough row to hoe at this point. They’re among the oldes...
25/06/2024

Finding new and interesting takes on vampire stories is a pretty tough row to hoe at this point. They’re among the oldest and most famous folklore monsters and the lore surrounding them, at least as laid out in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, feels mostly concrete. It’s strange, then, why more movies don’t explore the folklore in a different way, from a different part of the world. Adrien Beau’s debut feature The Vourdalak does this, exploring the Russian/Slavic vampire legend through its most popular written work. Oh, and it also makes the vampire a creepy puppet. That helps.

The Vourdalak adapts Aleksey K. Tolstoy’s 1839 novella, The Family of the Vourdalak, which predates both Le Fanu’s 1873 Carmilla and Stoker’s 1897 Dracula. Vourdalaks differ from our traditional understanding of vampires. They drink blood, sure, and they are undead, but the sun has little to no effect on them, and they tend to only feast on members of their family. That aspect forms the foundation of the story. It’s the breakdown of a family unit in a time and culture that values family, and respecting elders of the family, above all else.

The movie places the action in the late 1700s wherein French nobleman Marquis Jacques Antoine Saturnin d’Urfe (Kacey Mottet Klein) finds himself stranded in Eastern Europe, looking for a place to spend the night. The Turks had recently raided the village, but the villager tells the Marquis to seek shelter at the house of an elder named Gorcha. On the way, the Marquis meets Gorcha’s daughter Sdenka (Ariane Labed) and immediately becomes infatuated. Unfortunately for him, Sdenka—who desperately wants to leave for a better life—has other things on her mind.

Oscilloscope

The Gorcha household, we and the Marquis learn, consists of the aged Gorcha, Gorcha’s three children—eldest Jegor, Sdenka, and younger son Piotr—and Jegor’s wife and son. Jegor left to find the Turkish raiders and, returning after a month, discovers Gorcha himself went out after the Turks. Gorcha told his family if he does not return in six days, they should assume he’s dead. If he returns after the six days, they should assume he’s a vourdalak and refuse him entry. Jegor finds this absurd and the Marquis finds it peculiar.

However, after assuming the missing Gorcha had indeed died, the old man appears at the edge of the forest at exactly six days, to the minute. He looks like a co**se, clearly little more than a skeleton with skin, but he holds so much sway over his children, especially Jegor, they allow him to stay. Would you be surprised to hear he’s a vourdalak?

Oscilloscope

Beau makes a couple of really clever choices that set this movie apart from other adaptations. Famously, Mario Bava’s 1963 anthology film Black Sabbath adapts the story with Boris Karloff as Gorcha. Less famously, the 1972 Giorgio Ferroni film The Night of the Devils moved the action to the modern day. But Beau in fact moves it further back in time, so that our French nobleman is a ridiculous, white-makeup-faced fop. He’s a ridiculous sight to us, but it makes him especially ridiculous to the locals who know nothing of French courtiers. He’s an outsider.

The other major change, obviously, is that Gorcha himself when we see him is so inhuman, so far gone down the road of undead monster, that he’s not even a person. Gorcha is head to toe a full-size rod puppet, with Beau providing the voice. He has full scenes of dialogue, in full light—more than enough to make it clear, this ain’t a man. This is entirely the point! It’s easy to look at Boris Karloff and, even with some makeup, recognize he’s the man you used to know. It’s impossible to look at the thing in this movie and see anything but a grotesquery. And yet…

Oscilloscope

The Vourdalak uses its uncanny visuals to its benefit, heightening a story that certainly feels pretty familiar to horror fans. In addition to the puppetry, we have some lovely, gloomy dream sequences and bloody set pieces. The cast acquit themselves very nicely, perfectly playing the severity of the situation, even amid the unreality of the threat. Klein also manages a compelling protagonist who is at once compassionate and forthright, and a ridiculous buffoon who is a rich creep.

I think if The Vourdalak has any downside, it’s that none of it is particularly scary. Parts of it, especially later in the story involving Gorcha’s feeding, should be eerier than they are. Perhaps that isn’t the point, however the aforementioned Italian versions certainly slanted toward a growing creep factor I don’t think The Vourdalak ever comes close to. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie, and if grotesqueness is all you’re after, this French-language offering has plenty for you. The puppet alone is worth the 90 minute watch.

The Vourdalak ⭐ (3.5 of 5)

The Vourdalak opens exclusively in US cinemas on June 28th from Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

The post THE VOURDALAK Gives Us a Vampire Folk Tale with One Major Selling Point appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

Finding new and interesting takes on vampire stories is a pretty tough row to hoe at this point. They’re among the oldest and most famous fo...

The Walking Dead is over but, as we know, the end of the flagship series that’s been in fans’ hearts for over a decade d...
25/06/2024

The Walking Dead is over but, as we know, the end of the flagship series that’s been in fans’ hearts for over a decade doesn’t mean this world is done. The show already has six spinoff series: Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Most of them are completed; however, there’s a couple that are continuing this franchise with more seasons.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is gearing up for season two and already has a confirmed season three. But it seems the series might get a fourth round, according to Norman Reedus during a RadioTimes interview. “We’re about to start seasons 3 and possibly 4 in Spain,” he said. “I think I’m allowed to say that. I don’t know. I just said it. But I think we’re going to Spain, to Madrid, for that.”

Jump To: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol // The Walking Dead: Dead City S2 // TWD Crossover Event

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season Two – “The Book of Carol” Is Coming in September

We are done with the first season of Daryl Dixon’s adventure, but there is already great news about his show’s second season. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will bring Carol into the fold. We don’t know if she will also end up in France or if they will meet in some odd middle. Either way, it will be good to see those besties together again. Season two will release on September 29 with the first of six episodes.

Here are some fresh new images to get you ready for Caryl action:

AMC

AMC

You can check out The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s season two teaser below.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner David Zabel gave fans more insight into season two. He reveals that the Nest is a prominent location in season two and Carol’s previous comment about some mystery person coming back will come into play. “There’s also another clue… this moment in the radio call in episode 5 where she talks about something or someone having come back,” said Zabel. “And the impression we get, and Daryl also gets, is that something’s a little off for her, something’s wrong. And so that’s going to also function into the story for Carol in season 2.”

AMC

As stated above, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season two, “The Book of Carol” will come in Summer 2024. Norman Reedus himself posted the slick announcement in his IG stories.

AMC

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season Two Will Arrive in 2025

While this universe is trucking along with Daryl’s adventures, things are slower for Dead City. We’ve known that a second season was coming for a while but didn’t know the release window until now. We will get season two in 2025. Season 1 ended with Maggie trading Negan to get her son Herschel back. Now, Negan is working for The Dama, a dangerous leader in NYC. This next chapter will presumably focus on her organization and Negan’s attempts to escape… if he even wants to do that. Negan no longer has his family and really has no friends either, so he might as well crank up the evil again, right? As long as he stays far away from the Grimes family, I truly don’t care what he does.

Here’s a synopsis for Dead City‘s second season:

In season two, in the growing war for control of Manhattan, Maggie and Negan find themselves trapped on opposite sides. As their paths intertwine, they come to see that the way out for both is more complicated and harrowing than they ever imagined.

Anywho, season two will bring new faces into the mix. Deadline reports that Sons of Anarchy alum Kim Coates will join Dead City‘s cast as Bruegel, the leader of a fierce NYC gang.

The Walking Dead‘s Potential Spinoff Crossover Event and The Ones Who Live‘s Future

As fans know, Rick Grimes was supposed to get three movies, but now it is the limited series alongside Michonne. The Ones Who Live is meant to wrap up their storylines; however, Gimple says there might be more story to tell. “Anything is possible — even if Rick dies in the last episode, anything is possible,” he said to Deadline. “We’re focused on this one right now. But this one came together in a really amazing way, where there were all sorts of plans. And then the world changed and we altered those plans.”

AMC Networks

We obviously know now (and honestly always knew) that Rick didn’t die. He got to reunite with Judith and meet Rick, Jr., but there are so many reunions that need to happen. Morgan is out there looking for Rick, Daryl will eventually return to the US, and there’s the rest of his found family back home. All signs seem to be pointing to a crossover event, which Gimple wants to happen.

“I do have dreams of merging this all together, and I have laid little breadcrumbs toward that, but you never know exactly when and how [it will come together], because of a variety of reasons,” he told TVLine. As long as The Walking Dead franchise is getting money and attention from fans, it will surely keep making more spinoff content. That’s fine with us but please, please don’t follow the comics and kill Rick Grimes if you bring him back in the future.

A lot is happening in The Walking Dead universe and there will surely be more details about other spinoffs if they happen. There’s plenty left to explore in the land of the dead, so let’s keep walking right towards these spinoffs.

Jump To: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol // The Walking Dead: Dead City S2 // TWD Crossover Event

Originally published on April 7, 2022.

The post Norman Reedus Hints at THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON Season 4 Renewal appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

The Walking Dead is over but, as we know, the end of the flagship series that’s been in fans’ hearts for over a decade doesn’t mean this wo...

When I sit down to review a movie, there’s one thing I don’t have to worry about: figuring out whether I enjoyed it or n...
25/06/2024

When I sit down to review a movie, there’s one thing I don’t have to worry about: figuring out whether I enjoyed it or not. That’s the easiest part of this job. When I walk out of a theater I tend to know, like most people, how I generally feel about what I just saw. Expressing why I feel that way specifically is where the actual work begins. But not today. Today is the exception, because I have no idea if I like Kinds of Kindness or if I actually hate it. This anthology-style film is a captivating mess filled with world-class performances in absolutely bizarre plots. It also intentionally, frustratingly keeps viewers on the outside rather than letting them fully enter this strange world of unusual people and supernatural phenomena. Kinds of Kindness is a movie that dares you to like it while not caring if you don’t.

And that seems to be exactly how director Yorgos Lanthimos’ wanted me to feel when I left my theater. His film is not interested in generating typical reactions, either emotional or academic. It’s only interested in doing what it wants to do at its own pace and in its own way.

It’s almost impossible to describe the three different plots of Kinds of Kindness without getting into major, movie-ruining spoilers. To even hint at what it is, we need Searchlight Pictures’ official synopsis. It’s technically correct in the same way you would be technically correct if you described Neil Armstrong’s Moon landing by saying, “A guy went out for a walk.” Yes, but no.

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader

Those all sound like normal stories, but nothing about Kinds of Kindness qualifies as normal. This is an overtly weird film. At times, especially in the first segment, it feels like being weird is the only thing it wants to be. All three connected mini-movies are full of unusual people, possibly supernatural beings, bizarre relationships, s*x cults, and uncomfortable power dynamics.

Searchlight Pictures

The three short films (which are all close to being feature length) have a through line. The meaning of that through line is so ambiguous the internet is going to provide 500 different “explainers” that all claim a different meaning. Some viewers will find that kind of ambiguity fascinating and worthy of deep exploration. Others will find it frustrating and so widely open-ended that it seems to be pointless. Only those who claim to know definitively what Lanthimos meant will be wrong. Kinds of Kindness doesn’t provide many answers (sometimes it provides zero), because the answer is not the point. This movie is less a movie and more an experience defined by ideas.

Even its ideas are up for debate. When the movie ended, I asked someone at my screening what they thought the major themes were. I didn’t totally disagree with anything they said, yet they hadn’t even considered my biggest takeaway which I think is clearly the biggest theme. Some people will love that kind of freedom to find their own meaning, the way some people love a painting that is open to countless interpretations. Others will find it pretentious and off-putting. I, somehow, feel both ways, which is a big reason why I have no idea if I like this movie or not. It’s interesting, yet infuriating. Mesmerizing, yet tedious. Alluring, yet inaccessible.

(Note: I’ve opted not to share what I believe the film’s major theme is because even putting that idea in your head will completely change your experience watching this movie. Kinds of Kindness is the rare case where telling you an “idea” is a much bigger spoiler than telling you a major plot point. That alone tells you a lot about the nature of this film and whether you might like it.)

Searchlight Pictures

For as strange as Kinds of Kindness is, it’s still a movie with basic elements that are easily assessed. Lanthimos (The Favourite, Poor Things) is a brilliant director who knows how to establish a sense of place and time. Here he creates a unique vibe that perfectly matches the off-kilter nature of his story/stories. Everything is working together in harmony, even when he’s constantly using discordant piano notes as his score.

Also not a surprise is how incredible the cast is. Having Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone as your leads and letting them play multiple characters is even better in practice than it sounds in theory. They both create three distinct, dynamic characters (sometimes as a lead, sometimes as a supporting character). This film is a testament to their immense talents and without their performances, I wouldn’t be struggling with my feelings for this movie. The same is true of the rest of the cast: Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie. They’re all great pulling triple duty. (Or in one case, quadruple duty.)

For as much as I loved the cast and aesthetics of Kinds of Kindness, the pacing often felt like torture. It has a lengthy two hours and 45 runtime that feels more like 17 hours. Thankfully the three stories get more engaging as they go on, so that helped… a little. The first installment is more of an interesting idea than an actual story and it really drags. (It’s also the least accessible/most mysterious.) The second feels like a short film with a familiar plot that goes on too long, but could easily have been its own feature with more focus. The third section is the closest to a typical narrative, and no surprise it’s easily the most emotionally fulfilling. That’s a much needed dynamic and anchor desperately missing from the rest of the film.

What doesn’t come too late is the comedy. Kinds of Kindness‘ closest genre is probably black comedy, and it realy works when it is. The first segment is only funny in a few spots, but the second is laugh out loud funny. Same with the third, which is hilarious even though it’s the most personal and human.

Searchlight Pictures

In the end, it feels like everything works together exactly as Yorgos Lanthimos wanted it to, including my unusual reaction it generated. I’m sure he hopes everyone loves this film, but he also doesn’t care if we hate it. Kinds of Kindness isn’t concerned with anything so basic. It’s operating on its own bizarre frequency and how you hear it, and what you make of it when you do, is entirely up for you. The result is a movie that is equally fascinating and frustrating.

Did I ultimately like it or hate it? Today I’m going to give it a positive star rating in large part because I can’t watch Plemons and Stone be this good in a movie and give it a negative one, yet my score doesn’t actually answer that question. Like Kinds of Kindness, I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

If you do figure that out please tell me. Knowing how I feel about a movie is usually the easiest part of this job.

Kinds of Kindness ⭐ (3 of 5)

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at . And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post KINDS OF KINDNESS Is a Weird, Captivating, and Frustrating Experience appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

When I sit down to review a movie, there’s one thing I don’t have to worry about: figuring out whether I enjoyed it or not. That’s the easie...

“If dragons begin fighting dragons, we invite our own destruction.” That’s the thesis statement of House of the Dragon s...
24/06/2024

“If dragons begin fighting dragons, we invite our own destruction.” That’s the thesis statement of House of the Dragon season two, episode three’s new trailer. But, as we know, dragons will indeed begin fighting dragons on House of the Dragon. Unease has been brewing, but that tension is about to escalate into an all-out war. Episodes one and two of House of the Dragon season two were bloody, but it looks like fire is about to enter the equation as well.

You can check out the full trailer for House of the Dragon season two, episode three, below.

Dragons, dragons, and more dragons will arrive in episode three. That is why we’re here, after all. Additionally, the description of House of the Dragon season two’s third episode aptly notes, “Reason will be forgotten.” And it certainly does seem like things are heading that way, especially on the side of the greens. With Ser Criston Cole as Hand of the King, no doubt much is about to go wrong. Episode three of season two appears to be called “Second of His Name.”

Max

House of the Dragon season two, episode three, will air on June 29 at 9 PM on HBO and Max. You can check out more about House of the Dragon season two’s full release schedule here. In the meanwhile, we’ll be rewatching this trailer.

Max

We certainly can’t wait for even more dragons to fly into the fray as House of the Dragon continues.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Season 2, Episode 3 Trailer Teases Dragons Fighting Dragons appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

“If dragons begin fighting dragons, we invite our own destruction.” That’s the thesis statement of House of the Dragon season two, episode ...

There’s something strange about Ruby Sunday. We met the Fifteenth Doctor’s companion during the Christmas special “The C...
24/06/2024

There’s something strange about Ruby Sunday. We met the Fifteenth Doctor’s companion during the Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road” and her story set off our spidey senses. She, like the Doctor, is an orphan who doesn’t know the full extent of her past. A woman left her at the episode’s titular church but, thankfully, she was taken in and later adopted. After learning the episode titles for Doctor Who season one, we knew that Ruby’s mysterious background would come into play. “Space Babies” is a heartfelt yet very unserious romp with a literal Boogeyman (like…a man made out of boogers) but it also gives us some curious breadcrumbs about Ruby Sunday and her past. We get another taste of that and some hints about her birth day in the second episode, “The Devil’s Chord.”

BBC Studios/Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+

In “Space Babies”, Ruby Sunday and the Doctor find themselves on a space station that operates as a baby farm in the distant future. Due to pesky budget cuts, the crew—except for a hidden nanny-like figure named Nan-E/Jocelyn—is gone. Left behind are a group of talking babies who are mostly surviving on their own. But, there’s a weird and gross creature lurking just beneath them. A lot of the episode is quippy one-liners, running, a hallway full of snot, and a wild plan to get these refugees to a safe place.

Things get serious halfway through the action when the Doctor notes that Ruby, like the babies, were abandoned. He says that’s a strange connection. He also asks if she knows anything about her birth parents at all and she confirms she was just left in the snow at a church. The Doctor then goes into his memory of her mother walking away, which we saw in the Christmas episode. However, the woman/figure that we assume is Ruby’s mom turns around and points at him menacingly.

Who Is Ruby Sunday’s Mother in Doctor Who?

Right now, we still don’t know who Ruby Sunday’s mother is in the series. We also don’t know why the Doctor’s memory of seeing her walk away from the church is different. But we do know that he’s going to poke as far as he can to find out the truth. For whatever reason, he cannot return to that night to figure out the truth. He’s nearly in tears when Ruby brings him back to the current space to note it is snowing. He says she brought a memory through from her birth day and says this has never happened before. Ruby asks what it means and he says he doesn’t know. Fifteen laughs it off and gives her a hug but Nan-E interrupts them.

Is Ruby Sunday a Human in Doctor Who?

At the end of the episode, Ruby runs to greet her mum Carla while Fifteen hangs out in the TARDIS. We see he’s run a scan on her body to figure out more information. It affirms she’s 19 years and 3 days old and that she is a Homo sapien, and that seems to be the case by the finale. We discover that Ruby Sunday’s mom was a teen who left her at the church because she had an abusive childhood. She works as a nurse and was only seen as important because so many people thought she was special. Ruby’s father is also going to come into her life between season one and two, so there’s a chance that there’s something weird going on.

Who Else Was There on Ruby Sunday’s Birth Night? Who Is “the Oldest One” and “the One Who Waits” in Doctor Who?

Bad Wolf Studios/BBC/Disney+

In “The Devil’s Chord,” Fifteen and Ruby Sunday find themselves battling the Maestro (played by Jinkx Monsoon), the child of Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker. At the end of the 60th anniversary special, the Toymaker hinted a legion was coming for the Doctor. This episode gave us a taste of that. At one point, Ruby is caught up in the musical notes of the Maestro, who wants to consume the music left in her heart. Maestro’s tuning fork brings forth Ruby’s hidden song, which is “Shepherd’s Bell Carol,” the Christmas song playing the night she was born. The same snowfall that they saw on the space station begins to fall in that room. Maestro then says, “How can a song have so much power? And power like him?” The Doctor questions who “him” is and Maestro says it is “the oldest one.”

Maestro questions how the oldest one could have been there and why. The Doctor once again wants to know who, but Maestro doesn’t give him an answer. When Maestro is defeated at the end of the episode, they warn the Doctor and Ruby that “the one who waits is almost here.”

BBC Studios/Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+

What does all of that mean? What does all of this have to do with Ruby Sunday’s past? It is Sutekh who is apparently “the oldest one” and “the one who waits,” as he’s the main villain for this series. To read more about him, check out this post.

What Is Up With Ruby Sunday and the Recurring Snow?

We keep seeing snow over and over again. It appears once again in “Boom” as Ruby Sunday is clinging on to life. It is not certain how she’s able to conjure up that snow nor what it means for her, even at the end of the season. It seems her emotional connection to her birthday and overall hope is so strong that it is what makes it happen. But the show doesn’t make it clear.

There’s also the ongoing mystery behind Ruby’s neighbor Mrs. Flood. The season is over so we will have to wait and see what else happens with Ruby Sunday in Doctor Who season two.

Originally published May 10, 2024.

The post What’s Going on With Ruby Sunday in DOCTOR WHO? appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

There’s something strange about Ruby Sunday. We met the Fifteenth Doctor’s companion during the Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road” ...

House of the Dragon‘s second episode of season two delivered another iconic moment from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Bloo...
24/06/2024

House of the Dragon‘s second episode of season two delivered another iconic moment from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. Identical twins Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, two members of the late Viserys’ Kingsguard who split over which of his children to support, fought to the death on Dragonstone. The show’s emotional, intense duel answered some major question raised by the book. But the tale of that heinous assassination attempt was bigger than just the two dead knights. It’s also a major part of the story about the cretin responsible for the reprehensible plan, Ser Criston Cole. The reason he sent Ser Arryk has firmly established that unaccountable, dishonorable monster is one of Westeros’ all-time great villains.

Ollie Upton/HBO

After making fundamental changes to “Blood and Cheese,” House of the Dragon opted for a more faithful take on the infamous Cargyll duel. Just as all historians agree, Ser Arryk, member of Aegon’s Kingsguard, snuck onto Dragonstone to pose as his own brother, Erryk, member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard. Fire & Blood‘s sources never agreed whether Arryk was there to kill the Queen or one of her children, only that the plot was a response to the murder of Prince Jaehaerys. The show made clear Rhaenyra was always his target.

The prequel also added a new wrinkle by having Mysaria play a role in preventing Rhaenyra’s death. On House of the Dragon the White Worm was on Dragonstone at the time, rather than in King’s Landing like in Fire & Blood. That made it possible for Mysaria to see a Cargyll twin walking up from the shore’s of Dragonstone. She knew that knight couldn’t be the same man she’d just see inside the castle protecting the Queen. Without the spymaster’s keen eye, Arryk very likely would have cut down the Queen in her bed.

(Fire & Blood says he never reached Rhaenyra’s bedchamber, but it’s easy to see why the Queen’s supporters would hide that fact. It makes her look weak and vulnerable. Aegon didn’t want people to know what happened to Jaehaerys for the same reason.)

Theo Whitman/HBO

The show then took full creative advantage of the conflicting historical sources the series is based on to give us an incredible adaptation. One source, Grand Maester Munkun, said the two brothers fought for nearly an hour. No one could intervene because it was impossible to tell which brother was which. (Something the show also included.) Munkun says the two then died crying in each other’s arms. Another source, the ribald Mushroom, said the fight was quick, brutal, and filled with hate. The victorious Ser Erryk then died four days later “screaming in horrible pain and cursing his traitorous brother all the while.”

Fire & Blood makes clear neither account is likely definitive. (The third, from Septon Eustace, only says the twins slew each other.) What history does make clear is which version people came to accept. The book says after the war “the singers and storytellers” showed a “marked preference for the tale as told by Munkun.” Why wouldn’t they? It makes for a better, more tragic song. That makes people cry and willing to pay coin. What House of the Dragon delivered, though, was a far more emotional and honest duel than anything described in Fire & Blood.

The prequel’s duel had both professions of both love and anger. The two brothers, who were essentially once one, fought violently. Each tried uphold their sacred vows even against the person they actually cared about most in the world. They still loved each other and hated what they were doing, but as Cregan Stark said, “Duty is sacrifice.” In the end, Ser Erryk did protect his Queen from her would-be assassin as Mushroom wrote, but he didn’t die from his wounds days later. Killing his brother was too much for Erryk to live with. In his final moment he apologized to his Queen before falling on his own sword.

HBO

It was a truly heartbreaking sequence, one of the show’s best yet. It’s also a scene that captures the personal tragedy that defines the Dance of the Dragons.

And it was all Criston Cole’s fault.

Fire & Blood says the Lord Commander concocted the plan, just as he did on the show. (One slight HBO change is that Aegon had already named Ser Criston Hand of the King before Cole put his assassination scheme in motion.) What House of the Dragon expanded on was the real reason Cole sent Ser Arryk on his ill-fated mission. Into wasn’t just to “pay the princess back in her own bloody coin” after Blood and Cheese. It wasn’t to end a war before it started. It was to make Criston Cole feel less guilty.

At the episode’s start, for a brief moment, Criston Cole showed a tiny shred of humanity. He felt remorse for his role in little Prince Jaehaerys’ death. Rather than doing his sworn duty to protect the Royal family, the Lord Commander was violating it by sharing a bed with Alicent Hightower.

HBO

The Dowager Queen could see Cole was troubled by what had happened. The unimaginable murder of a child had shaken the arrogant Cole. Alicent then asked if he’d told anyone about what they’d been doing. When Cole wondered what kind of idiot she took him for, she said, “One who seeks absolution.” Cole answered, “There is none for what I’ve done.”

That correct acknowledgement was as close as Cole would come to taking any accountability for his unforgivable, dishonorable transgressions. Instead of reflecting on his failures and holding himself responsible for his own sins, Cole turned his self-anger and failures onto another, just as he did in season one. He shamelessly begged young Rhaenyra to run off with him not out of love but so he could he could restore his self-worth. That emotional manipulation didn’t work on her. It did work on Ser Arryk. And the way Cole manipulated a knight of actual nobility showed the full, monstrous depths of the craven Lord Commander.

HBO

“The white cloak is a symbol of our purity, our fidelity,” Cole said to Arryk about a cloak Ser Cargyll got dirty during a funeral for a child. The audaciousness of that statement would have been laughable if it wasn’t so disgusting. Cole then kept piling on as blatant, knowing hypocrisy poured out of his mouth like a waterfall of sewage. “Kingsguard are a sacred trust. Will you so easily sully our ancient honor?” he said.

The way the righteously indignant Arryk responsed also showed why Cole was even more responsible for Jaehaerys’ death than it seemed. When Cole questioned where Arryk was during the assassination (protecting the King), Arryk answered, ““Where were you, Lord Commander? And why has Helaena the Queen been granted no sworn protector? Surely once she ascended she should have…”

Helaena had no sworn protector because Cole is breaking his vows with the old Queen. If he were not, he would have rightfully had a Kingsguard protecting the new Queen instead. If Cole wasn’t sleeping with Aegon’s mother, his son would still be alive.

Ollie Upton/HBO

The despicable Cole couldn’t actually respond to an accurate asessement without admitting his heonous wrongs. So instead he changed the subject and attacked Arryle’s integrity, something Cole lacks entirely. Ser Criston said since Erryk is a traitor and a thief no one could trust Arryk completely. That is unless Arryk went on this shameful scheme, one no respectable member of the Kingsguard would ever ask another to do. Arryk knew he shouldn’t go. He knew this was a vile scheme unbecoming of their order. But he also wanted to keep his vows and prove his loyalty. So he went. And he died. As did his brother.

When a heartbroken Ser Erryk fell on his sword, he ended his life. Ser Criston Cole, named Hand of the King as reward for his treachery, responded by returning to Alicent’s bed, once and forever sullying his white cloak and all that it stands for.

HBO

The reason that tragic duel on Dragonstone happened ensured Criston Cole’s true place in Game of Thrones‘ infamy. The Lord Commander knows deep in his black green heart he has “brought disgrace” upon his sacred ranks. But it’s not that he he just doesn’t care and refuses to take personaly responsibility that makes him so vile. It’s that he makes his failings, dishonor, and guilt everyone else’s problem, a problem they pay for with their lives. That’s why he’s truly one of the greatest, most hatable villains in the history of the Seven Kingdoms.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and the world’s leading Criston Cole hater. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at . And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’s Major Duel Showed Why Criston Cole Is an All-Time Great Westeros Villain appeared first on Nerdist.

Source: Kiat Media

House of the Dragon ‘s second episode of season two delivered another iconic moment from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood . Identical twin...

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