Spoilers for House of the Dragon follow.
House of the Dragon explodes onto our TV screens this coming week, with HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series promising plenty of political intrigue, Machiavellian machinations, and Westorosi brutality.
The show's first episode doesn't fail to deliver on those aspects, either, with one particular fight scene demonstrating the nature of the world House of the Dragon is set in. Matt Smith's Prince Daemon Targaryen duels with Fabien Frankel's Ser Criston Cole in a tournament in series' opening episode.
Digital Spy spoke with Frankel about this fight and how satisfying it was to take part in the first duel of House of the Dragon. Frankel said that this tournament is a pretty big deal for Ser Criston Cole.
"I think that he has entered this tournament — I don't know that he has grand designs to become what he might become but I think from a fighting perspective, it's the biggest tournament that exists," Frankel said.
"It's the tournament for the heir to the king. There's definitely a feeling of the stakes are highest here and obviously fighting against Daemon who's very much touted as the greatest fighter in King's Landing – I think, to him, that’s the perfect matchup."
The duel is fierce, brutal and expertly choreographed. But because Smith's Daemon is known as perhaps the most fearsome fighter in Westeros' capital, it's a shocking moment when Criston trumps the favoured warrior. Frankel himself enjoyed the fact that his character won the duel.
"I think he feels pretty good about it. I felt pretty good about it, beating Matt Smith up. I felt good about it," Frankel said.
Matt Smith, however, might not have enjoyed it so much: "I don't think he felt very good – let me tell you now."
Game of Thrones featured some iconic duels across its eight seasons, including Jaime Lannister versus Ned Stark, Oberyn Martell versus the Mountain, and the Hound versus Brienne of Tarth.
House of the Dragon has kicked off with an epic duel between Criston and Daemon, but expect plenty more to come. The show is set 200 years before Game of Thrones and follows the Targaryen war of succession.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
