The main theme returns many times in this episode, and it will discussed when and how, is of causality: how every action has its specific sets of consequences, regardless of time. Many characters in this episode get to understand, live, and sometime even suffer or repent once they realize that their action(s) in the past, whether in previous seasons or beforehand, whether directly or indirectly, comes with its appropriate repercussions towards them.
Episode Recap: Season 7 Episode 1 “Dragonstone”
“Dragonstone”, the season 7 opener of “Game Of Thrones” fulfilled its duty in picking up where the show had left off more than 15 months prior. As every other GoT episode before it, the opener had a main theme that the story was centered upon. And it all starts with the most hated House in Westeros, the Freys:
The Twins
Arya completes his revenge by killing all of the remaining Freys, poisoning them while wearing their father Walder’s face in the very same hall where the Red Wedding occurred; where her brother, mother, sister and law and unborn nephew had been slaughtered.
A pretty solid way to begin the season and give the fans a satisfactory sense of justice for the Starks. She spares the wife and servant girl, as they had no direct involvement in the Red Wedding, and serve as a witness to her words and action: “If anyone asks you what happened here, tell them that the North Remembers. Tell them Winter Came for House Frey”
With regards to the theme of action and reaction as was discussed in the introduction, in this case it would be the Freys who are suffering the consequences of their actions in the past with their treason to the Starks and Tullys.
Beyond The Wall
Once the credits are finished rolling, we witness the Night King North of the Wall and his army of Wights. His army even has 2 resurrected Wildling Giants in their midst marching towards thew Wall.
Turns out we are seeing it through a warging Bran who is now at the gates of the Wall in Castle Black with Meera.
Dolorous Edd opens the gates for them and is creeped out by how Bran knows about his 2 battles with the Dead at The Fist of the First Men (Season 2 Finale) and Hardhome (Season 5).
In Winterfell
In Winterfell, Jon Snow summons the families to start training and mining for Dragonglass.
Requesting the women and girls be at it as well gives the opportunity for Lyanna Mormont to give us another epic speech where she, again, puts Lord Glover in his place.
An argument is made over the fate of the Umbers and Karstarks who had betrayed the Starks and joined with the Boltons in Season 5. This create tension between Sansa and Jon, as she doubts his decision and second guesses him in front of the other Lords present in the room. Sansa wants them punished, whereas Jon believes that the family that had been loyal to the Starks for many centuries should not be punished by the rogue actions of a few “reckless sons”.
Ned Umber and Alys Karstark are given their opportunity to pledge their allegiance to House Stark again. In this case, Jon believes in doing the right thing as the young lords should not be the ones to suffer the consequences of their older siblings. Those consequences were paid in full, and proper punishment was instilled when Harald Karstark and Smalljon Umber were killed at the Battle of the Bastards.
We get a gorgeous aerial shot of Winterfell
Jon receives a Raven from Kings Landing from Queen Cersei Lannister to come to Kings Landing and bend the knee, or be considered a traitor. Jon knows better, as the real enemy is in the North, and not in the South.
SOURCE: ablogofthrones.com