'Game of Thrones' recap: Daenerys makes her move, while many perish in another bloody battle

On Sunday's "Game of Thrones," Daenerys Targaryen made her big move for the Iron Throne, while Jon Snow had a major crisis of conscious and a match-up we have been waiting year for finally happened between two great warriors.

Oh yeah, we also lost some crucial characters as we head into the series finale.

Per usual, major spoilers ahead!

We open with Varys writing a letter to an unknown party about Jon's true heritage as rightful heir to the Iron Throne. When Jon then arrives at Dragonstone, Varys wastes no time telling him that he knows his secret, and believes that he will make a better ruler than Daeny. Jon reiterates that he has no interest in the Iron Throne, and that Daeny is still his queen.

Meanwhile, Tyrion goes to tell his queen that Varys has betrayed her. She insists Jon is the true culprit -- after all, he told Sansa the truth about his lineage, and Sansa told Tyrion. Varys goes back to writing his letter when Grey Worm enters, holding shackles. Varys is brought before Daeny, Jon and Tyrion, as the young queen sentences Varys to death by dragonfire.

Later, Jon and Daenerys have a conversation about Jon's decision to tell Sansa about his heritage. She admits to Jon that the people don't love her as a ruler as they love him. She doesn't have love, she says, only fear. Jon proclaims that he loves her, but can't seem to return her affections. So, she says, "All right, then, let it be fear."

In her throne room, Tyrion tries to dissuade Daeny from burning King's Landing to the ground, but she's not having it. She believes her destruction of the city is a gesture of mercy to future generations. As Daeny tells Grey Worm to ready the army to march to King's Landing, Tyrion begs that if the city's bells ring, indicating a surrender, that Daenerys she call off her attack. She nods in apparent agreement.

Before Tyrion leaves, Daeny reveals that her soldiers caught Jaime, who left to return to Cersei, trying to sneak them away. "The next time you fail me," Daeny warns Tyrion, "will be the last time you fail me."

More and more as the episode progresses, you see the queen pushing away those who have been her most avid supporters.

Later, Tyrion is allowed to see Jaime, who's being kept prisoner, and tries to convince his brother to go to Cersei and have her surrender before the assault on King's Landing begins. Tyrion then changes course and advises Jaime to escape with Cersei using a secret tunnel that he's used in the past, and to ring the city bells in surrender as he does so. Jaime agrees to this plan, though he points out that Daeny will execute Tyrion for this betrayal.

"Tens of thousands of innocent lives, one not particularly innocent dwarf," Tyrion muses. "Seems like fair trade."

As the great battle is set to begin, Euron Greyjoy sees Daeny riding Drogon, and the Iron Fleet begins to fire arrows. But Daeny's ready this time, easily avoiding the projectiles and beginning Operation Burn-Everything-to-a-Crisp. As the armies on the ground silently stare at each other, we hear a mighty roar, and the inside walls of King's Landing come burning down, courtesy of Drogon. Jon, the Unsullied and the Dothraki company charge in, and the leader of Cersei's bought-and-paid-for army is killed. Daeny's forces continue to rout the city, killing enemy soldiers with ease.

All this happens as Cersei watches the destruction unfold from the top floor of the Red Keep.

Down on the ground, realizing they've been beaten, the Lannister soldiers throw down their swords in surrender, and shout to ring the bells. After what seems like an eternity, the bells finally ring, and it seems that the bloodshed has ended. But Daeny's rage still intensifies, and she flies Drogon straight toward Cersei. The dragon burns everything in its path as Tyrion looks on in horror, as innocents and children burn.

On the ground, Grey Worm throws a spear into a Lannister soldier, and the fighting resumes, much to Jon's disapproval.

Meanwhile, Jaime finds the secret path that will lead him to Cersei, which is where a still-living Euron washes up on shore. The two start to duel, as Euron stabs Jaime in the side with a dagger, but the Kingslayer is able to recover stabs Euron through the stomach. Jaime staggers off, greatly injured. Euron, with his dying breath, shouts "I'm the man that killed Jaime Lannister!"

As Cersei finally agrees it's time to leave, the Mountain runs into his brother, the Hound. The two begin to fight as Cersei pushes on forward. As they fight, Cersei walks alone through the wreckage when a bleeding Jaime finds her. They embrace, and begin their escape.

Meanwhile, The Hound stabs the Mountain through the stomach, but it doesn't do much. The latter throws the former down the stairs, and pulls the sword from his body with ease. The Mountain starts choking the Hound as the latter stabs his brother fruitlessly with a dagger. He then begins to crush the Hound's skull, but he's able to resist and stabs the Mountain through his eye. But even that still doesn't kill the unholy monstrosity.

Cackling with laughter, the Hound tackles his brother and they both explode through a crumbling wall, then fall to their deaths into the fires far below.

Jon calls for his forces to fall back as Daenerys continues to burn the city and a bloodied Arya wakes up in a haze. She does her best to save innocent lives, but the destruction is just too much.

In the underground tunnels, Cersei and Jaime continue their escape. Unfortunately, rubble from the destruction above has blocked their exit. Realizing their fate, a tearful Cersei pleads that she doesn't want their baby to die. Jaime holds her face as they look at each other, and declares, "Nothing else matters -- only us."

The remaining tunnels then collapse upon them, apparently killing them.

Arya once again awakes, covered in ash. She walks silently through the city, taking in the destruction and the now charred, horrifying corpses. In the middle of the city, Arya sees a lone, white horse. She climbs aboard and rides out of a completely destroyed King's Landing.

There's just one episode of "Game of Thrones" remaining. It premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO.