Lucious is trying to write an epic song for what is likely his final performance, but he's hit a writer's block and needs Cookie. Unfortunately for him, Cookie went away for the weekend...with Malcolm! Fun fact...Cookie tells Malcolm she's nervous, because she's never been with anyone other than Lucious. He says that's beautiful and they can take it slow...and well that was all it took for all of Cookie's nervousness to melt away...
Another fun fact...all this double vision Lucious has been suffering from isn't a typical symptom of ALS, according to one of his medical assistants. Hmmm...
Another fun fact...Lucious lied to the family and told them Camilla took the money he offered her. But Malcolm told Cookie the truth...
At the party, Lucious is trying to promote Hakeem's new album, and goes so far as to say he'll take over Empire one day. When a reporter says Jamal already dropped an album and has been compared to Lucious, Lucious completely downplays it and goes back to talking about Hakeem and himself. Why can't he just embrace Jamal and his greatness! Sheesh...
Shortly thereafter, Lucious is served an injunction from Baretti.
Snoop Dogg...Snoop Lion...IDK...I'll just stick with Snoop...comes to perform. Then as planned, Snoop calls Hakeem up to freestyle and he goes in on his daddy in his freestyle! I mean it's so bad Lucious actually punches him afterwards!
Hakeem begins btalking about leaving for another label to Jamal and apparently the media...
Lucious puts two and two together when Cookie's assistant let's Cookie's location for the weekend slip out, and it was the same location someone told Lucious Malcolm was at the day before...When Cookie comes into the Empire headquarters she finds out Lucioius has fired her...and to her surprise he tells her she's never been on the Board!
She learns from Malcolm Lucious didn't fire him, but he has an opportunity in D.C. and he wants her to go with him. But she says she can't leave. Sweet gesture though...Maybe him not being fired means he will stay around for next season...
Andre is with Michelle White learning how to pray...and later tells Lucious he should look for a new CFO. He shows Lucious a magazine story that suggests Jamal will be the future of Empire. And Lucious confirms he's not telling Andre he'll run Empire one day, but that he's worked hard on the IPO. Andre tells him he's finally found something to fill the void in him...GOD. Amen! Andre seems to genuinely be doing better while at church with Michelle, but I hope the show doesn't twist it in some type of negative spin on the church towards the end of the show.
Lucious stops by Jamal's album release party. He tells Jamal Baretti's injunction could take half of Lucious' song. Then he begins talking to him about Jamal taking over Empire. He tells Jamal he believes he's the future of Empire and just needs to know Jamal has the monster in him to do what he has to do. Yea...ok...Lucious...what are you really trying to do??
Jamal brings Lucious to their old house, and Lucious has quickly reverted back to his typical self...commenting on how he put Jamal in the trash can and saying at least he walks like a man. SMH! Jamal tells Lucious he used to worship him for how he made music and questioned what happened to him. Reverse psychology anyone? Lucious starts playing the guitar <Best Man flashbacks>. Cue jam session between Jamal and Lucious! Jamal always brings out the best in the other musicians in the family. When you think about it, he's what Lucious should be! Or...since it's clear he's more like Lucious (at least talent wise) than the other sons...maybe Jamal is a reflection of what Lucious could be musically if he wasn't so darn evil...Karma! And now I wait for Lucious to completely mess up this wonderful father-son moment...Well..it went to commercial...maybe he won't. Well...spoke to soon...Lucious tells Jamal if he wants to take over Empire he has to get the masters from Baretti...and then throws in if he doesn't there won't be an Empire for him to lead...He knows dang well he doesn't want Jamal to take over Empire, but he's the only one still in Empire's corner...
Cookie goes to tell Lucious Baretti is making a move to get Hakeem to sign to his label and Jamal is on his way to stop it. Jamal goes and ends up holding Baretti over the balcony to get him to sign a contract turning over the rights to the masters to Empire. Lucious goes to stop Jamal, but doesn't try too hard. Jamal tells him to go get Hakeem and he does. I guess I should have mentioned that in his diss freestyle about his father, Hakeem ended by saying he would be taking his dad's B#$tch...I assumed he just threw that in and it wasn't meant for his dad...I mean I know he and Camilla had that "mama" thing going on, but no way he could be talking about Cookie...Well...Lucious and I learn he was talking about his dad when Lucious finds him having sex with Anika at Baretti's party. Now, unless they knew Lucious was coming...why would Anika sleep with him? Even if she knew he was coming...why would she? Seems a bit out of character for the character they created earlier in the season. And I'm not being sexist here...we know the character Hakeem is...immature, hot headed, angry at the world...seems in his character...
Lucious learns he has LG, not ALS! Chronic but treatable. Medical malpractice? I was wondering how they would keep his character alive...a disease with similar symptoms...except for one symptom...which is the main symptom he had - double vision...I'm with Lucious...why didn't the doctor test him for LG?
Where's the first place Lucious goes? To church to meet with Andre. He tells Andre he wants him and Jamal standing with him, and Andre of course questions why Hakeem is left out. Andre then tells his father he plans to stay at the church...though everything suggests Andre isn't staying because of God, but maybe because of Michelle. Lucious hints at the same thing. Lucious is such a fool! He tells Andre who is more powerful him or God...then goes up to Michelle who is singing to ask her to sing with him on a gospel record. She accepts and Lucious gives Andre the look like "wait and see." Andre tries to warn Michelle about his father, but she's not getting it.
Cookie confronts Lucious about having Jamal do his dirty worth, but Lucious is on some serious medication...and he begins to have hallucinations of Bunkie...but not just that...he starts confessing to his hallucination about killing Bunkie and that he's not dying...right in front of Cookie...And he says something about rising up from the dead like Jesus...a line Hakeem said earlier in the episode...SMH! Then they juxtapose Michelle singing at church with choir, Jamal having sex with his boyfriend, Hakeem having sex wiht Anika (they're still having sex?), and Cookie attempting to suffocate Lucious for killing her cousin Bunkie...
But of course she didn't suffocate him...next scene Lucious walks in to the room where his sons are sitting at the table with gifts in front of them. Flashes back to when he told them he would be grooming someone to take over. Then back to present day, he reveals to them he's not dying...the only one who seems to take it as good news is Jamal. SMH...DYSFUNCTIONAL forreal!
But these gifts...
Hakeem: Chain with wings medallion. Lucious apologizes for trying to control him, and offers him a jet to fly him around when his album drops...
Andre: Cross with the Lion of Judah...and apologizes for trying to take his faith (like he said someone did to him) by trying to talk to Michelle...he says he's starting a Foundation with $100 million
Jamal: THE EMPIRE!!! (and a mini staff...or whatever that's called. LOL).
Cookie comes in...and he tells her he's not dying and then tells her to come open her gift...
Cookie: A PILLOW!!! HE'S SO PETTY!!!! (My eyes are literally watering...where is that laughing crying emoticon when you need it)
And so ends hour one...and now for the final hour of Empire for the season...
Jamal's first action...promoting Becky to A&R.
Hakeem questions why Lucious chose a successor if he's not dying. I thought the same thing. Jamal suggested, and Andre reluctantly confirmed, that investors like to know there's a succession plan. Andre also agrees with Jamal's decision to push back Hakeem's album release, and not releasing it on the day Empire goes public...in fact Andre says that's perfect...What are they really planning??
Lucious tells Jamal about Cookie trying to kill him...it was recorded on the security cams...and he plays the video...#Checkmate
The video shows when she was about to cover his face with the pillow he grabbed her arm (though still out of it) and she changed her mind (or got cold feet I suppose). She tries to tell Jamal Lucious killed Bunkie, but Lucious has security take her out the office. Jamal seems very distraught, and is nearly brought to tears...is it because his mom nearly killed his father? because his father drove his mom to nearly killing him? because he believes his father did kill Bunkie??
Cookie sees the digital signs remove her name from "Cookie Lyons Presents the Lucious Lyons Sound" And then she gets picked up by the FBI.
Meanwhile, Lucious goes to see Vernon. He tells Vernon he needs him to keep an eye on Cookie, because she tried to kill him.
The FBI says they are going after Lucious and they have a witness willing to testify against him. Cookie recalls hearing Lucious say the guy's name during his hallucination, but she refuses to cooperate. But Vernon sees her leaving the FBI headquarters.
Anika is still trying to convince Hakeem to come over to Creedmoor, but he says they already hurt his father and he doesn't want to leave Empire. So Anika goes to plan B...trying to convince him to try a hostile takeover! SMH!
@ Lucious Lyons Sound Press Event
Hakeem actually goes to Andre to get him to join him in a hostile takeover, but Andre tells him to accept that Jamal won. MS. PATTI LABELLE makes an appearance (and the show throws in #BlackLivesMatter). While Lucious is addressing a question that was leading into talking about Jamal's new role, some character named Black Rambo interrupts...in an extreme, and to me unrealistic way, he basically says he isn't performing b/c Jamal, a homosexual, will be leading Empire...Lucious has him escorted out.
Later in the boardroom Andre and Lucious debate on how to address the Black Rambo incident...Andre says something about addressing it being bad for the IPO and alienating their consumers...yea...ok...
Cookie and Hakeem have a heart to heart about her thinking Lucious should have given Empire to both him and Jamal. She then questions if he's still with Anika. he clears up he never was...she clears up she meant is he thinking about going to Creedmoor...then she asks Hakeem to join her in making their own label. And he tells her they don't have to start from scratch...scene ends...but you know he's about to tell her about the hostile takeover...
And Andre's wife is really packing up and leaving b/c he's shared something much more intimate with Michelle...yep...he can cheat and pimp her out...but spiritually connect with someone at church (who's also your therapist) is a deal breaker! But anyway...so this makes Andre decide to consider the hostile takeover idea...that and her last jab by saying he lost the company to Jamal.
Cut to Hakeem, Andre, Cookie, and Anika meeting...For future reference...Anika should refrain from responding to Cookie's question "Why shouldn't I throw this drink in your face?" with "Cuz you'd never get up off the floor." SMH! Cookie knocked her on the floor...thus commences an Anika and Cookie fight scene...For some reason it wasn't as entertaining as I imagined it might have been. But anyway, turns out they need Anika, because she is connected with a man who's really good at hostile takeovers...and something about he'd be interested b/c his grandson is a rapper (LOL).
Jamal and Black Rambo have a rap battle (think 8 Mile, but w/ Jamal's battle being in song)...Black Rambo was pretty weak...was he really supposed to perform at The Lyons Sound?! Jamal of course killed it!
LOL at this investor's grandson in the studio!! WACK! LOL...but they need him...so they play along. They agree to release his album for a $250,000 investment.
Cookie meets with Vernon to ask if Lucious killed Bunkie. Vernon confirms by suggesting that's what made him go back to using. He tells her Bunkie tried to shake Lucious down for money.
Cookie goes to Jamal's rehearsal...he tells her all he's ever wanted was for Lucious to love him (I suppose that's his explanation for not getting Lucious to rehire her)...and she tells him to always remember what she told him when he visited her in prison... "I got you." Prepping him for this hostile takeover...But really...knocking your son down to get back in the company isn't really you having his back...it's you having your own back and using your other two sons to do so.
Vernon goes to talk to Andre, but Andre isn't trying to hear Vernon. A fight soon ensues between the two. Such a violent episode. Rhonda comes back and sees the fight. She hits Vernon over the head with a a vase or something. There's a lot of blood and Vernon has no pulse. Andre says they need to call 9-1-1, but she says they can't. She says they don't know what will happen and then claims she's pregnant! SMH!
Then they just cut to the IPO scene! Really? What they do with Vernon?!
Anyway...then The Lyon Sound begins...
Jamal and Hakeem perform one of Lucious' songs. Then Michelle White comes out with Juicy J to sing one of Lucious' song...ummm interesting...Whatever Makes You Happy, indeed!
Jamal goes to check on Lucious to see if he's ready. Lucious reveals to Jamal his real name (not even Cookie knows it) and how he changed it as a way of survival when he was in an orphanage at the age of 8. Lucious then tells him he loves him and that he was just scared for him b/c it's hard enough being a Black man. Jamal then tells Lucious he's proud of him for changing his mind about Jamal leading Empire. Then the FBI busts in the dressing room to take Lucious away for Bunkie's murder. Lucious recognizes the FBI agent as Cookie's "parole officer," and leaves thinking Cookie set him up. She adamantly said she didn't, and seemed genuinely surprised. While being taken away, Lucious tells Jamal to sing their song. Before going on stage, Jamal tells Cookie, "I thought it was between him and the Lord." He then goes out and performs the song with Ms. Patti!
Becky tells Lucious she can't get a hold of Vernon and she's hearing things about a hostile takeover. Lucious sees Andre and Hakeem, and can tell they are behind it. But...then you hear the FBI agent say they need to find Vernon, b/c he's the star witness. Yea...he may not be available to testify! #Where'sBunkie
Final scene:
-Jamal and Becky working in the boardroom
-Andre and Rhonda getting an ultrasound of their new baby
-Anika is in the studio with Hakeem recording
-Cookie places an old pic of the family on a piano
-Lucious is behind bars (and for like the 5th time in the show he says God can't kill him...SMH...he is seriously crazy...He really believes he is immortal like he told Jamal in the dressing room!).
See you next season Empire!