So Lucious is out on bail, and as the press crowds around him and the prosecutor as he leaves the courthouse, we learn the prosecutor is using the opportunity to take him down as a way to become Attorney General. We also learn she got the judge to make one of his conditions for bail not stepping foot inside Empire. When he heads to Empire to do a press conference outside the builiding, the prosecutor is parked across the street waiting for him to mess up. But of course he doesn't. He never steps into the building, but he does announce he has plans for Empire to take over music globally.
Meanwhile, Cookie goes by Hakeem's place to take him to his interview with Sway, and it becomes clear he had a long night with Valentina (who doesn't exactly see eye to eye with Cookie...actually a bit disrespectful towards Cookie if you ask me). At Sway's show, Hakeem performs a new song and then sits down for the interview portion. Sway asked him what Lucious thought about him leaking the album, and Hakeem told him he would have to ask Lucious. So of course Sway calls Lucious while on the air, and after jesting about not being given Lucious' latest song to play on the air first, he asks Lucious about the leak. Lucious just says it's a reflection of what he's always said, Hakeem needs to grow up, and then gets off the phone. Hakeem's reply was Lucious couldn't stop him, because he was locked up. Then Hakeem proceeds to tell Sway about his new Latina girl group, and when Sway asks if he can bring them on his show that week Hakeem agrees despite Cookie mouthing to him to say no.
Later, Lucious invites the family to his home for dinner and offers to let them come back to Empire, but Cookie declines (and pulls the table setting and food from the table as she leaves). Lucious later invites Anika to meet him at his club. Since she shows up, he assumes things aren't working out for her at Lyons Den (which they aren't) and asks her to help him take them down. She tells him they have a real shot, and he tells her Hakeem will be back at Empire and what type of shot will they have with just Cookie and Anika left. However, Anika takes this information to Cookie with the hope of getting Cookie to accept her into the Lyons Den fold, and though she didn't look like she would, Cookie calls Anika back. She asks Anika about the welcome home party Lucious was planning for himself at his club...Why?? Well...
At the party, Pitbull is performing with Jamal, but then you see Hakeem's friend, Chicken, signal for one of the girls in the performance area to throw a smoke can on the floor. While this is happening, Chicken moves the DJ out of the way and turns off the music while Jamal is still singing. In walks bodyguards and Cookie. Thirsty is coming in with bodyguards to pull them off stage, but Lucious signals for him to wait. Cookie gives a speech and then brings Hakeem out to perform. And who performs with Hakeem, Timbaland. The song is basically saying Lyons Den is coming for Empire. After he is no longer amused by the antic, Lucious sends his bodyguards to get them out of the club. A fight ensues between the bodyguards, and Cookie and Hakeem leave (as they are leaving Pitbull gives Cookie props on the music, and Sway does the same on air the next day).
Later, Andre again goes to Lucious to try to get back on at Empire. He tells his father about an opportunity to buy Apex Satellite Radio, but Lucious tells him he has to come up with something so amazing he couldn't find 50 other people who would come up with the same idea. When Andre later takes Cookie's advice and tells Lucious he and Rhonda are expecting, Lucious' first response was asking him if he was nervous about the baby's mental health. When Andre said it doesn't run in their family, Lucious has another flashback to his mother. She thought it was Lucious' birthday and bought a ton of gifts, but it turned out they didn't have any food to eat. After the flashback, Lucious embraces his son after saying how much he's always wanted a grandson, but then he grabs Andre by the back of the neck and tells him how disappointed he is that Andre would try to use his future grandson to come back to Empire. Andre tried to claim he just wanted to share the news, but Lucious wasn't hearing it.
Meanwhile, Jamal has to go down to the conference room to deal with someone who claims Lucious wanted to sign her. Lucious tells him over the phone it's Freda Gatz, Frank Gathers' daughter, and she is everything he wants in music. So Jamal goes down with every intention of signing her, but she declines to sign when she sees Lucious isn't coming. Then Jamal mentions to Becky, if Freda Gatz is everything his father wants in music, what is he. He so badly needs affirmation from his father, but unfortunately, not being able to sign Freda Gatz doesn't help. Lucious goes so far as to tell him Hakeem would have been able to sign her, and if he wants his father's attention he has to pull off what his father asks him to do. When Thirsty tells Lucious he knows where Freda Gatz is in a video they are watching, Lucious goes to find her. He finds her in the middle of a freestyle battle with a guy who is 2, nay 3, times her size. When dude responds to her freestyle he says something about her father, and the expression changes on her face. He and his friends jest that she's about to cry, but sensing what was really happening, Lucious jumps in and grabs her just as she was getting ready to pull out her gun! She still shoots a few shots towards the ground as he is pulling her away, and then he tells her he can help her use her talents and she shouldn't throw it away. But she ends up running off. When they head back to the car, Lucious and Thirsty find that the prosecutor is waiting for them. She tells Lucious he isn't going to find Vernon, because they have him far away. (Awww...Vernon's dead though...). The prosecutor and Lucious go back and forth, with Lucious saying she wants him (in a physical way), and Thirsty telling her she's borderline harassing Lucious.
Back at the studio, Jamal is unable to get a producer that meets his standards, despite Lucious sending him the best of the best. Becky finally tells him he obviously needs Cookie and he has to think about his music and not this feud between his parents. Just when Jamal is about to walk into Lyons Den, Lucious pulls up. Jamal gets in the car, and after some discussion (including Jamal wanting to be Lucious' top priority, even over Freda Gatz) Lucious agrees to be Jamal's producer. So looks like we are going to have some jealousy and/or competition over who's going to get more of Lucious' attention...Jamal or Freda (cuz you know they are going to sign her eventually).
At Lyons Den, Cookie is trying to whip the girl group into shape in time for Sway's show in a few days. In the studio she tries to get the music together, but Hakeem tells her if it was Jamal she would trust his ability to be the producer. But of course, she was right, they did need to get the hook together, and they eventually did. Later, she also had to get their choreography together, which she does. When Hakeem asks where she learned how to do that, she told him in prison. Then when the day comes for the group to be on Sway's show, Cookie, Hakeem, and the 2 other girl group members are sitting outside the studio waiting on Valentina. And then in walks Lucious, who informs them he too had to crash one of their events, just as they did his. It turned out, he took Andre's advice and bought Apex, which happens to own the station Sway's show is on! Then Valentina walks in, and they learned she signed with Empire as a solo act and was the only one performing on Sway's show.
Yep... Lucious won this round! But I'm still Team Lyons Den!!