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Two Bad Mothers, One Amazing Night | FOX BROADCASTING

Empire Season 3, Episode 4 ("Cupid Kills") Recap

Nessa, Nessa, Nessa. So much of this episode was about Nessa. Lucious and Andre went to Shyne's studio to sign Nessa, but Shyne (who apparently isn't Nessa's biological brother, but rather someone entrusted to care for her by her deceased brother) had different plans. Several other labels were also at the studio, as Shyne was planning a bidding war for Nessa. When Dre offers to let Hakeem help him sign Nessa, Hakeem decides to live stream Shyne and Nessa at his home to announce she was signing to Empire. And of course Shyne says only if the number is right, adding if the number is right he'll sign right there. He convinces Hakeem to write down the amount Empire is offering on a napkin, but then he just takes the napkin and puts it up in front of the camera to tell the other labels they have to beat the $2.5 million Empire was offering for Nessa. Womp, womp! 

Later, Dre goes to see Nessa alone, where they discuss how she manages all of Shyne's money and is similar to Dre. This is also the scene where Dre discusses Nessa actual brother and her knowing her own value, which convinces her to sign. But they still need Shyne's signature. Having learned what Dre did, Shyne busts into Lucious' office and punches Dre. Dre stands back up and throws a few good punches of his own. But then Shyne goes for his gun and aims it at Dre, and then Lucious takes his bat to the back of  Shyne's knee. He then throws the contract down to Shyne on the floor for him to sign, but Shyne just spits (a bloody spit) on the contract. Then Lucious pulls a gun on him to get him to sign it. And no, Dre did not try to talk sense into Lucious like season 1 Dre would have. Rather, he stomps on Shyne after he signs. This of course leads to Shyne gathering up a number of men with very large guns to go after Lucious and Dre (guess we will see that next episode). And while Shyne is suiting up with those men, Nessa is visiting Dre without Shyne knowing. And as some of you probably know from social media, she and Dre hook-up (though she is unaware she's actually part of a threesome with Dre's hallucination of his deceased wife, Rhonda!).

Meanwhile, after waiting to hear from Angelo, Cookie is surprised by an elementary school musical trio. Angelo then appears to invite her to hear a friend of his sing. Unfortunately, Porsha confused the location with The Compound in Atlanta somehow, convincing Cookie it was a hip hop spot. After trying on everything, as any woman might do on her first date with a guy she really likes, Cookie finally chose what she thought was the perfect outfit. Unfortunately, Angelo had actually invited her to the opera, and all the other women were dressed in gowns. Cookie tried to leave, but Angelo told her she looked good and told her to stay. He introduced her to two Black women he grew up with (one a family friend, one from Jack and Jill growing up). They asked Cookie where she lived on the Vineyard (as in Martha's Vineyard), and though Angelo tried to do what he probably felt was the nice thing to do and try to help Cookie save face by saying she spends her summer working for her family's business, Cookie told them she stayed at the prison up there! Later, after being amazed by the singer (who was singing about loving two men), and jumping up and shouting about the singing (more r&b concert than opera), Cookie retreated to the bathroom after the performance. While in the stall, she overheard Angelo's friends talking about her being a hoodrat and him not staying with her for long. Cookie being Cookie, she came out of the stall to confront them before leaving without telling Angelo good bye. 

Cookie ignored all of Angelo's attempts to contact her, but Jamal invites him to the live stream of Tiana performing her new song. Since Tiana wasn't feeling the idea of putting out a diss track that essentially just made her the pawn two guys were fighting over, Cookie convinced her to use a new concept utilizing the opera singer she went to see with Angelo. Angelo tells Cookie he thinks they can make it work, and Cookie seems willing to give it a try despite Lucious' best efforts to not see it work. Earlier in the episode Lucious told Cookie Angelo put in a bid to be mayor and asked her if she thought he could do that with an ex-convict on his arm. At Tiana's performance, Lucious told Angelo the story about how Cookie got her name (which included Lucious telling her she was his Cookie from now on and then shortly thereafter beating up Cookie's then boyfriend Barry and telling him Cookie was his girl now). After the flashback scene, Lucious then told Angelo that's how it always works with them. He and Cookie always get back together. But Angelo tells him it may be different this time! And he could be right, especially with Cookie sharing flashbacks of her own. She told Porsha about how her father told her to stay away from Lucious and wanted her to go to college, become a doctor, and marry Barry who would lift her up instead of bring her down. She told Porsha that Angelo reminded her of Barry.

While all of this is going on, Jamal is still meeting up with the guy he met at the PTSD support group in the last episode. He actually went with Jamal to see Freda again. Freda had been beaten up and her face looked really bad. She told Jamal he had some fans in there, implying she was beat up in retaliation for shooting Jamal. Jamal asked if her lawyer could help her get out, and she told him the lawyer Lucious sent was only concerned with her staying quiet about Lucious killing her father. So after speaking with Angelo about it, and Angelo pointing out if she had a history of mental issues she could possibly get out if she said she was having a mental break when she shot Jamal, Jamal paid off a doctor to say Freda had a history of mental issues. Her attorney said she was on meds and alcohol the night of the shooting, which caused her to be paranoid and not in her right state of mind. And sure enough it worked, and Freda got out on bail. Jamal later learns the entire thing was part of Lucious' plan, and that Freda was in on it (including letting someone beat her up)!! Lucious told Jamal he reminded him of himself by paying the doctor off without Lucious even having to ask him to. Also, with her mental stability now in question, Lucious said he will no longer have to worry about her trying to reveal he had anything to do with her father's death. SMH!

It should also be noted, after being warned it was a bad combo and pretending to change his mind, Jamal continued to take his meds with alcohol. Also, Becky didn't get the Senior A&R position at Empire. Cookie hired someone else who she described as being a Hip Hop encyclopedia (Becky described him as a Jewish guy, and Lucious described him as pretending to be Black). And though he did show he was knowledgeable on Hip Hop, he didn't seem to be knowledgeable on Empire artists, specifically Tiana. He was thinking about steering her more Nicki for her performance, but Cookie agreed with Becky's correction that she was more Rihanna. 

Empire Season 3, Episode 3 ("What Remains is Bestial") Recap

So both Romeo Miller and Mariah Carey made their debut on the show, as Gram and Kitty. Gram is Tiana's new boyfriend!  Tariq, who is stalking the Lyons to find new charges to press against Lucious because it's clearly personal, described Gram as a current or possibly former Uptown Mafia member turned rapper. Gram and Tiana gave a "Drake at Rihanna's concert" type of performance, to Hakeem's visible dismay. And he nearly lost it when they made out on stage! Being Lucious, and only being concerned with hitting 10 million subscribers to keep the Board from shutting down Xstream (which they do hit and then some by the end of the episode), Lucious tells Hakeem to channel his desire to physically assault Gram into a diss record. And so he does! 

Hakeem goes in the studio with Shine and Nessa and proceeds to drop Ray-J "I Hit It First" type of lyrics. Nessa was not feeling the idea of doing the hook for a song disrespecting another woman like that, and when she made it known Shine let it be known his violent ways can be against his sister just as much as it can be to keep creepers away from her! YIKES! He grabbed her by her throat, and for a second I thought she was about to walk into the recording area. But I was happy to see she left the studio!! And Lucious being Lucious again, when Hakeem went to tell him what happened, Lucious told Hakeem it wasn't Hakeem's problem and he should take notes! Ugh! He then instructed him to go make the song happen with a woman on the hook. And Hakeem did it in a very creative way. He used clips of Tiana's songs on the diss record, as they are owned by Empire! Wow! SMH! 

As for Kitty, she's brought into the picture by Cookie, who's trying to help Jamal get over his PTSD the best way she can think of (she's no doctor, so...yea). Jamal had actually visited a PTSD group, but seemed to not plan on returning. He also went to visit Freda, but every time she reached out towards him he had flashbacks and pulled away. Until he finally said she shot him, it ruined him, and it's her fault! I was shocked by the statements, because he's been pretty consistent about his stance that Freda is the victim in this situation. Any who, so Cookie connected Jamal with Kitty as an attempt to get him to perform again. Kitty is essentially Mariah in the Empire universe, from what I can gather right now. Kitty's initial offer was to have Jamal go on tour with her in South America, but he told her he can't perform right now. But after learning Kitty was willing to work on something with him for Xstream, which might finally get Lucious to let go of the idea of dropping Jamal's Black and White album, Jamal proposed an alternative to Kitty. He proposed they live stream the two of them recording a track together. And sure enough, upon learning about the arrangement, Lucious agrees to let go of the idea of releasing the Black and White album. After a failed attempt to sing initially, Jamal pops yet another pill, and puts on a show in the studio with Kitty. Lucious comments that it was good, but also noted that Jamal was very high (not in a concerned father type of way, though...in a joking way. SMH). Cookie didn't seem to notice, because she claimed he wasn't high (he most definitely was!) And then, unfortunately, Jamal later learns Lucious has decided to drop the Black album. After Jamal storms out, Cookie asks Lucious what the Black album is exactly. Well, it's the half of the Black and White album that Lucious produced! SMH! The two go back and forth with Cookie saying half of the company is hers and the Board is on her side, and Lucious basically igniting a war between him and Cookie!

Now before I get to the aftermath of where the last episode left off, I'll give a brief update on Cookie and Lucious' "love" life of sorts. After Lucious offers a recording deal to the young man in Angelo's program who freestyled for him but was heading to MIT, Angelo took it out on an unsuspecting Cookie and then asked her to step in and help. Cookie told him Lucious was doing it just to make Angelo upset with Cookie, and she's probably right. When she walks in on the young man about to sign the contract, she picks it up and rips it. She then gives him the same spill Angelo gave her, essentially about him aspiring to be more than just another rapper or athlete; especially with his gifts. Lucious tried to convince him to sign it anyway, but Cookie guaranteed him if he still wants to do music he can come back to Empire after he finishes college. Angelo later goes to thank Cookie, and Cookie let's him know he's not better than her just because they built themselves up from nothing with rap music (addressing some of the things he said to her when he thought she knew Lucious was trying to get the young man to sign the deal). Angelo apologizes and goes in for a kiss, but he gets curved! But from the looks of things, and Cookie's comment about lunch first, it looks like the pair may be heading on a date soon.

As for Mr. and Mrs. Lyon, Lucious and Anika, the pair exchanged some interesting moments. The moments being talking to the other from Lucious' desk in his home office, only to reveal after the other comments on their strange reaction that they were getting a "sexual favor" under the desk during the whole conversation! SMH. Lucious started it in the beginning of the episode with someone who used to report to Anika, but Anika finishes it later in the episode with a pretty attractive delivery man that was giving her the eye when he delivered a package to her. But that's not the only way Anika finished it. When Lucious told her that's not how she's going to behave as Mrs. Lyon in his home (throwing in his crazy mama will kill her...I'm telling you Leah and Anika are going to have a serious altercation before this season is up...in this episode alone she's asked Anika why she saw the housekeeper holding the baby instead of Anika), Anika made it real plain! She pointed out she only married him to help him out and because she knew if she talked to Tariq her baby would grow up without a mother, despite Lucious' assertion that she married him because she always wanted to be Mrs. Lucious Lyon!  And with that she basically said she's going to get to do whatever she wants!! 

Now to Andre. So Andre hired a friend he's known for a decade to be his attorney, a White man. As they walk out the jail to a sea of paparazzi, the attorney reminds Andre to remember what they discussed and not say anything or go all Black Lives Matter (that's when I knew this might not be the best attorney for him). Andre tries to ignore the pap until they begin to yell out questions asking if he's a gangster like Lucious now. So Andre finally responded by saying what happened to him is what's happening all over the country. And before he could answer the next question he sees a hallucination of Rhonda saying all of this wouldn't have happened if she was alive. 

Later, when Andre goes to see Cookie and Lucious, they are all worked up (rightfully so) and ready to set Thirsty on the two officers. But Andre isn't having it and says something about him being a Wharton grad and CFO of a publicly traded company (I didn't see what that had to do with it). He also adds that having Thirsty do what Thirsty does isn't a good idea with the Feds watching them. Andre's response had them feeling like he didn't realize he was Black, and that led to Lucious picking his sons up from the courthouse (more on that in a bit) and driving them to their old neighborhood (Hakeem said they never lived there, but was corrected and told he was a baby at the time). Lucious then proceeded to give his three boys a speech about how him giving them a sheltered life may have led them to forget they are Black and will be treated as such in the real world (specifically saying their name might as well be Trayvon, Philando, or Freddie and they better get woke quick, because they are one moment away from becoming a hashtag). It was an interesting talk for sure, and probably the best version of such a conversation one could expect from a father like Lucious, but Andre was not feeling it at all. And he was done when Lucious brought Rhonda into it by saying White wives and lawyers won't change the fact that they are Black! At that point Andre gets out the van, and Jamal follows after him. Hakeem stays in the van and drives back to the studio to share with Lucious his diss record with Tiana songs interlaced in it.

Now about court. Andre and his attorney went in there ready to plead not guilty to the one count of criminal trespass (I mean he was moving out of HIS place), but the judge cut Andre's attorney off to read out additional charges: felony battery, aggravated assault, and assault against a police officer!! When they leave the courthouse, Andre's attorney says they should plead guilty and cut a deal for possibly just probation if its his first offense!! Really??! Andre and his brothers are not feeling the idea of him lying about being guilty just for going to his own house!!! And that's when Lucious rolls up with his van to take them to their old neighborhood. O...and at the end of the episode, Tariq confronts Andre and reveals that he's part of the reason why these fake charges are being trumped up against Andre. But Andre lets him know he's not going to give up his father just to get the fake charges dropped!

Empire Season 3, Episode 2 ("Sin That Amends") Recap

Lucious is still trying to win Cookie back. He started by sending her lavish gifts, which she returned to him (except for the gold gun). Then he started playing on the day they first met. First by playing her a track for Jamal that was a play off of the Biz Markie hit "Just a Friend," the beat he was rapping over when they met. And when that didn't work, he surprised her by waking her up with Biz Markie performing "Just a Friend" in her living room! But Cookie is standing her ground. And Lucious further attempt at playing off the day they met by telling her he saw her earlier that day getting out Barry's car and knew he wanted to make her his despite it being a long shot, may actually lead Cookie into the arms of Angelo Dubois (Taye Diggs).

While doing a radio interview with Angelo Dubois about gun violence, Jamal found himself agreeing to attend Dubois' summit despite Cookie being against it. Cookie was not a fan of Dubois, who she felt was bougie and was not in the position to speak on the lives of underprivileged  youth. But Jamal stuck with the commitment, even inviting Dubois and his youth group to Empire. As Lucious was walking out, Jamal stopped him to introduce him to Dubois and the youth (one of which had a 3.8 GPA, was heading to MIT, and freestyled for Lucious). Lucious offered to host the summit at Empire, and when Dubois declined (noting they already had a venue), Lucious sweetened the deal by offering to have Empire be the underwriter of the entire summit. Dubois agreed, and Jamal whispered in Lucious ear inquiring why he was being so generous. Lucious revealed why when he told Dubois and the youth how great it would be to spread the word by showing the summit on Xstream!! Mystery solved! 

At the Summit, the youth performed, and Dubois spoke. He even told everyone how Cookie made him realize they weren't victims of their circumstances but survivors! When Lucious got up to speak, to prove his point to Cookie, he called Jamal up to come sing (he hadn't sung since the Xstream event). Jamal walked out and had another panic attack. He eventually told Cookie and Lucious that Lucious wanted him to admit he's scared and he is. He said he can't perform anymore, proving Lucious right. 

As Barry continued to talk, Cookie softened on Dubois ( a nice change from her going off on him at the rehearsal). Cookie reflected on the guy she was dating the day Lucious saw her for the first time, Barry. Lucious called him a nerd when he recounted to Cookie earlier in the episode how he had seen her getting out of Barry's car hours before they actually met. Cookie recalled Barry being someone who wanted to change the world, someone more like Dubois and less like Lucious. So when they spoke after the summit, she was much nicer and even agreed to come speak to the youth. This of course led to Lucious being less friendly with Dubois. We will see where this goes.

Meanwhile, Hakeem and Nessa are working together in the studio and vibing very well off of each other. Something may be there, but when Shine knocks a dude out in the studio for eyeing his sister, Hakeem looks shooked. Which means he probably was starting to feel Nessa, but now he's probably scared to pursue anything with her. 

Back at Lucious' home Anika is struggling with being a mother and begins interviewing nannies, until Lucious shuts that down and tells her being a mother is her only job! Leah, who had been standing there looking on at the interviewing, took the opportunity to throw a jab by saying she took care of Lucious on her own. And when she offered to go get Bella who was crying, Anika yelled for her to stay away from Bella. 

Later, in yet another flashback scene, we see a young Tariq was also there the day Lucious and Cookie met. But his mother came and snatched him away, warning him not to talk about Lucious being his half-brother and to stay away from him. She also said Lucious and his crazy mother coming into their lives was the worst thing that happened to them. And what was Tariq doing while reminiscing, watching Lucious on the nanny cam he planted. But Anika comes into the nursery, and after laying Bella in her crib, goes to put the monitor up under the stuff animals. But she hears static, and some moving around helped her pinpoint the source of the static, the planted teddy bear. The static wakes up Lucious who quickly realizes what has happened. He walks over and acts loving towards Anika, who is holding the teddy bear, and says their daughter deserves stuff animals fitting of a princess not this teddy bear. He then grabs the eyes and pulls the wire out of the bear's head!!

Meanwhile, Andre is still struggling with Rhonda being gone. When Jamal walks in on him trying to speak to Rhonda, he admits to Jamal he was talking to Rhonda. But when Jamal asks him if Rhonda is there, he tells him no she's not. He then tells Jamal Rhonda handled his ever changing medication regimen, and he can't handle it. So Jamal offers to help him by creating a chart like he created for his pain meds (which he says he is struggling with himself). Later, Andre asks Cookie how she's survived so much loss in her life, noting how she's a fighter. She tells him he's a fighter like her! Andre takes that and pours it into his brothers, as they reflect on their issues together. Andre tells Jamal he will beat it and perform again, and he tells Hakeem he will be a good father to Bella. When they ask what about him, he says he will start by going to his and Rhonda's old place and packing up his stuff. 

Unfortunately, when he was putting a box into his truck, a White woman had called the police and they asked him if he knew anything about recent break-ins. He tried to explain multiple times he used to live there, but to no avail. Being frustrated with the questioning he turns to continue to put the box in the truck, and the police tackle him down to the ground. The episode ends with them pointing a gun to his head as he lays there!! Reminds me of the young man who was recently arrested while sitting on his mother's porch!! SMH!

Empire Season 3 Premiere ("Light in Darkness") Recap

Empire came back this week, and I was disappointed to see Rhonda fall on the top of the car! Yep, Anika is still alive, though she might not had survived Andre choking her if her water didn't break. At the hospital she gave birth to a girl, Bella. Hakeem had run off from the wedding, had some drinks, and ended up at Tiana's. So he missed Bella's birth, and Lucious took his place in the labor and delivery room. He told Anika to lie and say Rhonda jumped, called Anika out for lying about the sex of the baby, and put his name on Bella's birth certificate (since he and Anika are married). And being Lucious, you know he takes many opportunities to make Hakeem feel like Lucious is Bella's real daddy. SMH. 

Andre is of course having a hard time with the loss of his wife, no longer wanting anything to do with God or His plans. Jamal convinces him to come stay with him so he won't be alone. Which turns out to be a good thing when Jamal walks in on Andre talking to a hallucination of Rhonda who is agreeing with Andre's realization that he should have believed Rhonda. 

Having to prove their marriage isn't fake after Anika discharges herself and Bella from the hospital unbeknownst to Lucious, Lucious has to have his security intercept Anika before she goes home from the hospital to move her into his house. There, Anika encounters Lucious' mother, who doesn't hold back when she tells Anika she doesn't know why Lucious would marry someone like Anika. She even threw in that she knew Anika was trying to poison her! And this is all while walking closer and closer to Anika with a knife pointing towards her! Hmmm...these two may have it out by the end of the season. My bet is on Leah!

Meanwhile, Hakeem is working on a new song with Shyne, who kinda bulldozed/blackmailed himself and his artist, Nessa, into Empire. He produced the beat for Hakeem's new song and got Lucious to agree to have Nessa sing background and the bridge for Jamal's performance at the concert launching Empire's streaming service (which Baby and French Montana declined to give exclusive rights to their catalogues to...that whole attempt to win them over over a game of poker made me of course think of Jay and Tidal and the millions of dollars it's losing...will Empire's streaming company have the same fate??). 

Jamal practiced a song Lucious didn't approve, opting for the ask for forgiveness instead of permission route. Why? Well because in addition to the song being about gun violence and Black lives that have been taken (even naming some by name!), it was also about "Free Freda!" And it was that "Free Freda" part that Jamal didn't want his father to find out about before the show. Freda's trial was stalled, and her attorneys weren't doing anything about it. And though Freda shot Jamal, he felt his father was ultimately to blame for the entire thing.

The thing is, Jamal is still not fully recuperated from being shot and is in some pain and on pain meds. And the night of the show, as the music starts up, Jamal is overcome by flashbacks to the night of the shooting and likely physical pain, as well. He's escorted off the stage by Hakeem as he has a panic attack, with Hakeem telling the band to keep playing. They keep playing for a minute, but Jamal is still not able to regain his composure. And before you know it, as the music continues to play to a confused audience who only sees a band and Nessa, Nessa eventually steps up to the main mic and begins to sing the song. And it was great!! So great Shyne tells Lucious they have some business to handle as partners. So great Lucious is upset with Jamal, because now Nessa is the face of their streaming company, and he let his anger be known. So great I think I spied Tiana giving Nessa some side eye from the balcony during the performance!

At home, Cookie found herself having to deal with her two sisters trying to get her to talk with Tariq, which she of course doesn't, and feeling hurt by Lucious marrying Anika. She tells Lucious he's ruined it and anything they had is now dead. But it looks like Lucious hasn't completely given up on them. And Tariq hasn't completely given up on taking down Lucious either. Lucious ultimately invites Tariq to a family dinner, he is after all Lucious' half-brother. The whole family was there, and Tariq took stabs at each and every one of them pointing out how Lucious has wronged them. The family stood strong though, with Cookie eventually asking Tariq to leave after he went in on her and Lucious' relationship causing the boys to stand up for their mother. But I suspect at some point during their family dinner Tariq got up to the nursery, perhaps to see his niece/great-neice. Either that or he had someone planted when they set up that nursery, because he has a nanny cam in the nursery!! 

Empire Season 3 Preview

Empire Season 2 Finale ("Past is Prologue") Recap

This finale had me feeling like I was watching General Hospital or Young & the Restless on a Friday!  #CliffhangerFriday #HalfBrothers #MarryingtheOtherWoman And it was a whopping 38% down in viewers between the ages of 18-49 as compared to Season 1's finale! 

So here's what happened...Jamal is back home after 3 weeks, but informs his family he's done singing until they can end this cycle of violence and incarceration. Not even Hakeem wanting him to sing at his and Laura's wedding (with Dre officiating) could change his mind! But when Lucious goes to visit Freda behind bars (denying having anything to do with her father's murder) and gets her to record a song for Jamal, the song inspires Jamal to get back to the music. So he gets to work on a song for the wedding. D-major is with him as he works with the other singers on the song, and notes he tried to visit him while he was in the hospital but Lucious wouldn't let him go in. 

Meanwhile, Anika goes to tell Lucious  that the Feds questioned her and asked about someone named Shyne. Recall Shyne is part of the reason Lucious ended up murdering Bunkie. He knows some things the Lyons need him to keep to himself, so later in the episode Cookie meets with him to discuss why it's in everyone's interest for him not to talk to the Feds. He agrees on the condition Empire signs his nephew and he gets an invite to Hakeem's wedding. Later, at a dinner with Lucious, Cookie, Hakeem, Laura, and her parents, her father is less than pleased that Shyne will be attending. 

Back to Anika telling Lucious and Cookie about the Feds, while she's in there Dre and Rhonda walk in. Dre here's the name Shyne and repeats it as if he's familiar with the name, but before he can say anything else Rhonda attacks Anika for pushing her down the stairs. But no one believes her, and they side with Anika who says Rhonda is crazy for thinking she would do that. Rhonda tries to get Dre to tell the family about his visions, but he plays it off and apologizes for Rhonda. And when they are outside the office he tells her his visions were part of his illness. Despite Dre no longer believing his vision, Rhonda tells him she expects him to do for her what she did with him with Vernon.  But Dre clarifies that was self defense, and she ends up going to stay with a friend for a while in L.A. Though she does return for the wedding.

 O...and there's a scene shortly after Anika reveals the Feds questioned her that Hakeem has to grab Cookie and Lucious, because Anika is sitting on the ledge preparing to jump all because she doesn't want to have to testify against Lucious. Cookie ends up being the one to talk her down by telling her she's carrying her grandson so she'll never be alone, and that she's a Lyon now like she always wanted. And Anika actually confirmed that's what she's always wanted to be. This is exactly why I never really liked her character. I just don't get why she's so dead set on becoming a Lyon. 

Now at the wedding...actually, first let me mention that Lucious and Cookie had another one of those moments where Lucious tells her he can't do anything without her. This time adding that's why he never married anyone else. 

Ok...so at the wedding...Shyne comes in making a scene being loud and with a couple of prostitutes on his arm. Which made the other 2 men who are a part of what Cookie deemed the "Circle of Silence" ready to leave. But Cookie and Lucious pull them into a separate room, to explain they needed to get Shyne on all of their good sides to make sure he didn't talk to the Feds jeopardizing all of their lives. So they agree to stay. Now as Laura was preparing to walk down the aisle, Anika is served papers to testify at a grand jury hearing! The server runs down the aisle to get out, and they yell for someone to stop her. In the commotion Shyne got involved and a fight ensued just as Laura and her parents walked in to begin going down the aisle! That was the last straw, and despite Hakeem saying he had it under the control, Laura said she can't live this life and could not marry him!!! Poor Hakeem. 

But the family had even more pressing concerns! Anika has been subpoenaed to testify against Lucious. Thirsty confirms that the only way to prevent it is for Lucious and Anika to get married. Cookie was immediately hurt by the idea and didn't want it to happen. Lucious told her it's just paper and he needs her to be his ride or die on this one. She turned to her sons, tears falling down her face, and tells them that they know she loves them but she just can't do it. And she storms out. 

And then Lucious marries his ex-fiance/mother of his future grandson. Which as someone pointed out, and I already thought of, would make him the unborn child's father and grandfather. Since they would be married when the baby is born. Jamal sees this as yet another continuation of the cycle he wants to end in the family. But anywho...after Dre marries his father and brother's baby mother, he tells his father he can kiss the bride. Though Anika seems to think she would at least get a peck on the lips, Lucious kisses her on the cheek. As they walk down the aisle (after Lucious and then Thirsty yell for Jamal to sing), Lucious tells Anika he knows she pushed Rhonda down the stairs. And Anika says she needs a minute and runs off to the side. 

Everyone else, Lucious, Jamal, Hakeem, Dre, Thirsty, and Lucious' mother, Leah, are walking out the venue when they are stopped by Tariq. Let's take a moment to talk about what Leah has shared with the family in this episode up to this point. She shared that all of this is happening to the family, because Lucious' father was a criminal. Lucious told her not to talk about it and confirmed to his son that his father was a cop. She reveals to the boys that Lucious saw his father get murdered. O and if you were wondering about the end of the last episode, Lucious makes a comment in this episode that Thirsty got to Leah before she could reveal to the press she was Lucious' mother. Anywho...so throughout the episode we see flashbacks of Lucious seeing his father get murdered. Well when Tariq walks up to them, Leah asks Lucious what his half-brother is doing there!! Tariq then calls Lucious Dwight, and Lucious has a flashback to the night his father was murdered. Lucious' father had him hiding, and he asks the man if he wants to go down for shooting a cop (so indeed he was cop). He also brings up the man's son, to which the guy tells Lucious' father that he's the boy's father and that now that boy and Lucious won't have a father!! Then he kills him. 

Tariq seems to know they are half-brothers, but soon realizes Lucious may not have known (though his flashback shows Lucious knew he had a half brother). Tariq goes on to say their father was a good cop but a bad man, and that they each got a part of him (implying Lucious got the bad man part, which Lucious' mother also suggested earlier in the episode going so far as to say one if not all of the boys have it in them too!). Lucious responds by saying his name is Lucious (not Dwight) and he has no family. Then he says let's go and tells Dre to go get his wife (Anika), as he and the rest of them walk past Tariq to leave.

Anika is outside on some type of bridge, when Rhonda comes out and attacks her again. The two fight over the edge, and when Rhonda tells Anika she wanted her child to be the only Lyon's heir, Anika confirms (thereby also admitting to pushing Rhonda down the stairs to kill Rhonda's unborn child). The fight continues, and Dre walks out and sees them fighting. He let's out a yell as we hear what sounds like at least one of them falling over the edge, but of course they don't show us who! I think it sounded like Rhonda, but them bringing Vernon back up makes me feel it may have been Anika and the two will have to cover up another murder together. 

Now you see why it gave me the soap opera feel. 

Until next season Empire!

Empire Season 2, Episode 17 ("Rise by Sin") Recap

Lucious is sleeping in his office and driving rehearsals late just to avoid being at home with his mother, who he insists is dangerous (and I think she is too...I mean last episode she said she's sorry she was too weak to kill him when she had the chance!!). Meanwhile, she's at the house telling Juanita she doesn't know how to season her food and that she thought she fired her!! She's also gaining Dre's sympathy to the point that he planned on sneaking her out of the house to go to the ASAs, but Lucious was a step ahead and had Thirsty lock both of them up in the safe room during the ASAs. 

And Lucious isn't the only one avoiding people. Anika goes to Empire to speak to Rhonda, who tells her she has less than a minute to talk. So Anika says she was wondering why she hadn't seen Rhonda at yoga and why Rhonda isn't returning her texts. Rhonda says she's been busy dressing everyone for the ASAs, but then Rhonda gets straight to it! She begins asking Anika about her Louboutin flats, saying she was curious because they looked like good day to night shoes. Then she straights up asks Anika if she wore it the day she came to see Rhonda's nursery, and if she wore it into the night, you know being presumably good day to night shoes. But of course, this is also the same night Rhonda was pushed down the stairs. So when Anika is like I don't know if I wore them that night, and the line of questioning changes to did Rhonda see Anika that night...they both know what Rhonda is really saying. She's saying, are you going to admit you pushed me down the stairs! But of course the scene cuts away with no answer from Anika or resolution.

One of the people Rhonda has been busy dressing is Carol, who was going to be Cookie's plus one to the ASAs (that falls through for reasons discussed in a moment, and Lucious ends up asking Cookie to be his date to the ASAs...which comes with a beautiful bracelet and slight reminiscing). While showing Cookie the dress Rhonda picked for her, which Cookie didn't like, Carol tells Cookie she ran into Tyriq and they were going to dinner. Cookie's first response is to point out he's a cop, and of course Carol jumps in and says he's not anymore. And later, when Lucious tells Cookie Thirsty looked into Tyriq and he hasn't been a cop for ten years but the files after that are sealed, Cookie's first instinct is he's the Fed then! Lucious doesn't see why the Feds would still be after him, but Cookie is convinced. So she goes to Leviticus to talk to Tyriq herself, knowing Carol would be late. She straights up tells him she knows he's the Fed and that he better not try to squeeze her sister to get to her and her family. He asks what she has to hide, and goes on to comment on how she stole all of Carol's boyfriends (including Lucious) and how Lucious killed her cousin Bunkie (saying it as if he may have thought she didn't know). But Cookie holds it together and tells him to enjoy dinner at HER and Lucious' restaurant.

The next day Carol confronts Cookie, telling her Tyriq told her she went to see him before she arrived. The two go back and forth with Carol telling Cookie Candice was right about Cookie not caring about Carol and just helping her to maker herself feel better. She also brings up Cookie stealing her boyfriends, including Lucious. To which Cookie tells her she really thinks she should have what she has. And after confirmation that Carol had a drink and is no longer sober, Cookie sticks to her promise to kick Carol out if she lost her sobriety and yells for her to leave and to get her stuff out of her apartment too! Now while I was like, noooo, now she's really going to let it all out to the Feds, it turns out this would come back on the family in a much different way! More on that later.

A brief moment on Hakeem and Laura. A conversation where Laura is telling Hakeem about what she envisions for the wedding and magazines wanting to cover it, somehow turns into Hakeem telling her of no fault of their own her career is just not popping off how they expected. I was almost as shocked as Laura. She was like, and we can let US Weekly have a wedding exclusive and then maybe they'll highlight some of my music, and Hakeem was like...babe, babe...let's just accept that your career didn't pop off like we expected after a few dope records and opening for Tiana on tour! I felt kinda bad for her. LOL. She seemed to accept it, saying her dream right now is just to marry him (after of course saying he doesn't believe in her anymore). But then, at the ASA red carpet, despite being affectionate towards her in the pictures being snapped, one photographer finally just asked to get some pics of just Hakeem (even asking her to step back further than she already did)! SHEESH!! 

Also on the red carpet is Jamal, who answers the question on whether he has a special someone by essentially saying he's happily single, while looking over at D-major on the red carpet with a woman named Chanel. But Jamal knew D-major would be there with Chanel. Let's rewind. So making more musical magic with Freda, this time in front of D-major, Jamal finds himself being told that he should move on from having his mother being his producer and let...you guessed it... D-major produce his next album. What a convenient idea  for D-major to suggest!! SMH! So Jamal ends up in the studio working on a song with D-major, where they end up having a discussion about Jamal knowing being with Chanel on the red carpet will mean nothing to D-major. And when D-major hears someone coming in when he and Jamal were getting "close," he shoved Jamal and made a big scene as if Jamal was coming on to him. And when it turned out to be Lucious, he goes so far as to tell Lucious his son was coming on to him and storm out. But it turns out Lucious has been knowing D-major was on the DL, and turns it into an opportunity to demean his son by saying it's no secret D-major likes to take rich boys and make them his lil you know what. And then he and Jamal get into it on a level they never have before. After Lucious goes in on Jamal still not being over him putting him in the trash can 20 years ago, Jamal goes in on the fact that Lucious' mother brings him to tears 40 years after what she did to him. Which led to Lucious grabbing Jamal by the neck and setting up to punch him. And the worse was when he said he'll be celebrating when Jamal dies from AIDS! 

Now when Jamal runs into Cookie upset from the ordeal, and he tries to explain what happened, Cookie gets caught up on another part of the story before Jamal can even get into what he and Lucious said to each other. While Jamal thought she was focusing on D-major wanting to produce his next album, it turned out she was actually focusing on him saying he was making music with Freda. She ended up revealing to him that she got out early by snitching on Frank Gatz, which is how he ended up in prison with Lucious. And then she confirmed that Lucious had Frank killed. And she told him that's why he has to let Freda go, because Frank would have killed them all like it was nothing, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And boy was she right!! 

So at the ASAs, while everyone was wrapping up with the red carpet and the press, Carol shows up drunk and/or high yelling out for Cookie. Cookie hugs her, grabs her by her weave, and tells her to get out. On the way out though, Carol runs into Freda, and when Freda asks her if she's okay and if she needs her to get her an uber, Carol says she needs Freda to get her into the ASAs. And when Freda said she had some press things to finish up, Carol goes off on Freda asking her if she thinks she's better than her, calling her a hood rat, and saying she's only on the label because Lucious feels guilty for what he did to Freda's daddy!!!!!!!!!! Freda then has these flashbacks to when she first met Lucious in the prison when she was rapping to her dad, to when her dad told her to stay away from Lucious, and to earlier that night when Jamal told her they need to talk about her needing to leave Empire!! Then she runs, grabs a gun off of a police officer, and runs up on the Lyons to shoot Lucious. But Jamal steps in front of her to stop her from shooting, but she shoots and ends up shooting Jamal!!!! She's arrested and he's taken to the hospital!!! He's rushed into surgery, and the family hasn't gotten any news. And of course Cookie is upset and blames Lucious, until a bit later when she softens a little after he says his mother should have drowned him and Cookie tells him he was born into a bad situation.

Now, when Thirsty woke up and saw the news that Jamal was shot by Freda, he got Dre and his grandmother out of the safe room and took them to the hospital to join the others. (Side note: neither Lucious nor Jamal won song of the year, perhaps because they split the vote as Hakeem suggested). Now at some point in the night, while Cookie and Lucious are talking, and the others are grabbing coffee and snacks, Lucious' mother walks out the hospital and is accosted by the paparazzi. They ask her what she knows about Jamal and whether she's a family member. She eventually says she is a family member, and after they ask her how she's related to them...the scene cuts off!!!

O...and now Tyriq has Anika at the FBI headquarters, where he tells who seems to be his superior he will be able to persuade Lucious' ex-wife and future baby mother of his son to give them the information they need on Lucious. I wonder if she will cut a deal realizing Rhonda may be on to her pushing her down those stairs!!!

Empire Season 2, Episode 16 ("The Lyon Who Cried Wolf") Recap

When Hakeem suggests Tiana sing the female part of the song he and Jamal are working on for a movie soundtrack, Becky and Jamal look shocked and concerned. When he asks why they're looking like that, they ask if he thinks Laura would be okay with it. He assures them she understands it's business, and moves forward with having Tiana sing the part. While he and Tiana are recording, later, he is eyeing her, and she may be slightly flirting...maybe. Later, when he talks to Laura, she is actually pretty upset, but not just because she thinks Tiana wants him back, but also because she thinks Hakeem should have pushed for Laura to get to sing the part. Her head is all the way blown up if she really believes that, but on to other things...

Candice has returned to tell Carol she needs to take her kids back after the winter break, now that she's sober. And while out to eat, Carol tells her she needs time so she can tell Cookie what happened between her and Lucious. Apparently she helped Lucious kill a few people while Cookie was locked up! What they didn't know was that they had an eavesdropper at the next table, and he approaches Carol later. It turns out he's an old friend named Tariq, who used to be a cop. Carol asked him if he still was, but he says it didn't pay enough. What he didn't say, but we saw when he paid for their drinks (Carol opted to drink cranberry juice), was that he's with the FBI!! And before I leave Carol, I wonder why they had Porsha tell Carol she would be jealous if her sister was Cookie and she didn't have anything. I hope they aren't setting Carol up to fail as a sister in future episodes. She seems to legitimately not be jealous so far. 

Rhonda has been spending some time with Anika, and things seem to be coming back to her memory. At Hakeem's, while Anika is having things for the baby delivered, one of the deliverers pushes Rhonda out of the way to avoid a falling box. And she has a flashback of feeling hands push her down the stairs the night she lost her baby! She reveals this to Anika. And later, while they are talking and she's having a drink, she sees Anika shoes (Louboutin flats), and she has a flashback to seeing someone with red bottom flats walk out the door while she was lying on the ground that night!! Anika asks her what's wrong, and she plays it off by saying it's the wine making her light headed. I'm glad she's figuring it out!!

Meanwhile, Andre is spending time with Leah Walker, and she comments on his eyes and asks if they are related. Next thing you know, he's taken her out of the home and brought her to Jamal, Hakeem, and Lucious' rehearsal for the ASAs! When he says it's their grandmother, no one seemed to believe him at first, but Lucious just looks at her without saying anything! When she tries to touch his face he pulls away, drops a tear, and walks off telling Dre he doesn't know what he did. We learn that she did try to drown him and shoot herself. But there were no bullets in the gun. Also, she blamed him for her wanting to kill herself. She ended up being put in a mental health hospital, until a Ronald Reagan policy had many mental ill patients released from hospitals. Lucious ran into her living out on the street, but by then he and Cookie were married, on welfare, and Cookie was pregnant with Hakeem. When Dre tries to stop them from taking her back to the home, Lucious tells her she's not like Dre. But Dre refuses to let her go back to the home. She says she wants to go home, and by home she says she means with Dwight (Lucious). Lucious is hesitant for obvious reasons, clearly traumatized by what he endured as a child, but allows her to go home with him.  He has a nurse there, and tells his maid, Juanita, to keep an eye on her at all times and to make sure she takes her meds. She keeps calling him Dwight, and he keeps telling her his name is Lucious. When he hears her playing a song she used to play with him, he sits down and joins her (later incorporating it into the song he puts together with Jamal and Hakeem for the ASAs). But even in this moment you get a little bit of tension as she confronts him about telling the family bad things about her and he continues to correct her when she calls him Dwight. But the worse was yet to come. 

One night, more like 3 in the morning, she has him follow her into the dining room, where she has several cakes laid out!! He asks where Juanita is, and she basically tells him she fired her, because she doesn't like anyone in her kitchen!!! He tries to tell her it was his maid and she can't fire her, but she tells him to sit down and eat the cake. He does, as she stands over him with the knife in her hand telling him how everything bad that happened to her (including his father being murdered) was because of him!! At one point she asks him if he loves her, and he hesitantly says yes, and she calls him a liar!! 

O...and with the knowledge that Harper told Dre about his grandmother, Thirsty takes her for a drive. She thinks it's to go see Lucious, and when she realizes it's not, she tells Thirsty she can't be threatened. He assures her he's a gentleman and wouldn't lay a finger on her and pulls over to let her out, after she asks what he was going to do. And as she is getting out and still talking, how she didn't see this coming I don't know, two masked men grab her!!

Meanwhile, on the ASA front, after his mom introduces him to D-Major (musical director for the ASAs), Jamal is disappointed to learn Cookie has traded in his solo performance of a new song for a trio with Hakeem and Lucious over one of his old songs. Jamal attempts to get D-Major to let him do his solo performance, after D-Major told him to stop having a hissy fit when Jamal first heard the news. This included Jamal approaching him in the studio. D-Major tells him there are ways to make him change his mind, but that isn't it. I got exactly what he was hinting at as soon as he said that, but not sure Jamal did. D-Major then sends everyone out of the studio and ends up kissing Jamal. One can assume from the rest of the scene the two hooked up, but the next time Jamal sees him he seems cold. So Jamal assumes he isn't interested, until D-Major comes to Jamal's place. At this point Jamal realizes he acted that way, not because he wasn't interested (or trying to be professional at work like he claimed), but because he wasn't out. And Jamal told him he wasn't interested in being a part of that. However, he has a change of heart towards the end of the episode and asks D-Major to meet him at his place, saying he can handle the situation. O, and given the performance is still a trio (though a good one), I suppose hooking up with him behind closed doors also isn't how you change D-Major's mind! 

Empire Season 2, Episode 15 ("More than Kin") Recap

At first I thought Hakeem was shooting a music video in the strip club, but after he ignores several texts from Laura asking where he is, it becomes clear there's no video involved! He's just all in his feelings about how his life is going, and has decided to turn to a strip club instead of his fiancee. But thanks to Instagram and his app, Laura is able to locate him. She tries to explain that he should come to her at times like this. He asks if she still wants him if he's not the CEO, and she of course says yes. He asks again referencing him not being nominated for an ASA, and she again says yes. But when he asks the same question in regard to getting Anika pregnant before he and Laura got together, she slaps the taste out his mouth (well at least his glasses off his head) and storms out. Later, he'll try to explain to Laura that he wants her to be his wife, while he raises his son with Anika. But Laura tells him that isn't the family she wants and gives him his ring back. 

Meanwhile, Lucious is getting a bit close with Harper Scott, though Cookie seems to always pop up in the middle of it. Though it typically involves some form of business that needs to be handled, her side comments make it seem like she may indeed be falling for Lucious again. Something that is not lost on Lucious. 

Later, Cookie talks with Dre about getting his brothers on board to help her unite the family to get Lucious back in as CEO, as the Board is thinking about bringing someone from the outside in as CEO (at one point in the episode Lucious comments to himself that he now wishes he never took the company public). Cookie needs Dre to talk to his brothers, because they'll think she's just doing it because she's falling for him again. Dre agrees to help, and provides his own idea. A fundraiser for bipolarism, with him as the spokesperson. Dre gets his two brothers on board, and later he and Rhonda discuss how getting Lucious in as CEO will get Dre back where they want him to be (starting as Lucious' #2). 

As prepping is underway for the event, Becky and Jamal run into Michael, who is working for the catering company for the event. He offers to leave, and Jamal says that isn't necessary. He then asks if he and Jamal can talk later. So they go to the small venue Jamal used to perform at, and he is invited up to perform with the band, which he eventually does. 

Later, Hakeem invites Anika over to see how he's baby-proofed his home. But Anika tells him that she may not want him to be a part of the baby's life, given Lucious' threat against her life when she gives birth. She tells him her mother wants her to leave. Hakeem confronts Lucious and tells him if Anika leaves with his son, Lucious won't be seeing Hakeem or his grandson again! 

Cookie later goes to see Anika about her leaving, having already told Hakeem she can't leave with his son, but she finds Anika being taken out by paramedics. She rides in the ambulance with Anika to the hospital. Cookie calls and texts Hakeem, who misses the call because he and Laura were in the middle of her breaking off their engagement. She also calls and texts Lucious, who was in the middle of some pretty rough four play with Harper until he sees the messages. He says he has to go due to a family emergency, and Harper calls him out for being wrapped around Cookie's finger. She actually calls Cookie out of her name, and Lucious warns her to not disrespect Cookie and pushes her down. 

At the hospital, Anika's mother is less than thrilled to see Hakeem, but Cookie speaks on his behalf saying he wants to take care of his son and be there for them. In Anika's hospital room, when Cookie says Lucious is coming to the hospital to her surprise, Anika's mother says he is not welcome there after what he did. Cookie leaves, responding to Hakeem's question about what did his father do by asking, "What hasn't he done?" When Lucious arrives, Hakeem confronts him about what he did. Now I'm thinking he did something to Anika that led to her being in the hospital, but her and her mother were referencing him forcing her father to commit fraud. Lucious ends up telling Hakeem he respects him for the way he stood up for Anika against him, and says that must mean he raised him right. He waits in the lobby and makes some calls to have Anika well taken care of, as Hakeem returns to Anika's room. Later, Laura shows up at Anika's new hospital room. She says Lucious called her and told him how much he respected Hakeem for doing the right thing by Anika and their son. And the pair seem to get back together, Anika is sleeping during this conversation. Out in the lobby, Cookie and Lucious discuss Harper not being enough for him. She was smart, but was lacking curves and some hood in her. He calls Cookie over, but she plays it cool. But then she asks him to let her give what was supposed to be Harper's exclusive story on Lucious to someone else, and Lucious agrees. 

Later, at the fundraiser, Jamal overhears Lucious talking down on him to board members by saying he is still developing as an artist and that Lucious is concerned with both the music and the business side. So Jamal leaves without performing, and heads back to his old stomping ground once again to perform. On his way in he spots Freda in line. She found out about the performance through the app. He takes Freda and her friends in with him as he goes in to perform. Becky is also there.

Meanwhile, at the fundraiser, Harper confronts Lucious for letting someone else break her story. Then she goes and approaches Dre, who tells her this isn't a good time since he's about to go up and speak. She gives him pictures from a group home for elderly people with mental illnesses. She then shows him one of a woman named Leah Walker, and says that's his grandmother. After learning this, Dre also leaves the fundraiser! So when Lucious and Cookie are on stage later speaking, Harper takes advantage of the opportunity to ask where their sons are. Cookie basically ignores the question and announces that the Lyon family will be performing together at the ASA Awards (Lucious, Jamal, and Hakeem). Lucious asks her if this is true, and she essentially says it is now! Ha! 

Two board members approached Lucious and Cookie to tell them they were thinking about looking outside for the next CEO, but now they've decided to make him and Cookie co-CEOs!!! I knew Empire was setting it up for Cookie to be a CEO! Cookie humbly says she and Lucious would have to discuss, but Lucious says he thinks it's a fantastic idea. Then he hugs Cookie and says he has her back, but his facial expression says otherwise!! He probably knew if Cookie wasn't co-CEO they wouldn't make him CEO, but he also knows that Cookie will probably do so well they'll make her the only CEO. We shall see!! 

Empire Season 2, Episode 14 ("Time Shall Unfold") Recap

Lyons heirs...Here's what we, and the rest of the Lyons, learned about the next generation of Lyons (or heirs, as they like to refer to them).... Thirsty approached Lola on a playground, and while talking to her took some of her hair for a DNA test. Meanwhile, while Dre (who is still on his meds, staying in a hotel, no longer going to church, and has stopped saying Rhonda was pushed down the stairs) is visiting Rhonda at Anika's house to discuss how they can get Rhonda back to happy by them being a team, they overhear Anika throwing up in the bathroom. They go to check on her, thinking it may have been the food they just ate, but Anika basically tells them the truth without telling them. She says she can't tell them given their recent loss, which obviously leads to Rhonda asking her if she's pregnant. Anika confirms she's pregnant, and when Dre asks who the father is she says it's Hakeem. 

Now in a later scene, Dre gets the family together at Lucious' house, under the guise of helping to make the family better as he discussed with Lucious in another scene discussed later. Dre tells them he has someone who has something to share with them that can help them become better. First Rhonda walks in, and then Anika! And of course everyone is like what can she possibly say that would make the family better. She reveals to them that she's carrying Hakeem's baby. And when Jamal asks if she's keeping the baby, they learn Rhonda insisted she keep the baby, especially given the loss of her child. Rhonda makes another "heir" reference, to which Jamal says then they need to find Lola. But Lucious tells him they don't need to find Lola, because he had a DNA test done and Lola is not a Lyon!! When Anika tells them she wants something priceless from them, Cookie tells Lucious to cut Anika a check. But Anika tells them what she wants is for her child to have a family. 

Later, repaying her for surprising him in his home, Anika comes home to find Lucious waiting for her on her couch. The two have an exchange of words about him sleeping with Cookie and her sleeping with his son. Then he offers her $10 million in exchange for her taking care of herself, bringing the baby to term, and then giving the baby to Hakeem. Anika scoffs at the offer, also throwing in that she would think a Lyons heir would be worth more than $10 million. Lucious tells her to strongly consider his offer, noting many mothers don't make it through childbirth. Anika attempted a threat of her own, by pointing out she never dimed on him to the FBI despite being with him for five years and knowing more than he thinks she knows. But Lucious is unbothered by her threat. 

Freda Gatz v. Stacey Run-Run... In the studio, Jamal and Freda Gatz are making musical magic. Jamal likens it to Cookie and Lucious in the studio. But given her new knowledge that Frank Gathers is Freda's father, Cookie does not want Freda around her boys. When she essentially tells Lucious Freda could be a danger to their boys should she ever find out Lucious is responsible for her father's death, Lucious reminds Cookie of her own responsibility in his death. Then it cuts to a scene where Freda beats a man with a gun, and has her friends jumping him, all because he wanted to sit in the barbershop seat that no one can sit in, because it's Frank Gather's seat. If she does that over a barbershop seat, imagine what she might do if she discovers the Lyons had something to do with the murder of her father!

So while Jamal is in works to work on a second track with Freda for his album, Cookie is setting up a contract to have Stacey Run-Run (basically Nicki Minaj) do some tracks for Jamal. Jamal is excited about the opportunity, until he learns the contract has an exclusivity clause that requires Stacey Run-Run to be the only female rapper on the album. So Jamal is forced to choose between Freda and Stacey. He's torn, but Cookie isn't, reminding him he said he wants to take down his father. So while Freda is recording, Jamal goes to speak to her about the situation. She's excited for him upon hearing he's going to have Stacey Run-Run on his album. And though she is clearly let down when she learns he can't have both of them on his album, she basically tells him he can't choose her over Stacey Run-Run and seems to understand. Later, when Jamal goes to the studio to record with Stacey Run-Run he learns that she's in Tokyo and sent a pre-recorded track for him to record with. He's not a fan of the situation, but attempts to record his part of the song. But he just couldn't do it. So he goes back to the barbershop, which is where Freda works, to ask her if she'd come back and do the songs with him. She didn't speak to him at first, but then she asked if he wasn't feeling Stacey Run-Run. He told her she was cool and had heard him singing at a place in Incognito. Turns out Freda was also familiar with that place, and Jamal told her when he works with her he gets creative vibes similar to ones he got when performing there. Freda told him she would think about meeting him at the studio that night, and that was it. 

Shareholders... With an upcoming shareholders meeting, Lucious had a private party at his place for some of the major shareholders, where he showed them his new music video. He used the party as a way to get the shareholders on his side, as a way to influence the board to make him CEO. Cookie came in as Lucious was walking the last shareholder out. After learning what the party was for, Cookie told Lucious she's trying to get the family back together. So she told him to tell her if he was trying to do anything at the shareholders meeting.

But Lucious wasn't just buttering up the shareholders in preparation for the shareholders meeting. He gave Dre a call requesting to see him. After the call, Dre told his brothers about his plans to talk with Lucious, and he also told them he's doing well and will be helping to ensure Hakeem does well at the shareholders meeting. He asked Hakeem what will be the biggest project he'd be sharing at the shareholders meeting, and Hakeem said it was the Anthony and Cleopatra clothing line. So Dre warned them Lucious would be going after that then. And sure enough he did, by having Thirsty and co. rob the warehouse, taking all of the Anthony and Cleopatra clothes. I assumed after Dre's warning, Hakeem had setup a ploy warehouse, but nope...those were the real clothes!! An upset Hakeem confronted Lucious about the clothes, and Lucious told his son a half-decent CEO would be able to clap back. Hakeem in turn told his father he's not Dre or Jamal and would never bow down to Lucious, and then his phone starts ringing. Lucious tells him he thought he would say that and that he should answer his phone. It's Laura on the phone telling Hakeem the trucks with the equipment for the tour were searched and drugs were found (yep Lucious planted drugs in the trucks). So all the equipment was confiscated!!! 

O, but Lucious had more up his sleeves. Lucious took Dre to his grandmother's grave. After Lucious described what it was like living with his mother, Dre said that's exactly how Rhonda describes living with him. Then Dre began speaking to his grandmother's grave, noting he wish he had had the chance to meet her and that if she was still alive she would have the benefits of modern medicine that would have allowed her to live out her dreams on her good days. Lucious tells him he wishes she was able to meet him too, and then he tells Dre how proud he is of him. Dre responds by saying he knows that means Lucious wants something and that he won't help him take down his brother (this is when they have the making the family better convo that Dre thought meant he should bring them all together to hear Anika announce she's carrying Hakeem's baby). BUT...it turns out Dre decides to help his father after all, by giving him another item to use against Hakeem, a glitch in the app for the streaming music service Empire acquired! At the stakeholder's meeting when this comes up, Rhonda asks Dre if he did what she thinks he did, and he tells her he did so they could be a team (as she said going back to being a team fighting to take over Empire might bring her happiness back). 

So at the stakeholders meeting, Lucious attempts to put on his final blow to Hakeem. The meeting starts with a performance by Tiana (this episode she's giving Aaliyah with her hair and outfit). Then Cookie comes on stage to introduce Hakeem, noting Tiana's recent success and the fact that she is under Lyon Dynasty, which was recently acquired by Empire. Hakeem comes out and things are off to a good start, until Lucious gets a chance to ask questions as a shareholder. First he asks Hakeem about the top 5 biggest issues facing the music industry. Hakeem has a facial expression that suggested he might not be prepared to answer the question (which I thought would be absurd), and then he killed it with his answer! But then Lucious brought up the stolen clothing, calling the warehouse robbery a security breach under Hakeem's watch, the glitch in the music streaming app, and the tour being pulled to a halt. Lucious even identified specific shareholders, and noted why they were depending on Empire to succeed and make profits. When he asks one of the shareholders what Empire needs, she says they need Lucious, sparking chanting for Lucious. Cookie went to the stage to get the situation under control, because that's what she does! She calls Lucious a legend who is to be respected, but then calls for everyone to respect Hakeem as a mogul, as well, noting how he helped her build Lyon Dynasty from the ground up. She then asked Lucious to come on stage, while telling the crowd Lucious and Hakeem are just showing how much they love Empire, which she adds should be telling of how hard they both will work for Empire (well she actually said they would kill for Empire, adding that she means figuratively, but it's actually literally...at least for Lucious). Then Hakeem and Lucious shake hands, and through the applause you hear a woman yell out, "Empire needs you, Cookie!"

Then it cuts to Hakeem leaving the boardroom looking defeated. He tells his parents that the board voted him out, and also said they liked Cookie. But it's like Cookie and Lucious didn't hear the part about them liking Cookie, or the woman who yelled out that Empire needed Cookie at the shareholders meeting, because the two of them just talk about the Board inevitably giving Empire back to Lucious. But I get the feeling the Board might vote to give Cookie a shot at CEO, and if not, the show is definitely foreshadowing Cookie having a turn at it eventually. 

Leah Walker... With all of that, the biggest shocker was still yet to come! Thirsty went into a nursing home to ask about LEAH WALKER! He declined to see her and just gave the woman working the desk an envelope with money. Then the camera closes in on an older woman singing, cutting to flashbacks of scenes from Lucious as a child with his mother. Yep!! The lies continue!! Lucious' mother is apparently alive and did not kill herself!!!

Empire Season 2, Episode 13 ("The Tameness of a Wolf") Recap

The episode opens up at a memorial for Camilla, where Hakeem announces that Rhonda will be the new style director for Anthony and Cleopatra. At the party, Dre apologizes to Rhonda for accusing her of cheating, and Rhonda comments that she's glad he's seen the doctor and is on new meds. Back in Hakeem's office, they find Lucious sitting in the chair behind the desk. Hakeem asks Lucious if he thought it would be that easy just because Camilla is gone, and Lucious responds by congratulating Hakeem for earning his CEO position by killing Camilla by sending the sex tape. Hakeem says Camilla death was not supposed to happen, but of course Lucious fails to mention his role in convincing Camilla to swallow the poison while pointing a gun at her. Cookie nips it in the bud by proclaiming it was held to be a murder-suicide so stop dry snitching, telling them to get back to work, and announcing she expects them all to be at her birthday dinner celebrating her first birthday outside of prison. 

Meanwhile, on tour, Laura's group is doing extra songs and cutting into Tiana's time, and Tiana is not having it! Tiana and Becky both tell Laura she needs to watch her time and not add new songs, as she's the opening act, not the headliner. Becky returns to the office and tells Hakeem what's going on, with her and Jamal agreeing it's not in good form for the CEO to be sleeping with his artists. But you know Hakeem is unbothered by that point, but he does go to the D.C. stop on the tour to try to work it out. He gets Laura to stop going into Tiana's wardrobe and gets Tiana to let Laura do an extra song in smaller cities. When Tiana walks by Laura's dressing room and spots her and Hakeem kissing, she seems less than pleased. But the two performed together along with Hakeem after Tiana's set. Later, when Hakeem, Laura, and her family go into her dressing room, her family shares how proud they are of her, and they mention that her father was also a part of a musical act. Her father comments that it was nothing as big as Laura and where she is heading, adding it's a father's dream to see his child do better than he has done. Hakeem had a strange look on his face, and when they asked what was wrong, he shared that it's nice to see a family like theirs, because his father doesn't feel the same way. And at a later tour stop, Hakeem surprises Laura after the concert, and in front of fans, drops down on one knee and proposes to her, saying he wants to start a family like hers. Tiana walks out and sees this, and though she smiles at Hakeem, when he looks aways she once again seems less than pleased. It almost looks as though she's jealous of the relationship and might want Hakeem back, but given their history, it seems it's really just concern that Laura may get special treatment. She even mentioned to Hakeem that when they were dating she never got special treatment, when they were discussing Laura's behavior on the tour.

Back at Empire, Cookie is helping Lucious on his music video, and Hakeem is helping Jamal on his Black & White album. Hakeem and Jamal go to Freda's neighborhood to get her to join Jamal on his next song (a trip that leads to a cypher of sorts with one of the young boys in the neighborhood), but Freda tells them she's not getting in the middle of whatever beef they have with Lucious. She tells them he's like a father to her and they better go back to SoHo. But that all changes when Freda walks onto Lucious' video set, and discovers the concept has changed. And to her surprise, after saying she guesses she doesn't need to change her attire, Lucious informs her that she and her verse have actually been cut from the video! So Freda has a change of heart, for obvious reasons, and goes to the studio to record with Jamal. In a later scene, Cookie is in the studio when Freda comes to lay down her verse on Jamal's song. Cookie stops the recording when she hears Freda mention Frank Gathers. Cookie asks if she heard her say Frank Gathers, and Freda tells her Frank Gathers was her father. She says he was murdered in prison, they don't know who did it, and no one seems to care. Then she asks if Cookie knew him, and Cookie mumbles out yes and then walks out seeming distraught. 

Frank Gathers actually came up earlier in the episode when Cookie and Lucious were working on his music video. The concept is now about who Lucious was before he became Lucious. He was set on starting when he was outside and decided to become Lucious, but Cookie insisted he share his full story, starting with what happened with his mother. Since Jamal is the one who revealed to the world Lucious changed his name, Cookie asked if he also knew anything about Lucious' mother. Jamal only knew whatever happened with his mother wasn't good. Cookie will later get Lucious to share what happened. Telling Lucious they needed to be cleansed, his mother held him under water in the bathtub for a long time until she came back to herself. Being upset with herself after realizing what she did to her son, she shoots herself in front of Lucious. Lucious is taken to a neighbor's home to wait on the arrival of protective services. Not wanting to go with protective services, Lucious ran away. He lived outside, under the lion statue, eating out of trash cans to survive. Until he met a then 16 year old Frank Gathers, who gave Lucious his first bag of drugs to sell. Cookie didn't know it was Frank who got Lucious into selling drugs, but Lucious confirmed he did, adding that Frank saved his life. Cookie responded by saying they did what they had to do, commenting on having Frank murdered, and Lucious agreed saying Frank would have killed Cookie twice over. 

Shooting the video left Lucious in a trance at times, as he would get caught up in flashbacks. It was pretty hard on him to relive these scenes from his life. When they filmed the bathtub scene, Cookie had to ask people to leave and speak to the child playing young Lucious. She gave him a pep talk reminding him they were just pretending and that he is going to be a hero for so many people, obviously really saying this for Lucious to hear and take in. 

For her birthday dinner, Cookie arrived at Lucious' house expecting a disappointing dinner for 2, given the strife between Lucious and their sons. Jamal confirmed he wasn't attending earlier that day when he gave her flowers and said he'd take her shopping the next day. When he heard the way she said she'd guess she'd end up with a dinner for two with Lucious, he commented on her falling for him again (and not in a good way). She denied it. At the birthday dinner she hears the piano start playing, and is surprised to find Jamal, Hakeem, Dre, and Rhonda in the other room! They came for her birthday after all. She decides to share the music video with them, though Lucious said it couldn't be ready, Cookie insisted it was. She had earlier told Jamal this may help him understand why his father is the way he is. But when the video shows Lucious' mother killing herself with the gun, Dre has a flashback to when he almost committed suicide, and he turned the video off. He then confronted Lucious about knowing that his grandmother was bipolar. The two went back and forth on it, with Lucious saying they didn't know it had a name back then. Dre told him he was a liar. When Rhonda suggested they leave, Dre told her to stay. He and Lucious had a final exchange of words, where Lucious told him he didn't mention his mother because he was embarrassed by her being a "nutcase" like he's embarrassed of Dre (throwing in he sent Dre to all those schools and LET him marry Rhonda thinking it would help him), to which Dre told him to go to hell and stormed out! 

Yes, he left Rhonda there! Now in the next scene, Rhonda is walking and crying. Then a car pulls up to let her in, the camera zooms in on the gloves of the driver (I suppose referencing the gloves when she was pushed down the stairs), and as it zooms out we see it's Anika! Rhonda thanks Anika for driving all the way out there to get her (umm...so Cookie, Lucious, Jamal, nor Hakeem could drive her home?? It must have been Rhonda's choice not to let them drive her somewhere). She tells Anika she's been trying to help Dre for ten years and now she needs time for herself and not at that house (which she discussed moving from with Dre earlier in the episode). After telling her no need to go on about Lucious and his crazy family, Anika tells Rhonda she can stay with her! Hmmm...Rhonda shouldn't be much of a threat to Anika at this point, now that the baby is gone. If anything, Laura is the next threat. But maybe Rhonda is going to learn Anika is pregnant and/or that it was Anika who pushed her down the stairs, making her a threat to Anika once again. My first thought, the movie Misery.