If you don’t know, Empire is the newest biggest show on TV right now [possibly better than Scandal!]. In short, the show featuring an ensemble award-winning cast including Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson and Gabourey Sidibe is about a music mogul whose three sons are in competing to take the company throne. The show premiered Wednesday [1/7] and it’s a lot to take in so let’s begin!!
What Is Love?! – The show opens up to us being blessed with the vocal styling’s of Veronika Bozeman when Lucious continuously stops her to tell her evoke more emotion. If no one else was thinking it, I’m going to say it…that scene did give off a very Ike Turner vibe! As the girl is slaying on the mic, flashbacks of Lucious in the hospital pop up and instantly we know…something is going to or has happened to Lucious.
I’m On a Boat– It’s nothing but popping bottles and bad b**ches when it comes to Hakeem, Lucious’ fame-obsessed baby boy. During a boat part, Jamal -the middle son- is downstairs on the piano vibing out when Hakeem joins him and the two do a Usher-esque musical number.
As the two brothers are having a cool little time, Andre the power-hungry, manipulative and obviously evil oldest brother comes walking out with his wife Rhonda, watching his brothers in the balcony planning something evil.
Hey Becky! – Lucious is walking into his office building to make a ‘big’ announcement when we are introduced to his sassy, about-that-life assistant [Gabourey Sidibe]. As Becky is trying to update Lucious on his agenda for the day, he keeps walking as if she’s not talking to him! She stops in her tracks and says “Excuse you! I’m back here!” LET HIM KNOW BECKY!! During his press conference, Lucious reveals that he was a former drug dealer [starting at the age of nine]. Despite this, music was always a passion of his and that music saved his life. He continues his speech by mentioning how the digital world has affected the music business and stopped kids from getting out of poverty and because of that, Empire Ent., would now be a publicly traded company.
I Eat There! – After the press conference, Lucious heads home to meet with his sons. As they wait in the dining room for their father, Jamal questions Andre about why he wasn’t at dinner last week. Andre comes up with a tired excuse about him being busy and brushes the subject off. Hakeem is jamming to his music with his timbs on the table, when he gets slapped and yelled at by Lucious, “Get your big ass feet off my $40,000 table! I eat there!” Lucious then proceeds to tell his sons that eventually, one of them will take over the Empire legacy and they are basically in competition for the top spot. “In order for it [the company] to survive… I need one of you negroes to man up and lead it!” Now it gets interesting!
Cookie – As Lucious is giving his speech to his sons, we finally meet Cookie as she’s getting discharged from the pen. Chile Cookie leaves the prison in her cheetah dress, red lipstick and white fur like it’s still the 90s’ and she’s about to meet Biggie and Puffy for a lunch date and I love it! “Cookies coming home!” Tuh! Hide yo kids & yo wife!! Lucious and Andre at the boxing ring watching boxing duh when Lucious tells Bunkie, his good friend to leave so he can have a moment with his son. During their conversation, Andre mentions that Cookie is out of prison, which Lucious had no idea. Bunkie comes back and Lucious questions him about why he didn’t tell him that Cookie was out to which Bunkie replies “Why you worried about Cookie? She ain’t nothing!” OH. OK. Lusious is still a little shook because he demands Bunkie keeps tabs on her, “From this moment forward I want to know everything that she’s doing. And I mean everything!” Bunkie then asks Lucious for 25 thousand dollars and Lusious tells him he doesn’t have it. LIES!
I Got You – Jamal is at the crib chilling on the couch, venting to his boyfriend Michael about how he will never be over Empire because of his dad’s homophobia. The phone rings and a woman says ‘Let me in!’ Jamal looks out the window and sees his mother! Awww!! We then see a flashback of young Jamal with his father visiting Cookie. Lucious tells him to go tell Cookie he loves her and that he better not come back crying! Young Jamal tells his mother that the kids at school are picking on him and taking his lunch money and that he’s afraid to tell Lucious because he knows his dad will tell him to fight them!
“Listen to me. You different ok? It’s only something mama knows, but it’s gonna make life hard for you sometimes! But I want you to always remember I got you! You hear me? I got you!”
Back to present day, Jamal is now trying to clean up his apartment when Cookie walks in. The two hug and the first thing out of Cookie’s mouth is Jamal’s living habits. As Cookie walks into the kitchen, Michael pops up. Cookie looks at him up and down and wants to know who he is. Jamal tells her and Cookie responds: “Oh I didn’t know you was dating a little Mexican! She’s adorable! You need to get la cucuracha to clean up around here!” ‘ *howling* Jamal asks Cookie what she’s going to do now that she’s out to which she responds:
Aww shiiii…. It’s about to get good!
Boo-Boo Kitty – Cookie looking like Inspector Gadget, cusses out Becky as she’s walking into Lucious’ office. Lucious walks in and the two ‘catch up’ and Cookie makes it very clear what she wants! “You forgot about me the second you divorced me in there. You still owe me what’s mine! Half of this company! It was my $400,000 that started this bitch! You know it and I know it! I did 17 hard years for that money and I want half of my company back!” Lucious quickly shuts that down and tries to offer her a large salary instead; however, Cookie ain’t tryna hear that! Cookie then demands she gets $5 million a year and that she’s head of A&R. Once again, Lucious shuts that down telling Cookie he can get her $3 million a year and that she can’t be A&R because his lil’ dip Anika is head of A&R. Cookie then grabs her belongings and tells Lucious that he’s not sweeping her under the carpet. As she leaves, lil dip walks in and Cookie calls her ‘Boo-Boo Kitty! *crine*
R-E-S-P-E-C-T– Cookie visits her baby boy Hakeem. Cookie orders his barber to leave the room so she can have some alone time with her son. She asks him how come he hasn’t returned her calls or returned a letter the whole time she’s been locked up and he just straight up ignores her and starts sweeping. Cookie reminds him that the reason she was in prison was so that he and his brothers could have a better life. Hakeem looses his mind and says “You want a medal bitch?!”
JESUS TAKE IT! Cookie looks at him with that “I know he didn’t” face, snatches that broom from him and starts beating his a**! YES COOKIE!!!
New Heat -Hakeem and his black eye go to the club to meet with his father. Hakeem tells his father that his mother is a ‘psychotic animal’ and to clear up the situation, Lucious tells Hakeem about his ex-flame Dottie and concludes to tell Hakeem that he needs to get his act together before he ends up like Dottie – dead on 42nd. Meanwhile, Cookie rolls up on Bunkie, who’s supposed to be watching out for Cookie, but instead he’s asleep in the car. Cookie hops in the car to talk and Bunkie opens up to her venting about the way Lucious treats him saying that now a days, Lucious treats him like a butler instead of his homie! Cookie asks him if he’s watching her and what is he going to say to Lucious when he asks if he’s seen her. Bunkie replies “I aint seen her!” Now that’s loyalty!
All About That Bass – Jamal and Becky are laughing it up in the Empire offices as he waits to meet with his father. During their meeting, Lucious tells Jamal that his sexuality is a problem and that he needs to change it because ” a sissy can’t sell to the black community!” Jamal gets a little upset and says “why is everything always about business when talking to you?!” Lucious slams his hand on the table and goes “take all that bass out your voice when you’re talking to me!” We then see a flashback of young Jamal who’s putting on a pair of his mothers’ heels. He then walks out into a living room full of house guests with the heels AND a head scarf on. Lucious snatches him up and walks out the room! Back in present day, Lucious is having a cat scan!
Good Enough – After talking to his evil wench wife, Andre visits his mom at her apartment. The two share a few apologies and then a couple of drinks. Andre plants a seed in his mother’s ear, telling her that she needs to manage Jamal and the two devise a plan to make that happen! During a meeting at Empire Ent., Cookie walks in being all disruptive talking bout’: “Don’t forget to thank me baby! Don’t forget to thank your Cookie on this historic occasion!” Lucious excuses himself and Cookie from the meeting where the two, along with his business partner Vernon [Malik Yoba], meet in his office to discuss a few things. Cookie tells Lucious that she wants Jamal and he says no!
“You messing with the wrong bitch Lucius. I know things! What if I were to disclose to the SEC that I was the original investor with $400,000 in drug money? Yeah! Your IPO would be effectively denied!”
Vernon then tells Cookie to shut up because she sounds stupid to which Cookie shuts him all the way down:
Lucious finally gives in and gives Jamal to Cookie! Jamal has a concert at some club and during his set, we continue the flashback of when he was younger and had on his mother’s heels and headscarf. We find out that Lucious put him in the trash can [yes you read that right] as punishment for what he did. He didn’t get far because Cookie was right on his tail and got her baby out the trash can. Shame.
The Word – After a night of clubbing, Hakeem goes to the studio so drunk to where he can’t remember the words to the song he’s supposed to record. After getting into it with his father, he goes to Jamal for help. Jamal puts his classical spin on the song and two create a banger. Later that night at the house, Bunkie comes over letting Lucious know he ‘s not feeling the way he’s been treated. THEN Bunkie pulls a gun out on Lusious. “You come to my house and pull a gun on me?” Bunkie responds, “I want what’s mine!” Sound familiar?? The next day or so, Hakeem is in the studio laying down the track for the song he and Jamal worked on together. Hakeem tells Lucious that Jamal helped him and that he couldn’t have done it without him, but Lucious tells him that he did it all on his own! Whut?!
Jamal leaves the studio and goes to Cookie’s apartment and tells her that he’s down for her to manage him as long as he can do things his way. This agreement will officially put the two brothers against each other. In a foreshadowing scene, Lucious is in the hospital where he finds out that he has ALS disease and only has about three years left to live. Lawddd. In addition to gaining Jamal, Cookie had to sign a non-disclosure agreement about her contributions to the company.
Bang Bang – Lucious meets up with Bookie in the most sketchiest parts of town. Bunkie basically tells Lucious that he’s just a punk a** gangster and asks for his money again. Lucious looks at him and says, “We’ve been friends since we were 14 years old. I never let anything come between friendship…except a bullet!” CHILEEEE… Lucious pulls that gun and shoots Bunkie dead. He then acts like he didn’t just kill somebody and giggles it up with Cookie in his office about old times and comparing their two sons. Lucious is shocked that Cookie isn’t ashamed of their gay son and Cookie declares that she’s going to make Jamal a star! Lucious asks Cookie why she’s so focused on Jamal and she says, “I wanna show you a faggot really can run this company!”
*End scene*
*gathers thoughts* Honestly… this show is TEW MURCH but I am here for. it. all!!! One episode in and we already know Cookie is not the one to play with and it’ll be exciting to see how Taraji elevates from this role! At this point, it’s very premature to predict who will take over Empire Ent., but as of now my money is on Jamal!
See yall next Wednesday at the same time!
