Empire is back for another week and all though the premiere was much more ‘drama-filled’ than this week’s episode, this week still had me shouting, nervous, and wanting more!
If you missed the first episode, you can recap it here. Check out what happened this week on Empire below:
DJ Spins – An old Lucious music video is played on the news as they announce he’s taking his company public. He’s on the treadmill, grinning like a Cheshire cat when one of the news anchors says ‘it appears he’s making himself immortal.’ He immediately stops and we see a flashback of him being diagnosed with ALS. Back to present day, Lucious’ lil dip walks in and changes all the channels to the security cam where we see Cookie outside the gate in a taxi. It’s Cookie’s first time in the house she helped pay for, and the first thing she does is criticize, “I don’t want no parts of this house! All this tacky mess you got up in it!” THEN….Anika, Lucious’ ‘Lil Dip’ comes strolling out in her bra and panties as if she didn’t know Cookie was there. She tried it! Unfazed, Cookie looks at her, announces she’s hungry and heads to the dining room so she can eat! #REAL!
Family Matters – Lucious joins Cookie in the dining room where they talk about Hakeem’s performance at the family nightclub. Cookie tells Lucious to let Jamal perform too but Lucious rejects her! “Jamal doesn’t belong on my stage! It’s not his audience” Sure Lucious. Sure. The real issue is Lucious doesn’t want Jamal performing there because he doesn’t want it labeled as a homosexual club! In the midst of their discussion, lil dip struts in, dressed, trying to throw her two cents and once again.. Cookie shuts it down! “Excuse me sweetie… This is a family matter, involving two of my sons and the family business that Lucious and I started with my $400,000!” Lucious snatches her up because Cookie is in violation of the non-disclosure agreement where she agreed she wouldn’t talk about the beginnings of Empire. “I went away for a long time for you to build all of this. I missed my sons growing up! I’ma make some things right! You not shutting Jamal out no more!” COME ON IN COOKIE FOR THE BEST PARENT AWARD!
Tiana – Hakeem and his crew are chilling at rehearsal when Tiana, a new Empire signee walks in. She accidentally walks into Hakeem’s rehearsal room, obviously embarrassed and leaves! Hakeem is love struck and is determined to find out who Tiana is so he can ‘get all up in that’. Hakeem and his crew crash her rehersal and she gets upset. Hakeem tries to spit game and she’s not impressed. He then pulls the “Do you know who I am? I’m a Lyon” card but Tiana isn’t trying to hear none of that, “Get your rich, bony ass up out of here! Don’t waste my time!” HA!
Kidd Fo-Fo – Lucious is on his way to the office and is on the phone with Becky. Becky tries to tell him that there’s a serious situation that needs to be dealt with and as usual, Lucious isn’t listening. Becky taps Vernon into the conversation and Lucious tells him that he needs someone to open for Hakeem at Leviticus. Vernon suggest Kidd Fo-Fo, one of Empire’s signee’s who’s in the middle of a gun-shooting controversy. Meanwhile, Andre is at home making a to-do list, including ‘undermining Hakeem at Leviticus’! Rhonda walks in the kitchen and asks if he’s seen his doctor and Andre tells her that he’s cancelled his appointments and won’t go back until the Leviticus situation is handled. Rhonda pulls a bib from a drawer and walks to Andre and reminds him that with him being bi-polar, his life is in a dangerous situation. She then… puts the bib on and gives that man pleasure. If that ain’t some new ish, i don’t know what is!
Dora – Jamal and Michael are at the crib canoodling when Cookie walks in. She tells him he needs to get up because they have a lot of work to do to get him ready for Leviticus. Then, in walks Porsha, Cookie’s ghetto-fabulous new assistant! Cookie tells Porsha to go get back in the car and tells Jamal that she’s going to make sure he gets on stage at the club. Jamal says no because he knows Lucious doesn’t want him there and Cookie goes “I don’t care what he wants!” Michael chimes in talking bout’ some “We do” and Cookie tells him to shut up!
When I tell you I let out a hearty howl!! Cookie called that boy Dora!! The disrespect!! My goodness!
Back at the office, Becky is in Lucious bathroom that he continuously tells her not to go in. She sees a pill bottle in his travel bag and Google’s what the pills are for and finally learns about Lucious’ sickness. She walks out the bathroom and Lucious starts throwing gumballs at her *hollers*. He begs her not to tell anybody about it and she agrees.
Ray Rice – Cookie and Porsha bogard make their way through Kidd Fo-Fo protesters gathered outside the Empire offices. Inside, Lucious, Vernon and Anika are meeting with Kidd Fo-Fo to discuss how they’re going to move from the bad press. [To me, Kidd Fo-Fo is the love child of Gucci Mane and Meek Mill…but maybe that’s just me!] Fo-Fo then compares himself to Ghandi *insert side-eye*. Lucious tells Fo-Fo that he has to perform with Hakeem at Leviticus and serve as a mentor!
Lucious: You’ll be like how Diana Ross was to the Jackson 5!
Fo-Fo: Who’s Diana Ross?
Before anybody can react to the stupidness, Cookie walks in like the bad chick she is. Always nothing short of honest, Cookie says “You don’t need to drop him because of the shooting, drop him because his music sucks!”
Fo-Fo: “Who is this stupid bit*h?”
Cookie: “Someone who would’ve never gave birth to yo’ ugly ass!”
Fo-Fo jumps up like he’s Mr. Get Bad and Cookie says:
Where is the chill?!
Professionalism – Cookie tells Lucious that he needs to drop Fo-Fo but Lucious isn’t having that and tells her that she needs to be more professional instead of being a hoodrat. Cookie suggests to him again that Jamal and Hakeem need to perform together at the club and Lucious tells her no and to stop coming to the office because she’s not wanted there. As he walks off, Cookie throws her stiletto at him and unfortunately, thankfully misses.
Then, Vernon gets a call from the police, telling him that he needs to come down and verify a body. Bunkie’s body. Vernon calls Lucious and tells him what happened [as if Lucious didn’t already know because… duh]. Vernon wants to tell Cookie [because she and Bunkie are cousins] but Lucious suggests everyone meet at his house later that night to discuss the tragic news. Jamal is practicing a song for Cookie when she gets a phone call from Lucious, telling her about Bunkie.
Fake – They all meet at Lucious’ house and Cookie is just in tears while Lucious is just lying talking about some “I’ma find whoever did this to my friend!” YOU DID IT LUCIOUS! Hakeem is visibly upset but when Cookie tries to console him, he yells at her not to touch him. He gets up and leaves the room and Cookie sits in the chair and cries. Hakeem is in his room blazing up and asks Jamal if he knows Tiana…clearly trying to devise a plan when Vernon walks in and gives Hakeem Bunkie’s chain. The next day, Andre meets with his dad to tell him that a bank pulled out of their contract with the company due to all of the controversy. Lucious tells him that if he can fix the situation with the banks then the company will be his. Being the evil person he is, Andre tells Lucious about Jamal’s upcoming press conference. Cookie shows up to Rhonda’s job to ask her publicist Dominique if she can offer her services to Jamal, to which she agrees for $8000 a month.
Obama – Hakeem and his crew are at this fancy-smancy restaurant keeping up noise and of course Hakeem is drunk. His friend is videotaping them and asks if he has anything to say to Tiana. He keeps it ‘classy’ at first, but then he whips his thang out and pees on the floor. In the middle of the restaurant. While people are eating! GROSS. He goes on and talks about how rich he is and how he can pay for everybody in the restaurant and even goes on a rant about how President Obama is a sellout.
“What? Yall got a problem with some black boys in yall fine establishment? I got enough money to buy this bit*h and everybody in it! All you white people that voted for the first black president, to make you feel good about not being racist, the joke’s on ya’ll! Cuz Barack Obama aint nothing but a sell out! Oh so the po-po coming to shoot me now?!”
The video ends up going viral and now Lucious has to make it right. Lucious calls Obama trying to apologize but Obama hangs up in his face! Lucious is UPSET. He gets up and punches Hakeem when Anika runs in like Captain Save-a-Hoe making him stop. Anika tells Lucious that Hakeem’s video has boosted his career and now everyone wants to see him perform at the club.
That Knowledge – Anika schedules Lucious on a talk show to discuss the Fo-Fo controversy. Before his interview, he, Anika, Andre and Vernon are practicing his answers in the conference room when Cookie walks in telling Lucious he sounds like he “grew a vagina”. Anika tells Cookie she’s rude and Cookie jumps back saying, “Not as rude as that angry woman haircut you slap on your head!” *CRINE* [When will Anika learn…nobody is ever talking to her and she should just hush!!] Lucious tells Cookie he has to appeal to the white audience and Cookie drops some knowledge on him:
“The streets aint made for everybody, that’s why they made sidewalks!”
Cookie tells Lucious that she liked him better when he was a thug and proceeds to leave the office. Lucious and Jamal have a mini meeting in the car. Lucious basically tells him that if he performs and comes out on Saturday, that he’s cutting him off financially and he’s going to be on his own! Uh oh!
Tell The Truth – Jamal is supposed to be at his press conference but instead he’s at home ignoring Cookie’s calls. Cookie is stressing so she tells Porsha to keep calling until he answers. Lucious is doing his interview which is being aired everywhere. At Jamal’s press conference, the media asks if she has anything to add to the Fo-Fo controversy. “Yeah, I got plenty of comments!”
Cookie tells the folks: “Kid Fo-Fo’s tired rhymes ain’t nothing compared to what Lucious Lyon used to spit back in the day! The same man who used to sing ‘the cops deny our freedom for life, I ain’t afraid to kill one to defend my wife!'” The interviewer asks Lucious how he feels about that considering his lyrics were more inciting than Fo-Fo’s and Lucious says the most realest thing he’s ever said since the show started:
“My music expresses my world! That’s how I grew up. Where you either sold drugs or watched kids go hungry. Where half of your family is locked off in prison. Our music is more of a narration of an pressed people. You see the Empire artists are telling the next generation that even though they live in a world where Trayvon Martin can get shot down like a dog without…. There’s hope in the fact that these kids are expressing their anger with music and poetry and not with a 12 gauge shot gun!”
As they’re leaving the television studio, Cookie hops on the elevator. Fo-Fo calls Cookie a bit*h and Cookie asks Lucious if he’s gonna let Fo-Fo talk to him like that. Lucious jumps stupid and says, “If he says something I disagree with, I’ll let you know!”
WHAT?! Anika starts laughing and Cookie tries to put them paws on her but Vernon pulls her away. She catches her composure and says to Lucious “What have I ever done for you to treat me like this?” She gets off the elevator and Fo-Fo is like ‘I see why you divorced her, she crazy!” Lucious looks at him and fires him! “Effective immediately, your contract with Empire is terminated!” Fo-Fo’s thinks he was fired because he called Cookie a bit*h, but Lucious tells him it’s because he sucks as a rapper.
Bottle Service – Hakeem is getting ready for his performance when Lucious comes in and gives him a little pep talk, telling him that one day Empire is going to be his [but remember he told Andre that earlier in the episode?] Cookie sits down at the table next to Jamal and he tries to apologize for not going to the press conference, talking about ‘it didn’t feel right!’ She looks at him and goes, “In this business, you gon’ have to do all sorts of things you don’t wanna do. There’s a price you have to pay and soon, that bill is gon come!” Andre is clearly feeling real lose as he asks the waitress for a whole bottle of whatever he’s drinking, “I do believe it is called bottle service for a reason!” Rhonda starts getting agitated because she knows Andre hasn’t been taking his pills and takes him to the bathroom. Jamal is in Hakeem’s dressing room when Hakeem tells him that he needs him up there with him.
Agent Carter – Hakeem does his performance and low and behold, Jamal’s on stage with him! Lucious is obviously peeved off but Cookie is screaming like the cutest soccer mom! Lucious is visibly bothered and Cookie is loving every minute of it.
During his performance, Hakeem sees that Tiana has showed up. The two make googly eyes the whole performance and Cookie is the only who catches it. After his performance Tiana goes to Hakeem’s dressing room and they become a ‘thing’. Lucious finally sees what Cookie has been talking about and agrees that Jamal and Hakeem look good together. Lucious tries to apologize to Cookie for Fo-Fo, but Cookie tells Lucious that he’s a bad father because he made Hakeem ungrateful and entitled. FACT. Cookie leaves the party and as she’s leaving, a black car pulls up and the door opens. Cookie looks inside and tries to turn around and leave when a Steve Wilkos looking dude rolls up behind her and tells her to get in the car. Reluctantly, Cookie gets in the car talking bout’ some “Hey Agent Carter!” Who is Agent Carter tho?! Agent Carter tells Cookie that she has to testify and Cookie’s all like “No! I can’t testify! If I testify I’m dead. You gon get me killed!” GOODNESS!
*End Scene*
Only two episodes in and I already feel a type of way about these characters and this plot:
- I really really need Andre and Anika [lil dip] to go somewhere. The dislike I have for them both are at an all time high and I’m over them.
- Hakeem seriously needs to grow up and I HOPE that Tiana makes him a better man and more mature. To be honest, Hakeem is very talented but he’s going to burn out before the rest of the world can see it and that would be very unfortunate.
- Poor Bunkie.
- Lucious was real foul for how he treated Cookie in this episode, letting folks talk to her any kind of way. But, I’m glad he got it together towards then end. NOW all he needs to do is get his lil dip in order.
- A blow job bib???
- My money is still on Jamal being head of Empire! But to be honest, it might be a plot twist and COOKIE might actually be the one who ends up taking over. Guess we’ll just have to see!
Check out a teaser of next week’s episode below. Same time, same place [Wed.1/23 @8pm on FOX]
