Wow. Just wow. We were promised an amazing season finale, and it did not disappoint. Reconciliation, betrayal, two insane fights, a death, and a chilling arrest made up the Empire season finale. I wasn’t sure whether to cry, scream, or throw things, so instead I’ll just recap.
Lucious’ symptoms are causing him to seriously reflect on his past and his present (flashbacks included), specifically his early life with Cookie culminating in what he believes is his last show. He does this while suffering from writer’s block for a new song, which means he needs his Cookie, who is nowhere to be found. Specifically, she is away with Malcolm.
Lucious will just have to swim without Cookie because there is work to be done in preparation for the IPO launch. In between managing his symptoms, he has to deal with an injunction from Baretti who is trying to stop the IPO. When he finds out Cookie is with Malcolm, he kicks Cookie out faster than he kicked out Anika. Malcolm basically offers Cookie the world, but she turns him down in favor of staying and fighting.
Each of the Lyon sons are taking control of their lives. Hakeem is ten kinds of angry, and he expresses that very publicly, to which Lucious responds by giving his youngest son a punch in the face. Hakeem repays in kind by turning his back on Empire, since his contract isn’t official, and sleeping with Anika. Eeew.
After leaving the psychiatric center, Andre is feeling like his life doesn’t make sense anymore. After praying on it with Michelle, Andre decides it’s time to walk away from Empire and become a deacon. Lucious is having none of it, and takes away what Andre believes is pure by offering Michelle a contract to record a gospel album. Lucious can’t even leave the faith alone.
Jamal is truly embracing who he is, inspiring fans and being labeled by the media as his father’s true successor. He has more reason than anyone to be mad at Lucious, and yet he still wants what’s best for the company. Because Lucious has pushed everyone away, he is forced to finally accept that Jamal could be his successor, provided Jamal is willing to do what needs to be done to get to the top. Jamal does the unexpected, and pushes his father to go back to the beginning, back to their old home. Layered with years of hostility, hatred, desperation, and the thickness of blood, Jamal and Lucious end up creating an incredible sound with “Nothing to Lose.” However, it doesn’t mean that Lucious is ready to be kind, as he challenges Jamal to get Lucious’ masters back from Baretti, by any means necessary, which is how we find Jamal hanging Baretti over a balcony. Okay then.
What they say about the mean never dying is true, because Lucious’ nurse realizes he was misdiagnosed with ALS. He instead has MG, a chronic, but very treatable condition. Liberated from death, Lucious seems like he’s about to go nuts. Sure enough, after taking some insomnia medication, he admits to Bunky’s murder and begins spouting off ”I’m about to rise up like a phoenix from the ashes.” Because he made this hallucinogen-induced confession in front of Cookie, she snaps and considers smothering him with a pillow.
And that’s just hour one. Acting like a messiah, Lucious makes amends with his children by giving them gifts. To Hakeem, he gives the gift of complete creative control. To Andre he gives $100 million for a foundation to do what he will with. To Jamal, he gives the Empire. To Cookie, he gives a pillow. Uh-oh!
Hour two involves Jamal taking his place as Lucious’ successor, and learning that his mother tried to kill his father. If Lucious thinks that he’s safe, he’s very wrong because the FBI is closing in on Lucious’ crimes, and Anika wants Andre and Hakeem to lead a hostile takeover.
Having no knowledge of any of this, Lucious moves ahead with the IPO prep with confidence, until one of Empire’s artists pulls out after hearing Jamal will be the one at Lucious’ side leading Empire. Lucious has done a 180, backing Jamal completely, whether or not it drops the stock, as Andre says. Jamal takes it like a man, simply out-performing the bigoted artist.
No one pays attention to Andre, and the last straw is his wife walking out the door. Broken and beaten and tired of being abused, an unholy alliance is formed between Hakeem, Andre, Anika, and Cookie (the ensuing catfight between Cookie and Anika is the best I’ve ever seen). They turn to a man skilled at hostile takeovers for support, in exchange for releasing his grandson’s album, and he advises them that the best way to unseat Lucious is through a scandal. Seriously, never kick out the people who know your dirty secrets.
This includes a newly clean Vernon, who isn’t necessarily angry, but more sad about everything that has happened to his family. So he tries to make amends with Andre, which turns into an awful fist fight. In an attempt to protect her husband upon finding out that she is pregnant, Rhonda comes in and accidentally kills Vernon. Given Rhonda’s pregnancy, it’s not likely they will admit to this crime.
So we’ve arrived at the official IPO launch and “The Lucious Lyon Sound” concert. Star-studded performances from the Lyon boys, Juicy J, Jennifer Hudson, and Patti Labelle make up the stunning last half hour. Lucious is ready to free himself of the hate and the hurt, finally admitting he created the name Lucious Lyon in order to survive. I guarantee there was not a dry eye in any household that saw Lucious finally tell Jamal that he loved him, including mine. It’s the last good moment before Lucious is arrested by the FBI for Bunky’s murder.
I would usually say that Cookie had the best lines of every episode, but Lucious’s speeches were both legendary and scary. The last look of his face in a prison cell does not forebode well for his family.
Until Season 2, when Lucious is sure to spread his wrath farther and deeper.
[Photo via FOX]
Follow Us
