Empire Bleeding War

Cookie goes down prison memory lane with Lucious.  In the mean time, an all out war is brewing against the Lyon Empire that no one sees coming.

Prison Time

Past mistakes appear in flashbacks of Cookie’s prison time. It does provide insight into her 17 year prison sentence and fight to hang on to her love for Lucious.   Cookie’s pain after the cut on the face and black eyes are very difficult to witness. Not deterred , she prepares for her visit with Lucious who is taken back by her bruises.  After seeing his reaction to her injuries, I knew he wouldn’t return to visit her in prison. His reaction to Cookies imprisonment is disappointing.

She took the fall to keep Lucious out of prison. Now she’s serving time for a crime she didn’t commit . I wanted him to remind Cookie of her strength and why she took the fall for him. Alas, he has no memory  to add to the story. He could only offer his apology and vows to make it up to her. In the words of Cookie Lyon “How can you make up for something you don’t even remember?”

When I sleep with a Lyon I close the deal

The Dubois family continues their subtly but deadly take down of the Lyon family. Diana Dubois(Phylicia Rashad) while at brunch checks in with her nephew Warren.  He happily reveals Lucious complete memory loss.

Spurned Angelo Dubois chimes in with his discontent that Warren is a “Catamite.”  Proclaiming he’ll never close the deal with his boy toy Jamal. This is a great exchange between these two. I actually thought they would come to blows. The refined Diana Dubois wouldn’t allow that. She is insistent that Angelo step up his game and become more involved in this plot.

Who else was pleasantly entertained with the Warren and Jamal duet? Seems like this attorney turned singer can hold a note and has great stage presence. Empire may need to go ahead and sign him up for a contract quick. Warren would have all the ammunition he needed to destroy Empire from the inside out.  But that’s just my theory.

Happy birthday Bella Lyon

The emotional reunion of Lucious and Anika is filled with memory loss of past transgressions . Andre Lyon goes for a death grip on Anika, who you should remember, pushed his wife Rhonda Lyon( Kaitlin Doubleday) off a building to her untimely death. Who could blame him? I sure don’t. Don’t forget Rhonda Lyon was also carrying their unborn child. Anika was only trying to position her child Bella with stability in the Lyon family.

Angelo Dubois finally makes his move and approaches Anika Lyon.  He makes her an offer she can’t refuse.  A scorned and vindictive Angelo, serves a subpoena to Hakeem at his daughters first birthday. Wow, talk about cruel.  How embarrassing for the Lyon family.

In the mean time, Therapist Claudia (Demi Moore) plays an interesting hand.  She takes Lucious to the Lion statue that drastically shaped him as a person. Coincidently, it’s the same statue Cookie mentioned but is told by Claudia it’s too soon to revisit this part of his past. I gasped when the camera panned to show Claudia and Lucious standing directly in front of the Lion statue.

Attacked from all sides. Will the Lyon Empire survive?

After watching this episode, I’m left with three questions:

1. What is Claudia up to
2. Is Warren falling in love with Jamal
3. Will Hakeem runaway with Bella

Let me know your thoughts

Tameche@somanyshows.com / Twitter @Tameche_b

Photo Credit: Empire-Bleeding War (FOX/Chuck Hodes)