RIP , Lyon Dynasty : Empirereturned from hiatus last workweek , and the crime syndicate sort of , kind of reunited at their OG recording label . Except for Lucious , because he ’s still the actual worst . Did you reckon Hakeem ’s putsch would go over easily ? Of of course you did n’t , this isEmpirewe’re speak about . Let ’s dust off our Shakespeare CliffsNotes and attempt to make sense of all the drama – and death ! – from last dark ’s episode , " A Rose by Any Other Name . "
That CEO crown looks good on Hakeem
Even after Lucious ’s ejector , Empire is still very much a family business . So of course Keem ’s first move at the helm is to make over the fellowship ’s iconic logotype in his own image .
Speaking of the depose Lucious ? He ’s punishing at study on the music TV for " Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom ( Boom Boom Boom ) , " where he narrate a aphrodisiacal reporter from the prestigious " Q&A News " that he is Steve Jobs . He ’s look more like Woz of late , if you ask us .
Camilla’s in charge
Last calendar week we learned that Keem ’s x Camilla ( Naomi Campbell ) had secretly married Empire control panel loss leader Mimi Whiteman and was scheme to wrest control of the caller while Mimi is undergo chemotherapy . Cookie gives Camilla a new nickname – Ol' Resting Bitchface – and we think it ’s going to arrest on .
The first point on ORB ’s agenda is welt budgets allow and right , which , aboveboard , is a fairish business sector tactic . Less sensible is her fixation with her 22 - yr - old ex ’s old age - appropriate new girlfriend . " She ’s pathetically in passion with you , " Camilla informs Hakeem , though from what we ’ve run into of Laura ( Jamila Velazquez ) so far , she ’s the most layer - headed player in the secret plan .
Still , Camilla wee-wee it decipherable that she wants to help oneself Hakeem raise his chief operating officer chops , and confirms that she is literally wait for Mimi to die so that they can be together again . The joke ’s on her , though , because Keem is a double agent for the Lyon clan .
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Jamal lets the gays down
Meanwhile , Lucious out Jamal ’s hetero fling ( with Alicia Keys ! ) , which is all kinds of problematic . Even though , as Becky helpfully points out , IT ‘S NOT EVEN HIS birdcall , Jamal ’s gay fans redo “ Drip Drop ” as “ Flip Flop , ” flip , flippity flop . They gird their former icon and show off some color - coordinated , well - accessorized stage dancing . It ’s a passably awesome stunt until you agnise that it ’s also kind of a hate crime .
Cookie sharpens her claws
We never expected Tiana to help with retcon , but she does when Cookie crashes the starlet ’s dry run for her newfangled individual , " LBDT ( Look But Do n’t bear on ) , " which will surely cement her purpose - model position with the hook , " Look at my body / Do n’t I seem aphrodisiacal . " Those lyrics are creepily reminiscent ofRod Stewart , but judging by Tiana ’s bedazzled catsuit , that ’s unintentional .
After T burns Mirage a Trois to a frizzy ( " They ’re scarcely beneficial enough to even open up for me , " she sneers ) , Cookie pull in the sparkle prima donna has a spot and enlist 3LW 2.0 to split her tour of duty greenback .
A tour will break up up Hakeem and Laura " for a very farseeing time , " Camilla taper out , so she ’s in reality in agreement with Cookie here . Keem wants to keep his snort close to place , but thankfully , Laura is bright enough to actualise how well this will be for her career .
Lucious gets ethered onstage
Jamal insist that it ’s no one ’s business whom he want to hook up with , as if he ’s not a public figure and no one gossips about pop star or something . Hopefully this teaches the beau to be more discreet about his dalliances go forward . Still , Luciousdidout Jamal this time around , so Jamal decides he ’s felicitous to unfold up about his father ’s secret .
In a live carrying into action at Leviticus , Jamal drag in Lucioushardin a newfangled ace that rhymes " the fiend , he ’s a hater " with " dirty hypocrite operator " and points out that Lyon is n’t really Lucious ' genuine name . Question : did anyone seriously think this drug trader turned hip - record hop mogul ’s name was that slick at birth ? If Lucious is as celebrated asEmpireconstantly remind us he is , there is perfectly no manner he has n’t been doxxed by now .
To defend himself against what was actually the kindest part of Jamal ’s song , Lucious commence the spin oscillation . He offers " The Dwight Walker Story " as an scoop to his doubtfully credible lady - friend over at Q&A News . Last week Jamal would n’t settle for less than the cover of theNew York Times , but this week we ’re giving our secure material out to the gimpy publication ever named .
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Not even a tragedy can make Andre interesting
Andre ’s wife , Rhonda , is still recovering from that tight tumble down the stairs and her subsequent abortion . To cope , she and Andre are attending counseling sessions with their clergyman , who is probably not a certified mental health pro , which we can glean from melody like , " He ’s in God ’s tutelage , which is far more powerful than any doc ’s medicine . "
Rhonda treats God like he ’s Andre ’s fanciful friend and is convinced that he ’s about to have another psychotic severance because he ’s acting paranoid . She maintain throw around the phrase " recalibrate his MEd " in a manner that implies she has no musical theme what it intend . Yawn . fire up me up when something happens .
Goodbye, Camilla?
Everybody knows the only fashion to gain the upper hand over your foe is to immortalise a sex tape . So Hakeem pull in a Ray J and lets Camilla help him with his mommy issues again . ( I wonder if he tell apart Laura about this scheme . )
As soon as he leaks the sex tapeline , Mimi drops her Empire stock faster than Keem dropped the mic in hisrap battlewith Freda . Business Andre scoops up the part to get Empire back in the Lyons ' hook – using the trust he correct up for the son he just suffer . This trigger an outburst , but Jamal and Hakeem predicted this might happen and wrote their with child bro a dulcet Sung with spiritual undertone to comfort him .
And it would n’t beEmpirewithout a jaw - dropping final fit , so Lucious pull a B ' n ' eastward and catches Camilla staging Mimi ’s felo-de-se . We only see Mimi ’s knees , though , because they did n’t want to write Marisa Tomei another payroll check , I guess ?
Empire/YouTube
Lucious is as cruel to Camilla as Jamal was to him , and recite her to take the poisonous substance she drug Mimi with so that it looks like a murder - felo-de-se . " Rot in hell , " he tell her as she downs the unspecified drugs .
It ’d be a shame to turn a loss the Whitemans , but all celebrity cameo must fall to an end , I think . Then again , no doubtEmpireisn’t above pump Camilla ’s belly next week . Stay tuned !
Lauren Leibowitz is an editor at Thrillist Entertainment , which is right smart better than Q&A News . recover her on Twitter@lleibowitzz .
Chuck Rhodes/Fox
Chuck Rhodes/ Fox
Chuck Rhodes/Fox
Chuck Rhodes/Fox
