http://www.fox.com/empire/
Empire has two episodes in the bag. The Lyons are still proving that they are lions. They seemed to have doubled down on the drama already.
Even though it’s only the second show, it seems that the plot has taken a backseat to character development, which I’m not upset about at all. Their Lyons’ interactions with each other keep me watching the show. That and Cookie’s interactions with anyone.
Lucious got rid of that conk. That alone probably gave him a couple of years extra to live. The conk can’t be good for your health. Or the blatant homophobia. It’s clear that Hakeem is his favorite, and he wouldn’t mind too much if Jamal got hit by a bus. He seems apathetic toward Andre. He might be a horrible person, but you got to admit, he’s a cunning SOB. Crying those crocodile tears over Bunkie when he was the one to kill in the first place took some skill. If only he could pretend to care about Andre and Jamal. At least he stood up for Cookie.
The Brothers Lyon. Well, Andre is more like a cousin, a cousin you “accidentally” forget to invite to the family reunion. He doesn’t seem to care about his brothers at all, which is unusual for an oldest child. I thought oldest siblings were supposed to be overprotective. He’s too busy plotting with his white wife against them. And speaking of his wife, what was up with that bib? If you need a bib for oral sex, you’ve already lost. How uncontrollable is his ejaculate that you need a bib?
Jamal and Hakeem probably have the most genuine relationship on the show. They care about each other. They have no ulterior motives when it comes to each other, at least none that we know of. Their relationship grounds the show. They have to depend on each other to deal with their parents, especially Cookie in Hakeem’s case, lest he gets beat with a broom again.
Cookie is obviously the star of the show, whether that was the intention or not. Her one liners steal every scene she’s in. “Shut up, Dora.” She’s still the most complex character on the show. She flexes her power, but she showed her vulnerabilities, too. The elevator scene almost makes you shed a tear, and it humanized Lucious a bit. But let’s not get it twisted. Cookie could probably take on everyone in that elevator.
It’s still early, but I’m hooked. Unless something drastically changes, I will be tuning in. Hopefully one day, Hakeem won’t be the only Lyon brother to be romantically/sexually involved with a black person. If Andre or Jamal finds a black significant other, that episode will get an extra point on its rating. As for this episode, I’ll give it four conks out of five.
Since a major plot of the show is who will take over Empire, I will be doing weekly polls to see who you think will come out on top and see how that changes. The first poll is below.
