Sorry 50 Cent, but America’s favorite show Empire is back. Season 2 premiered last night and it met the high expectations fans set for its return.
When we left season one, Lucious Lyon was in jail for murder, Jamal Lyon was placed in charge of Empire, and Cookie, Hakeem and Andre were fighting for a piece of Empire profit. Season one had set the bar high with the intense drama and catchy hit songs such as ‘Drip Drop’ and many wondered how could season 2 match or even top how great the first season was.
Speed things up to season 2. The season opens with the Lyon family throwing an over the top, star-studded rally to Free Lucious Lyon. Cookie comes out in a cage dressed as a gorilla and gives a speech about how the American prison system treats people like animals. This was definitely a tribute to the Black Lives Matter Movement, which Taraji P. Henson (Cookie) and Jussie Smollett (Jamal) are advocates of in real life.
The event is a secret ploy to draw attention to investor Mimi Whiteman, whose financial investment will hopefully help Cookie, Andre, and Hakeem take over Empire from Jamal. We quickly find out that Mimi is a lesbian and Cookie orders Boo Boo Kitty to sleep with her to help seal the deal.
Lucious watches the rally from prison and notices Mimi engaging with Cookie. When Jamal comes to visit him he asks for Jamal to find out who Mimi is. Here we meet Frank Gathers, drug lord who ran the streets. Once he finds out that Cookie is the reason he is in jail, he sends her an amputated head in a box to let her know that he is after her and her family.
Jamal takes a new turn this season. In season one, Jamal was the nice, shy singer who was in the closet from his family. Now as the head of Empire, he is showing a dark side. Hakeem doesn’t want to answer to Jamal and Andre still doesn’t understand why he wasn’t left in charge of the company.
The episode’s climax comes where Cookie, Hakeem, Andre, and Boo Boo Kitty storm into Jamal’s board meeting to tell him they are taking over Empire with the help of Mimi’s investment. Only to find out that Mimi has shifted sides and will be investing with Jamal and Lucious now. Lucious sends Cookie and her team a nice video from prison boasting at his win.
The episode comes to a close when Cookie has all the family come to Lucious’ house for safety. She visits Lucious in jail to let him know that Frank Gathers has a death threat out on her and the family. Lucious may hate Cookie most of the time, but if it’s one thing, you don’t mess with his family. He gets Frank’s fellow inmate bodyguards to turn against him using money, of course, and they kill him.
Once she returns to Lucious’ home to let her family know they are now safe, Jamal shows his dark side again. He kicks everyone out of his father’s home, including his mother. In a rage, he tells her that they went against the family. Cookie slaps Jamal twice for his disrespectful tone against her and you could see the evilness in Jamal’s eyes as he closed the door on his mother.
This episode left me wanting more. I don’t know why Fox doesn’t give us Empire fans 2 hour premiers and finales. It will be interesting to see how this family dynamic plays out. It seems that Cookie is the only one who wants to get this family back together now. The musical beef between Hakeem and Jamal will make for an interesting plot. Will Lucious get out of jail and turn his back on everyone? I can’t wait to see how this season plays out.
You can catch Empire Wednesday nights at 9 pm on FOX.