I tend to watch the shows that I do not only for the plot or writing, but also in their ability to create complex and believable relationships between characters. Empire is a prime example of the complexities and layers of each member of the Lyon family's personalities and how they interact with each other.
Our first episode sees Lucious going through the process of putting together a music video for his song that's in the running for an award against Jamal's own song and the demons of his past that he wrestles with regarding his own mother. While this is going on, Cookie's first birthday out of jail is coming up and she's hoping that her family will be able to put aside their differences even if just for that one day.
The moments where the episode focuses on Lucious putting his music video together are particularly interesting as he's haunted by his past and what his mother put him through. He's trying to show his authenticity as Dwight Walker and the real world grittiness that he witnessed. His soul is laid completely bare here as he embraces his past.
Additionally, there's a very touching moment when Cookie's birthday does come around that shows how much the Lyon family genuinely cares for each other. With all the times that they're at each others' throats, it was nice to see all of them getting along together even if it was only for that brief moment. Of course, Andre's discovery that Lucious' mother was bipolar like him, which Lucious points out that he was embarrassed both of his mother and with Andre, kind of ruins the moment for me.
Add in Freda Gatz starting to work on music with Jamal, leading to Cookie discovering that her father was the same man who Lucious had murdered in jail, and an unexpected proposal and I was ready to see what drama would unfold in the next episode.
So with last Wednesday's episode, Lucious is setting plans into motion in the hopes of getting back into Empire by taking down Hakeem and we get to see that there's a real ruthlessness in his actions. As that's going on, Anika drops a bombshell on the family and Jamal has to make a decision on whether he wants to make music with Freda or bring on a multi million selling artist for his upcoming album.
All of those good feelings that were going on during Cookie's birthday in the previous episode are all gone here as Lucious stops at nothing to dethrone Hakeem as Empire's CEO. There are no lows he won't stoop to to make sure that he gets Empire back. He's very much a devilish character as he talks all slick and continues to have that clever smirk written all over his face when things go according to his plan. Even when (SPOILERS) Hakeem is eventually voted out of his position, Lucious still continues to rub it in his face.
What I particularly liked about this episode was whenever it focused on Jamal working on his upcoming album. We get to see that he has really great chemistry with Freda when they're spitting rhymes in the studio, which then goes to provide an important lesson about authenticity in the music business when this diva doesn't even have the decency to show up to the studio for recording but simply provides her own pre-recorded vocals for Jamal to add to. It goes to show that there's something to be said about interaction with other artists in the studio that makes the project feel more real.
And finally, Anika drops the news that she's pregnant with Hakeem's kid, which I swear leads to one of the funniest moments of meta-humor I've seen in a while. All you need to know is that the line comes from Jamal and centers around the word "heir". I already mentioned previously how Empire is based off of Shakespeare's classic King Lear and Jamal's line was soo hilarious that I actually had to pause the episode I was laughing soo hard.
The fact that Anika reveals this news an episode after that proposal I mentioned earlier I'm sure is going to result in even more drama that I look forward to seeing in a few nights from now.
And that was my double review of the last 2 episodes of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post., Take care.
No comments:
Post a Comment