HOLLYWOOD—I seriously hate when shows go on such a long hiatus that you barely remember what transpired. That is how I felt with the return of the FOX hit series “Empire.” I was in such disarray that the show was returning that I had to re-watch the mid-season finale as a reminder. So what did I learn? Well, the Lyon clan was able to dismantle Diana Dubois and her treacherous family, Lucious learned that Andre set the bomb in his car in Las Vegas, and crazy Claudia drugged Lucious, kidnapped him and chained him in a cabin.
So the premiere episode, ‘Birds in a Cage,’ Jamal was grappling with fatally shooting Angelo, just as Cookie did her best to reassure her son and not feel guilty about doing what he needed to do to survive. Cookie’s day only got worse as she was certain Lucious was in danger. Porsha learned that Becky might be pregnant! So the question is who is the baby daddy? Its suffice to say, Becky was not happy to become a mother. Hakeem and Tori performed, just as it became apparent that Lucious’ absence was on everyone’s mind. Thirsty and Cookie had a conversation with Claudia’s doctor, where they learned Claudia is not mentally stable and culpable in Lucious disappearance.
Lucious was fighting tooth and nail to unleash himself from Claudia’s torture; I mean this woman took all of his music and blasted it to gargantuan heights. At first I thought Claudia was just obsessed with Lucious, but it’s pretty clear she is about helping her patients get back to their normal selves, even if it means doing things that some would argue unorthodox. Cookie took off to the road on a hunch of where she thought Claudia might be holding her lover, just as Jamal and Hakeem paid Andre a visit.
For three brothers who have been at one another’s throats since the dawn of time, it was nice to see the brothers bond during their time of need. Jamal was fractured; Andre’s guilt over Lucious’ car bombing is eating him alive. We already know that Andre confesses the truth to his father, based on the countless teasers we’ve seen. Lucious managed to get one on Claudia, but Cookie’s arrival put a hiccup on things. Lucious was tasked with getting rid of the one woman who knows him best, but Cookie is no idiot and instantly realized something was not right.
Cookie found a way to sleuth her way back to the cabin and to throw Claudia off her game. Cookie declared Lucious to be hers, which only infuriated Claudia that much more. The one thing you can always count on Cookie to deliver are those sensational one liners that are not only memorable, but stingers to the core. Cookie and Lucious put on a show to force Claudia to think they weren’t aligned, when in actuality it was a complete ploy to rattle Claudia.
Cookie’s time in jail became a moment of contention as more fighting between the lovers emerged. Cookie made a bold threat to Claudia, which led to her holding a knife to her throat. Claudia’s doctor arrived throwing another thorn into the mix. Lucious had the opportunity to take out Claudia, but he chose otherwise, just as the police carted the crazy doc off. Hmm, I’m suspecting we’ll see Claudia again in the near future. What she has planned for Cookie and Lucious concerns me dearly America!
It became apparent that if Andre doesn’t spill the beans to his father, it will lead to him having another psychotic break. I was really concerned about the rest of season four of “Empire,” but my instinct tells me audiences will be in for one hell of a reminder of a season. “Empire” airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX.
