I've missed some pages from this thread so I have a question: have Hakeem's obvious Mommy issues been discussed? Camilla, Camilla Camilla (lol).

That brief scene with young Andre hiding his Daddy's gun proves that you can efficiently encapsulate the nature of a relationship in just one scene if you do it right without giving all the information. It will be interesting to see whether they show us the trajectory of how Andre got from dutiful, protective son to his current state of mind (although we can kind of figure that one out).

At least they're taking the time to fleshing out these characters. Anika in that shaving scene really does speak to the notion that she may be bougie but she won't need a fainting couch anytime soon. And she really does seem to love Lucious and wants to support him, which is going to actually make me feel for her when Lucious slinks under the covers with Cookie again (which, I've looked forward to from the pilot episode).

Speaking of which,

The chemistry & and the heat coming from Cookie and Lucious is melting the screen! At one point, when Lucious held onto Cookie's finger, I actually thought he was going to try to get her to sit on his lap right there in the office! I'm glad they didn't go there though, it was much better to show him watching her as she walked away, with Cookie knowing he was watching.

I've actually stayed in Bushwick and it's really not that bad especially now with the influence of gentrification. Okay, there are a few parts that are still a bit dicey at night but hey, it's not like it's East New York or anything.

Becky's role within the company will probably increase since she is fully aware of Lucious' illness. Him letting her shadow Titan without any hesitation shows that he trusts her to do a good job, despite her obvious crush on Titan.

I think Cookie's assistant is probably more clever than she's showing right now and it would be interesting if she's trying to downplay that. After all, she did know who Mama Rose from Gypsy was.

Question: Empire, it's not really filmed in NYC, right? I don't really mind it, but seeing Malik Yoba and all reminded me of that vibe that New York Undercover (in the early going) used to give off. If Empire had that...man, oh man...

Still satisfying, though. And again, I like the fact that they are fleshing out other characters like Annika, Tiana and Becky from the early going.

Edited January 30, 201510 yr by DramatistDreamer

Anika is half white & her father is a doctor

@DramatistDreamer the show is filmed in Chicago.

the cop was asking about who all was in Bunky car. How many times they met. Like Bunky didn't never clean his car. Cookie was in his car too. & Shouldn't her fake hair or something should be in the car too.

Edited January 30, 201510 yr by MoTheGreat

I've missed some pages from this thread so I have a question: have Hakeem's obvious Mommy issues been discussed? Camilla, Camilla Camilla (lol).

We've talked about it a little, but not in detail. Hakeem definitely has a vulture circling him.

That was a lovely episode. I am SO glad that they slowed down the frantic plot developments a bit and did A LOT of character work.

Jamal started annoying me during the earlier parts of the episode, although his behavior was realistic. Coming down from those extreme luxuries to that dump was clearly not easy. (lol at Cookie and Dora's relationship. I love how she caressed his chin). But I thought the way they visualized him finding his groove/inspiration was excellent. Overall, this was the least interesting part of the episode (weird, considering Jamal/Lyon were THE story last week) but still all necessary character stuff.

They really did excellent work in developing Anika. Her reaction to the news about his ALS and helping him shave brought me close to tears. I have been supporting this bitch since the beginning and have been proven right! BOOM, CLAP! I'm glad she has genuine feelings for Lucious and that they showed his concern and worry for her during the drive by shooting.

Cookie and Lucious are literally falling in love again right in front of our eyes and it could not be better.

Tiana and Cookie working together. Hakeem and Cookie working together. YES. Although I really did not like the Tiana actress' work in this episode. Weak link!

Hakeem bitching about Jamal and throwing him under the bus in front of Lucious but then turning to Jamal for advice and support and comfort after he screwed things up.

The Andre/Lucious flashback was unexpected and SO very well done. They showed so much with so little. Lucious and Andre's relationship cannot be underestimated. Andre is basically Lucious' bitch right now but there is a connection there that cannot be ignored.

YES to more Becky.

That ending scene was lovely.

Involving the Nation of Islam was brilliant and learning that they supposedly killed Lucious' father explains a lot about his parenting style as did his pissing match with Beretti. No wonder Lucious is the type of person who would shoot Bunkie in the face. He's been betrayed over and over in his life first by his church then again by his manager. Remember his reaction at the funeral home when he confronted Cookie about talking to the Feds? Lucious is all about loyalty.

I thought that was brilliant too. The backstory is expanding in unexpected, wonderful ways. But let's NOT use Lucious' past to justify the fact that he shot somebody so close to him in the face. I know Howard is incredibly charming and we ALL love him, but DAMN. If he's all about loyalty, then perhaps he wouldn't have killed Bunky (who also happens to be Cookie's FAVORITE cousin)!

The stuff with Jamal was the only weak part of the episode for me. It was just so cliched. One night in Brooklyn and suddenly Jamal's all street?

Definitely not what that was about!

One of the things that struck me about that young Andre scene is that I was terrified of what that police officer was going to do to him. How sad is it that instead of being afraid that a child is in the room with a gun, it's the police officer that seemed the most dangerous thing in the room?

One of the things that struck me about that young Andre scene is that I was terrified of what that police officer was going to do to him. How sad is it that instead of being afraid that a child is in the room with a gun, it's the police officer that seemed the most dangerous thing in the room?

Yes, there was definitely a moment there where I thought they might introduce police brutality.

I also wanted to say, Cookie recounting her loneliness in prison/now was a BIG highlight. Also her efforts to get closer to Hakeem.

AND

LOL at Timbaland stealing his own music for Tiana and Hakeem's song.

LOL at Timbaland stealing his own music for Tiana and Hakeem's song.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's old trick.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's old trick.

LOL

I swear, I thought Nelly Furtado was going to show up for a moment.

I also wanted to say, Cookie recounting her loneliness in prison/now was a BIG highlight. Also her efforts to get closer to Hakeem.

AND

LOL at Timbaland stealing his own music for Tiana and Hakeem's song.

Hakeem and Tiana's song sounded like a bonus track for Nelly Furtado's Loose. I said that as soon as I heard it. And I was watching with a friend so she asked me if that was a a Timbo track. He did the same thing with Ayo Technology recycling it into Tom Ford.

Hakeem and Tiana's song sounded like a bonus track for Nelly Furtado's Loose. I said that as soon as I heard it. And I was watching with a friend so she asked me if that was a a Timbo track. He did the same thing with Ayo Technology recycling it into Tom Ford.

Yep. The opening bars were identical to Furtado's Say It Right. I guess churning out new material like this for each week has its challenges

First Look at the next episode (SPOILERS).

Edited January 31, 201510 yr by Vee