Empire – Time Shall Unfold

By: Kelly Kearney

Not since Joan Crawford wailed about wire hangers has there been a mother who terrified me more than Lucious Lyon’s, Leah Walker (played by Leslie Uggams.). This week, Lucious comes face to face with the lies about his past and the woman who created the sometimes volatile always narcissistic man he is today. This frail and seemingly gentle woman with a singing voice like an angel who can whip up a table full of confections isn’t getting a Mother of the Year Award any time soon. Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) has met his elderly knife wielding match. What’s with the Lyon family that they’re always trying to “eat their young?”

Lies in D-Major…

With the ASA quickly approaching and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) promising a Lyon family performance, Lucious, Jamal and Hakeem meet with the show’s musical director Derek D-Major (played by Tobias Truvillion) to hash out their song choice. Cookie’s promised the performance will be on fire and wants an extra two minutes added onto the set. She’s banking on her boys slaying this song, sweeping the awards and cementing her and Lucious’ place at the head of Empire. With Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Lucious competing for Song Of The Year and Hakeem (Bryshere Gray) dealing with his own personal baby daddy dramas, the three Lyon men really aren’t feeing this whole family sing along idea. Each wants the performance to reflect their own style and in the process their collaboration is a disaster. In typical Cookie fashion, she calls them out on it when she says, “Ya’ll sound like a rack of bitches.” The mood quickly changes when Andre (Trai Byers) walks in with Lucious’ supposedly dead mother. Shocked, betrayed and, let’s face it, probably embarrassed Lucious can barely speak. The rest of the family is trying to make sense of how Lucious could keep his mother a secret and use her supposed suicide to recreate his image. Finally, he admits the drowning attempt was true, but his mother only attempted suicide once she realized what she had done and there were no bullets in the gun. After the attempt, he put her in a mental health facility to be cared for. Lucious seems to be terrified of his mother, Leah Walker. He gives Cookie an eerie warning that nobody can understand just how dangerous his mother is. For all the warnings about Leah, Lucious and his mother are more alike than he cares to admit. In a very touching mother/son moment, the two sing a duet at the piano which sparks Lucious’ composer side and he comes up with the perfect mash up of song ideas. The song, “Tryin’ to Fly,” incorporates lyrics from Hakeem, Jamal and Lucious combining the power of all three musicians into one incredible song. D-Major is feeling it and tells Cookie she’s got her extra two minutes.

Let’s Get It On…

Jamal is determined to beat his father for the Song of The Year award and wants to premiere a new song at the ASA telecast. Derek’s not behind this idea and the two get into it…in more ways than one. Sparks fly, tensions rise, Derek locks the door and the two lock lips in a steamy make out session. The chemistry is hot, but quickly cools when Jamal realizes Derek isn’t “out.” In fact, he’s so far in, the public only knows him as a lady’s man. Jamal is not about to crawl back into the closet after he worked so hard to be accepted by his family and fans. No relationship is worth that so Jamal puts the breaks on their romance although, with those kinds of sparks, it’s doubtful these two will be able to keep their hands off each other.

Sober Sisters and Murder Cover Ups…

Cookie’s sister Carol (Tasha Smith) is trying to get her post rehab life together, but her past is haunting her. An ex Philly cop and current FBI undercover agent overhears Carol tell her other sister Candace (played by Vivica Fox) that she still can’t get over her past with Lucious (a past that got a little “murdery” right after Cookie started her decade and a half prison sentence). Carol is afraid this will wreck her new life, but apparently not afraid enough to talk about it in a public place where a federal agent can eavesdrop. Upset and weighing her options with a bottle of Wild Turkey, the undercover agent starts chatting her up. Somehow I doubt he’s looking for a drinking buddy, but if whisky is the way to the truth, Carol could be headed for a relapse and a prison sentence.

“Thirsty’s” Press Release…

When Andre dropped the “Grandma’s alive and dad’s a liar,” bomb he also revealed his source, reporter Harper Scott (Annie Ilonzeh). Scott was thrown aside by Lucious, both professionally and romantically, when she insulted the mother of his children, Cookie. The jilted writer went straight to Andre with the news about the hidden Ms. Walker and Andre let everyone know she tipped him off. Harper no doubt regrets that decision when Lucious’ shady lawyer “Thirsty” Rawlings (Andre Royo) tricks her into thinking she’s going to an interview with the new CEO’s of Empire when in fact, he drops her off under a bridge and lets his goons’ attack and kidnap her right out of her high heels. Nobody gets away with embarrassing Lucious Lyon and Harper found out firsthand the price you pay when you do.

Flashbacks, Footwear and Friendly Foes…

Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) was convinced her miscarriage was a result of a slip and fall down the staircase, but after a visit to Hakeem and Anika’s new baby proofed pad she’s having doubts. A box filled with things for the soon to be Lyon heir almost falls on Rhonda and she flashes back to the fall and remembers she was pushed! The incident is still fuzzy, but she’s always had a vision of a pair of red heeled shoes walking away from the scene. She later spots said shoes on her new buddy Anika (Grace Gealey) and realizes not only was she pushed, but hat Anika was there when it happened. When the truth comes out, Anika’s going to wish she took Lucious’ money to leave town. Apparently, in the Lyon family, nobody hurts their children\, but them.

Sugar and Spice and Everything KNIVES…

The sweet and slightly senile act Lucious’ mother was playing quickly wears off when lets her temporarily stay at his home. His warnings to Cookie about Leah being dangerous seemed to be an exaggeration until her first night under his roof. She wakes Lucious up to a dining room table filled with cakes and confections and orders him, at knife point, to eat up. It seems Ms. Walker hasn’t forgiven her son for locking her away and she’s feeling hungry and slightly homicidal. Lucious agrees to eat the cake, but has that look on his face like, “Mom, I’m gonna fluff your pillows until you can’t breathe tonight.” When it comes to the Lyon/Walker family, pay back is a bitch and sometimes it’s served with a slice of cake. With the ASA show around the corner, a tenuous truce between his sons, the FBI poking into his past and a mother who can’t decide between cutting dessert or cutting his throat, Lucious is in Major-D(eep) and this time, he may not get out.