Empire season 4: An analysis of ‘Full Circle’

Cookie tries to maintain control, Anika tries to escape, Lucious tries to remember and Becky tries to be great on this week’s episode of Empire.

With “Full Circle,” we’re starting to get the first hints from Empire that despite his condition, the old Lucious, and his memories, are still somewhere in there. It’s time to dive in and analyze the episode.

We see this in the opening scene where Leah tries to drown Lucious, and then again when Uncle Eddie (Forest Whitaker) recounts Lucious’ violent past.

It’s interesting watching Lucious take matters into his own hands to try to jog his memory and find out who he is. I’m also disturbed watching him interact with Nurse Claudia as it is becoming clear that she is keeping him away from certain people as a way to prevent his memories from coming back. What’s unclear to me is whether she is really doing this to protect Lucious or if she is trying to keep him dependent on her for a more sinister purpose. I’ll reserve judgment until further into the season but I’m also keeping my place on team #DontTrustNurseClaudia.

I also enjoyed watching Forest Whitaker as Lucious’ old friend Uncle Eddie. Since this is Empire, I’m almost positive Eddie is going to have some ulterior motive for wanting to  help Lucious and Cookie, or a back story that will rear its head a few episodes in. For now though, he seems genuinely invested in rallying artists and musicians for Cookie and Lucious simply because of who Lucious is to him, which is a welcome change in a show where it seems everyone is working an angle sometimes.

Andre just can’t get to the CEO’s office…

Andre’s scenes in “Full Circle” stood out to me because they contributed to one of my favorite story arcs. Since the beginning of the series, Andre has constantly been shut out of the company, and deprived of his family’s approval, because of his lack of musical talent or instincts.

Andre’s desire to sell off Empire Xtream was a strategic business move, but it showed a lack of appreciation for what the company wishes to be known for–putting out great music and talented artists. With her 20 albums for 20 years plan, Cookie once again tapped into the art and creativity that lies at Empire’s core.  Even during their argument, as Cookie explained how Lucious would want the company to keep creating and not be chopped and sold, Andre could only see numbers and dollar signs. It is this divide that continues to keep him out of the CEO spot. Now that Nessa’s out of the picture, I wonder how Andre will compensate for that in order to leverage more power.

Becky finally gets her things, but at what cost?

I’m happy for Becky with the good ear. She’s finally getting the praise and professional growth she has deserved for most of the series. However, her penchant for dishonesty — something we saw last season — and her tendency to go behind other peoples’ backs (no matter how right she may be) is bound to get her into more trouble than she bargained for. I’m sure it’ll be a lot worse than Jamal being mad at her or Lucious chucking M&Ms at her for using his bathroom.

Boo Boo Kitty in the Big House, but not for long…

Oh how the tables have turned! For most of the series, Anika looked down on Cookie as a convict and a hood rat. Now she’s getting a taste of what Cookie experienced after she returns from jail to find that everyone has moved on and the man she loves, the father of her child, is building a life with another woman.

It’s been clear for a few seasons now that at best, Anika has genuine feelings for Hakeem and at worst, she’ll simply do anything to be a Lyon. With Lucious presumably unable to remember their history and Tiana filling her “spot” in Hakeem and Bella’s lives, what will Anika do to keep her place as a Lyon by association?

Leah gets taken away

After trying to drown Lucious in the opening scene, Leah is seen very little until the end of the episode when she confesses to murdering Tariq. Upon hearing this, Cookie works with Nurse Claudia to have Leah put in a home.

This was probably the most “open and shut” story line of the episode and while things with Leah seem to be settled, I know this isn’t the last we’ve seen of her.

Next: How to Get Away with Murder: 3 key takeaways from S4E2

Other Thoughts:

• I know it hurt Anika to see Tiana holding and bonding with Baby Bella. I wonder how she’ll react when she finds out Lucious thinks Tiana is the baby’s mother.
• This week also saw the introduction of Officer Pamela Rose (Teyonah Parris). Although she got a little lost in the series and didn’t have a lot of screen time, I’m hoping she’ll be given more interesting material as time goes on. Failed one-night stand and police liaison isn’t the strongest intro and not the way you want to go out.