Some Lyons swallow their pride, some can’t let go of their pride, but the question of whether the Lyons remain a strong pride remains to be answered.
The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result. In “Pride” Jamal, Lucious, Cookie and even Hakeem all come face to face with the fact that in order to make their lives better, they have to stop relying on old crutches and habits. Whether or not they’ll start making some real changes remains to be seen.
These heaux ain’t loyal, but the Lyons don’t care
As the Lyons launch their new management company, they encounter numerous hurdles presumably put in their way by annoying startup bro Jeff Kingsley. Seriously, could this guy be more stereotypical? He actually plays video games in his office while he’s supposed to be working and uses an exam he took in college, at Stanford of course, as an analogy for why he’s blocking Lucious from starting his company. Unbothered by Lucious’ threats, Jeff approaches the Lyons’ incarcerated nemesis Diana DuBois for help taking the pack down.
Elsewhere, Lucious learns that his old tactic of flattery without followup no longer works on the people he’d previously stepped on to get to his throne. We first see this with slimy lawyer sidekick Thirsty. Thirsty only reluctantly agrees to introduce Lucious to some of his clients as potential investors after chewing Lucious out for dropping him for a year after he helped Andre get a plea deal for Anika’s murder.
Lucious also makes an enemy of Becky, who angers Lucious by sharing that she has no plans to leave Empire, where she’s getting the recognition she’s craved for the better part of the series. Interestingly enough, this was a move actress Gabourey Sidibe hinted on her Instagram. In a reply to a user’s comment saying Becky must have something up her sleeve to help the Lyons, Sidibe quipped, “Is it possible that Becky could still be at Empire for…herself,” adding, “Lucious and Cookie don’t have any money…Loyalty is hella fun until you’re homeless.” It seems Becky is heeding her real-life counterpart’s snarky advice by choosing practicality over Lucious’ incredibly narcissistic definition of devotion, which always involves his needs being put above anyone else’s.
Meanwhile, Cookie continues her quest to make the Lyons’ latest venture a family affair, enlisting the help of her sisters Carol and Candace, and her assistant Porsha. Cookie shares her and Lucious’ financial woes with Candace and Candace reminds Cookie that she’s already given Lucious everything. “What are you going to do now? Sell one of your kidneys,” Candace admonishes.
But Cookie hasn’t given everything up yet. Cookie still has a SoHo loft she can sell to generate some more cash for the couple and she asks her sister to put it on the market. But, seemingly inspired by Becky’s resolve to do right by herself before Lucious, Cookie has Candace take the property off the market. While a small step in the grand scheme of things, Cookie’s effort to hold onto even a small portion of independence, shows that though her love for Lucious remains deep, often inexplicably so, she’s no longer willing to sacrifice everything for a man who will always love himself more than he loves others.
Jamal isn’t breaking the cycle, will Kai do it for him?
Jamal also hits a relationship hurdle with Kai, who is halfway around the world reporting in Nigeria. Jamal is frustrated that Kai would leave just as the couple is building a new life together but Kai reminds Jamal that their “new life” is really just him picking up his old one, and all the drama that goes with it.
Meanwhile, Jamal also learns that he still owes Empire another album and it has to be comprised of new material. Jamal completes the album and finds a loophole by using Lyon family samples on all of the songs on his album. This fulfills his obligation to Empire but also guarantees income from his family, since they’re entitled to royalties on all of the songs.
Jamal has always been aware of the vicious cycle his family’s obsession with dominating the music business creates. Now, with a new, seemingly healthy relationship on the line, Jamal will have to decide if he really wants to sacrifice everything once again, in the name of being there for his family. Kai isn’t like Jamal’s other lovers, and he seems like the real deal. I’m not sure he’ll stay around if Jamal continues choosing the Lyon Legacy over inner peace.
A good thing about Jamal in this episode is that he seems to be finally learning how to play the game. His move with Kingsley was genius and shows a Jamal that is becoming more comfortable making music on his own terms. If he keeps this attitude, he may be able to show the same loyalty to his family, without making himself miserable.
Hakeem finds a new rhythm and a new career as a ghostwriter
Hakeem still can’t rap at his old cadence without losing his breath, and Jamal deduces that he has PTSD. Jamal advises Hakeem to rap with fewer words and the two successfully collaborate on a song that they perform at the Lyon Management launch party.
Hakeem gives a dark rap he’d previously written about the shooting to Blake since he can’t do it. Blake promptly takes credit for it with Hakeem’s old flame Tiana and offers to babysit and cook dinner as the two seemingly get closer.
Hakeem as Blake’s ghostwriter doesn’t quite make sense since Blake proved last season that he’s more than capable of holding his own as a rapper. But, as Hakeem moves away from his old style, Blake stepping in and becoming the new Hakeem could revert Hakeem back to his old ways. At this point, Tiana has done little more than try to get Hakeem to return to his old performance style, and with Blake filling in the gaps, Tiana could become more disenchanted with the youngest Lyon. Hakeem has been on the same tear of sex, money and rap for most of the series, but now with a new style and clearer head, it will be up to him to decide where his life takes him. Hopefully, it is in the direction of being a better man and father.
Andre crosses to the dark side
With his release delayed due to his brawl in the previous episode, Andre leans fully into his dark side. He finally has prison bully Gusto killed while he’s in the hole and relies only on his own internal strength to get him through his time.
Andre has probably changed the most out of anyone on the series, going from the buttoned-up businessman who wants to do things the right way, to an unhinged killer who’ll use his book smarts and street smarts to make things happen. But he still is shown to have a softer side as shown in his interactions with Quincy and Quincy’s mother. But as we’ve learned before, Andre is an expert manipulator and I wouldn’t put it past him to be faking his tender act, as a way to push his (still largely unknown) agenda forward.
With no money and their biggest asset gone, the Lyons no longer have the pull they once had in the music business and they’re quickly seeing that they made more enemies than friends during their reign. While changing their behavior might take some effort, the Lyons will have to learn to depend on each other to get back to the top. They’re also realizing that their health and emotional well being has to come before everything — including the music business, even including Lucious.
What did you think of “Pride”? Let us know in the comments!