Empire review: The Lyons are running low on miracles

Lucious still thinks he can control the fate of those around him, but Andre’s accepted the hand life dealt him. Whose will prevailed on last night’s Empire?

Andre plans to commit suicide and asks Lucious to help him. But a horrified Lucious won’t hear of it. “You don’t do a damn thing without talking to me.”

As Lucious comes to grips with Andre’s request, he gets in an accident and wrecks his car, suffering a concussion. Lucious hallucinates visits from the ghosts of his past – Bunky, Shyne and his father. Each makes a case for why Lucious should carry out Andre’s wish, from Bunky’s assertion that Lucious is a killer “Blood ain’t never stopped you from hurting the ones you love,” to Shyne’s reverse psychology, “Poor Andre, he’s gotta limp to the finish line alone because daddy’s a coward,” and finally, his father’s appeal that Lucious must love Andre as a man, even if it means letting go.

Lucious’ father’s speech got me in particular because he mentioned that the way children love, which is focused on fairness and forever, isn’t based in reality. Lucious’ relationships with people have always been somewhat childishly built on his own (admittedly very skewed) idea of justice and his need to preserve his own perceived immortality.

Faced with the reality that he can’t control everyone, and some things, like illness and death, can’t be helped, Lucious is struggling to cope. It isn’t until his father says that by choosing to die on his own terms Andre is being the man Lucious raised him to be that Lucious accepts his son’s request. Lucious even points this out to Andre near the end of the episode. “I questioned your courage. Now I realize you’re so much braver than I could ever be.”

Andre seeks to live out his bucket list (which he tells unsuspecting relatives is a list of things he wants to do now that he’s beaten cancer) by skating at his favorite rink with Cookie and having a scotch with Quincy. He forgives Cookie for missing his childhood and gives Quincy some words of wisdom. But his day of freedom is interrupted when Attorney Conway freezes Empire’s accounts, stopping all cash flow to the company.

To raise money to keep the tour going, Becky and Andre devise a concert that pairs Empire artists with non-Empire artists. Andre asks Kingsley to get him into the exclusive YPO conference so he can ask Kelly Patel to float Empire some cash for the next few months. Kingsley does him one better by wiring him exact amount Empire needs and putting him in touch with more investors. When Kingsley asks Andre if he was just after money the whole time, Andre responds, “no, I was just looking for a brother.”

It’s tragically ironic that as Andre accepts his impending death, he’s also getting another chance at the life he wanted. Teri confirms that the baby she’s carrying is healthy (after previously worrying about not being able to carry to full term) and she’s having a boy.

For those of you who haven’t been watching Empire from the start, Andre’s deceased wife Rhonda became pregnant with a son back in season two but lost the baby after Anika pushed her down a flight of stairs (Anika would later give birth to Hakeem’s daughter Bella). Anika also killed Rhonda at the close of season 2. Now, Andre is getting a second chance at love and fatherhood but may not be around to see it.

As much sympathy as we have toward Andre and even Lucious, it’s important not to lose sight of how Cookie feels. I teared up watching Andre and Lucious have one final toast, but my heart broke completely when Cookie burst in and screamed “I carried him for nine months, that’s my son,” at Lucious. Cookie missed out on her sons growing up and has only really started to feel like she got her family back in the last two seasons. Cookie can be overbearing and tactless, but she loves each and every one of her sons and once again, Lucious’ wants took precedence over Cookie’s feelings.

Throughout Andre’s illness, Lucious has ignored Cookie’s need for support in favor of his own need for absolution and control over his family. We saw Cookie snap once after catching Lucious with Treasure – that time she was able to cool off before she did anything drastic. But I don’t think Cookie will be able to fully forgive Lucious for robbing her of the chance to say goodbye to her son. More sadly, even though Cookie successfully stopped Andre from ending his life, the shock of her entrance and her and Lucious’ shouting match seem to have caused Andre to go into cardiac arrest. So once again, his life hangs in the balance.

Before I close out the recap, I do want to talk a bit about the concert Empire hosted, featuring Sevyn Streeter and Ty Dolla $ign. While the performances themselves weren’t memorable, we did get a glimpse at a still maturing Hakeem. After Tiana breaks her Princess necklace, her new flame Devon replaces it with an “affordable” looking necklace made by his sister. After the show, Hakeem surprises Tiana with her necklace, which he had fixed. “It’s irreplaceable, just like you.”

Hakeem still has quite a bit of growing to do, but for the first time, probably since I started watching the show, I really and truly buy the love he and Tiana have for each other. Tiana is the mother of Hakeem’s son and selflessly stepped in as a mother figure for Bella after Anika’s death. While the two may never be good for one another, it’s clear the love they have is real and deep.

What did you think of “My Fate Cries Out?”