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| Mallory Carra | Entertainment |
This week’s episode of Empire opens with celebration: All charges against Lucious are dropped! Andre is back in the building. All seems right with the world. Lucious even makes a video statement to the press about the whole thing (he says he was targeted by certain people), but Cookie doesn’t have time to react to it over at Lyon Dynasty. She’s juggling a Tiana photoshoot and Hakeem’s excitement over Laura, Menage a Trois’ new singer.
Lucious introduces Andre as the new president of the label Gutter Life Records to a boardroom that has dancers twirling around a pole, music blasting, and champagne flowing. Straight-laced intellectual Andre has never looked more uncomfortable. Andre’s reverend tells him it’s all a test — and challenges him to invite the Lyons to his baptism. Later, Lucious and Ne-Yo (who plays himself) disagree about Jamal bringing boyfriend Michael on tour — Ne-Yo is Team Michael and Lucious doesn’t approve like it’s Season 1 all over again.
At Lyon Dynasty, two fake fans rob Tiana, who finally has more than two seconds of screen time this season. Her stolen purse is actually part of a whole extortion plan, which prompts Cookie to hire a fixer/promoter named Delgado. Rolling Stone photographer Chase returns to make poor Michael feel threatened and to lecture Jamal about creativity — which includes Chase trying to give Jamal a BJ in the Leviticus hallway and Jamal refuses. Whew!
Thirsty declares himself to be the “new Vernon” to Andre, who refuses the lawyer’s order to get the masters from Cookie. Hakeem parties it up with Menage a Tois, but Laura refuses his advances. Later, Hakeem declares to her that he’ll never come onto her again. Jamal keeps going back and forth over whether or not to bring Michael on tour, but then TWIST! He catches Chase giving Michael a BJ OMG. Michael, how could you? Cookie and Delgado catch Lucious and Thirsty’s men breaking into Lyon Dynasty.
Andre invites Jamal and Hakeem to his baptism in the most awkward way: Confessing that he set Jamal up to be robbed at gunpoint last year. But now Andre’s conscience is clear, but it’s not clear if Jamal will attend. Andre continues his Confessions Tour and the next stop is Lucious, who is just WTF about it, even after Andre confesses that all he really wants is his father’s approval. Oh, and Lucious definitely doesn’t want to go to the baptism.
Finally, it’s BAPTISM DAY! Cookie, Rhonda, Hakeem, and Jamal are all there. Cookie and Jamal are icy toward each other and it’s weird, considering how close they were last season. Outside of the church, Lucious rolls up and actually walks in, shocking everyone. Cookie and Lucious have a tense, but quiet confrontation about the attempted robbery during the baptism.
As Andre gets dipped into the holy water, Lucious has another flashback, in which his mother made him get into a tub filled with water as punishment. In the present day, it’s all too much for Lucious and he walks out.
Sometime later, Hakeem gets KIDNAPPED during a leisurely jog. Oh boy, things are getting good…