Here we go, Empire recap of Season 2, Episode 14! Remember Lola? The little girl Jamal thought was his daughter. Well, she’s back and a creepy man hands her a ball on the playground. And he yanks a piece of hair off her head. We know what this means: DNA test.
Anika and Rhonda are bonding over dinner at Anika’s sweet looking house. WTF? I thought she lived in a basement? Where did she get a palace? Anyway, Andre interrupts and he discusses getting a new place with Rhonda, but she’s hesitant. As they’re trying to figure things out, they catch Anika puking…and she reveals that she’s pregnant. With Hakeem’s baby. Finally.
Lucious is having a rich people party at his place showing his music video. The richie riches love his rags-to-riches story and they want him back as CEO. Lucious downplays it, you know, totally a manipulation tactic, and it’s totally working. You’re a sly one, Lucious. After the party ends, Cookie crashes and wants to know if he’s planning something against Hakeem as CEO. Then she brings up Freda Gatz Gathers and wants her to stay away from the Lyon boys. Jamal shares his Freda track with Cookie and she tries to convince him to stay away from her. He doesn’t hear her. He wants to release his album before the ASAs.
Speaking of, Jamal and Freda are jamming at the barbershop and Jamal tells Fredahe’s putting her on two tracks on his album. Once Jamal leaves, someone disses Frank Gathers and Freda goes apeshit. Meaning it’s not going to be pretty when she finds out what Cookie and Lucious did to her daddy.
Hakeem, Andre, and Jamal talk business and the shareholders meeting. They warn him that Lucious will come at him and he’s got momentum with the “Boom Boom Boom” video.
So what does Lucious wind up going after? He raids the Antony and Cleopatra warehouse, via Thirsty Rawlings. Hakeem confronts him unsuccessfully and then Laura calls…Lucious also sabotaged Laura’s tour by planting drugs on the equipment. Yikes. Hakeem and Cookie pow-wow about Lucious’ manipulations and she tells Hakeem he needs to leave his emotions out of the meetings.
Cookie tries to distract Jamal by bringing him another pop star named Stacey Run-Run to sing with. And Stacey’s management doesn’t want Freda on the album. Dilemma! He breaks the news to Freda and Freda actually understands. She encourages him to win against Lucious and not to make promises he can’t keep.
Lucious and Andre visit Lucious’ mom Leah’s grave and they bond over Andre and Leah’s similarities. But really, it’s all a ploy for Lucious to get Andre to help him go against Jamal and Hakeem. Manipulation game strong.
Andre and Rhonda bring Anika to a family meeting, during which she announces her pregnancy. Throughout the discussion of an heir, Lucious reveals Lola isn’t his either (hence that DNA test at the beginning). Anika wants the baby to have a family, meaning she wants back in with the Lyons. She apologizes, tries to make amends, and basically tries to weasel her way back into their lives.
Lucious shows at Anika’s HUGE HOUSE and he tells her he’ll pay her $10 million to have the baby and then go away. This begins a showdown of these two of who cheated with who, the fact that she didn’t rat him out to the FBI, and more. It’s tense.
At the shareholders showcase, Lucious shows up during a Q&A portion with Hakeem, and goes for the jugular. He puts Hakeem on blast about all of Lucious’ manipulations and forcing him to justify them. Lucious makes Hakeem look stupid and irresponsible and gets the shareholders to chant “Lucious!” Uh oh. The board votes Hakeem out. Sadface.
Jamal gets pissed that Stacey Run-Run merely sends her tracks from Japan, rather than recording with him in the studio. He goes back to Freda at the barbershop and says he wants to work with her instead. She says she’ll think about it.
Thirsty visits a nursing home and leaves an envelope of money for…LEAH WALKER. Who is definitely not dead. Oh Lucious, you and your lies.