Empire’s season finale was a breakout two hours’ ending. So much has happened in just two episodes, that I couldn’t follow it without “dying” in front of the screen more than once. But that’s an ordinary double weekly dose of King Lear-esque Lyon’s family.
Let’s try to summarize the main events of Die But Once and Who I Am. Lucious had a Christ like resurrection. From a point of no return, a nearby death, he gets a new birth. He discovered that he was misdiagnosed. In all his arrogance he punches Hakeem, he decides that Jamal will be Empire’s Emperor and tries to lead astray Andre from his new religious beliefs. Lucious is definitely portrayed as an evil, manipulating king that will do anything to protect his interests. But as a consequence of his mistakes, he ends up in prison. What will he do when he will get out of prison? I am eager to watch his rage .
Jamal is facing a Micheal Corleone journey. He forgives his father after the latest news about Lola’s paternity. When he obtains the control of Empire, he just follows his father footsteps. He threatens to throw Billy Berretti from a balcony and obliges him to sign an agreement to save his father’s butt. He also have sex with Ryan on his father’s desk. What’s next for him after that ending? Will he still be in charge? Will he be changed by the latest events?
Hakeem was the one who surprised me the most. Not only he abandons his father, but he hooks up with Anika in order to hurt Lucious and get revenge. That plot twist killed me, but I really loved how they developed this character. At the beginning I hated him, now I am rooting for him.
Andre had the perfect journey this season. At first he was a boring, self-absorbed character, but then the writers explored his inner nightmares, his inner weakness and his health problems. He tried to save himself through a new born faith, and the help of his spiritual adviser he tries to take solace in church. I really enjoyed the ending of his storyline: he reconciles with Rhonda and he discovers that she is pregnant. But there is a dead body between them. All the killing’s complications will likely have consequences on both these characters. I can not wait to see the outcome of it. I hope to see more of Jennifer Hudson’s character and how far will go her “corruption” caused by Lucious.
And at last, but not at least we have Cookie. She stole our hearts because she is a wonderful character. She is just the perfect combination of strength and frailty. I loved how they show her change throughout the season. At the end what counts for her is family. She puts her sons first. It was heartbreaking to see her saying to Jamal once again, “Just remember, I gotcha you” before her betrayal. Her catfight with Anika is just unforgettable, and her decision will likely have consequences that will define her future storylines. Lucious hated her for her betrayal, and now he just wants to get revenge. For now, she got what she spent 17 years in prison for.
What I loved about this finale was the crazy fast rhythm and all the plot twists we had. Empire is juicy, emotional and characters driven. This season was just the perfect weekly entertainment and it got extraordinary results from the audience. It’s a Dynasty alike soap drama, but this modern version of King Lear has heart and it shows diversity as it should be showed: as normal.
And you? What do you think of these two episodes?
About the Author - Francesco B
Fra (aka Francesco B.) is a writer of the site. He’s a professional tv-and-cinema maniac and a keen reader. He is an italian lazy university student, he truly loved tv series like Veronica Mars, Buffy, Lost, Alias.. and he would like to become a professional journalist. One Day. Maybe.
