Empire is working properly with its larger format. It doesn’t have the same strength as last year's one, but it never ends up getting boring episodes for the viewers.
Be True is the fifth episode of Empire and it revolves around Cookie and Anika who work with the new character Laz in order to throw an event as a launch for their company, Lyon Dynasty. It will be a showcase with their artists and it premieres a song written by Hakeem. Jamal works on his music with both Ne-Yo and a crazy-new painter and Hakeem begins a relationship, finding a new interesting artist in a bar.
I liked this episode, but not as much as the previous one: Poor Yorick. It was a bit slower and the dynamics of anger and rivalry between Hakeem and Jamal are getting boring. I hope they find a way to give more intensity to the family-related storylines. I really enjoyed Andre’s baptism. It was an intense scene and the writers did an amazing job in structuring a parallel between Andre’s immersion into the waters and the crazy-twist around Lucious’ mother tempting to kill his son, because of mental instability. Then, here we are: the final plot twist . Hakeem got kidnapped.
A High Hope for A Low Heaven dealt with the consequences of Hakeem’s rapture. Cookie and Lucious work together in order to get their son back and to protect all their children. After Be True Michael’s betrayal, Jamal wants to get back into the studio and record a new song. I am really sad for how Anika has ended up being the most unlucky and miserable character of the story: Hakeem approaches her, just because he needs to show off his manhood. Hours later when she arrives worried at his house, she is not invited in.
I wasn’t disappointed by this episode as I was afraid, I would. When I saw the promo, I was worried that we would have had another filler. But there were some beautiful moments, and the story added a group of interesting new characters as Adam Rodriguez’s Laz, the new Cookie’s love-interest. At the end of the episode we find out that he is one of the abductors. I am not even sure that Hakeem's abduction's storyline is over. The Anika-Hakeem's moment was a bit odd. Has he been violated?
The story is going forward quite nicely, and the latest two episodes delivered great pieces of music by both Jamal and Hakeem. I am really looking forward to finding out how they will deal with minor characters as Micheal and Anika, now that they are really in a bad place and what's in store for the Lyons!
What do you think about Be Real and A High Hope for A Low Heaven?
