Empire - Light In Darkness - Review: A Mildly Solid Return

The TV top-rated show has just begun its third cycle and this season 3 premiere was a mildly solid return. Let's recap Light In Darkness. Last season ended on a tragic note: Rhonda and Anika fought on a balcony. One of them fell from it. Who will die? The first five minutes of the episode solves the mystery. 

Rhonda literally crashes down on a car and that's it: she is gone. Andre witnesses to the accident and tries to strangle Anika, but her water broke and he takes her to the hospital.

The family is shocked. But problems keep coming. Lucious' brother wants him in jail and he doesn't believe that Anika and  Lyon patriarch's wedding is genuine. Will Lucious be able to avoid any more troubles? At least for now, Cookie and her sons are willing to defend their family and as a consequence of that, Lucious. Did I love this season premiere? I'd say a cautious yes, it was refreshing.

I have to admit that I always thought that Anika wasn't going to die, but I didn't think that the writers will dare to kill Rhonda. Lately Empire wasn't taking risks, and this is clearly something risky. Then again, it's also predictable, because the first thing I thought after the season finale was that Anika was untouchable. Let's just say this: I am really curious about how they are going to handle Andre now that he is struggling with darker and scarier demons. ( Not to mention the Rhonda ghost ) I liked also how Cookie is reacting in her breakup with Lucious.

I find it natural, not forced at all. With all these pros, let's discuss the cons. Storylines that could be boring: Jamal who is dealing with PTSD, and Hakeem who is trying to be a good parent for his child, even if Lucious is faking his paternity. At least they have something to do, but I don't think they can drag on with these.

 All in all, the first episode felt fresh and interesting to me. It's just the beginning,  so it's difficult to be certain that this season won't be a disappointment, but let's be positive about it. Last season's quality was low: the increasing number of episodes and guest stars didn't help, and the stories were spinning. 

Let's hope that this third cycle will go back to Empire's crazy- juicy roots. The Lyon family has still a huge potential. What do you think of Light In Darkness?

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.