Empire - Double Review - What Remains is Bestial & Cupid Kills - Review

Empire's third season is a bit odd: it is doing better storywise than season 2, but it's still not as juicy as the show was in the first run. There are so many problems and disappointing choices, and as a consequence of that you can not fully enjoy it.

Let's start with What Remains is Bestial. In this episode, Andre is still involved in court battle with the cops who had harassed him last episode. Lucious brings his kids back together, in order to recreate their roots. Cookie and Councilman DuBois teams to ensure aspiring rapper Zeah has a good future, while their own relationship hints at something romantic. Music popstar Mariah Carey guest stars as Kitty, Cookie’s longtime friend who helps Jamal dealing with its recent problems. This episode was entertaining. I liked Mariah Carey, but it's nothing original or new in the Empire's universe. Her character is just another guest-star. At least I'm enjoying Cookie's potential new love story, let's hope it will last.

Cupid Kills is the fourth episode of this third season. Hakeem and Andre seem both attracted by Nessa. When Andre and Nessa give in to their desires, Rhonda's ghost begins to haunt Andre. The elder Lyon brother can't catch a break, he and Tariq go down in a massive fight. Angelo and Cookie go toghether to a fundraiser. Tiana is finally ready to become the artist she was meant to be and Jamal fights against Lucious to free Freda Gatz from jail, but his plans backfire. The ending was crazy, I have to admit that I enjoyed the crepiness, but then is hard to be a believable drama. It's becoming a ghost story.

Empire seems just to follow a "WTF" route, without even trying to recover from the downside path it has followed. Rhonda's death seems so pointless right now, and they handled it without giving the proper amount of gravity. Nessa and Andre have their chemistry, but then if you think carefully that he has just lost his wife, his child, his world: all this doesn't make sense. I still hope that Empire will be able to surprise me again, but for now it's as close as ever to jump the shark.

What do you think of "What Remains is Bestial" & "Cupid Kills"?

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.