I will admit that “Empire” has gotten itself together since its midseason premiere. Wednesday’s episode, “More Than Kin,” had a lot of the things I look for in a quality episode: a heartfelt conversation between the Lyon brothers, Cookie one-liners, musical numbers, acknowledgement of cultural issues, etc. And we’ll get to that.
But first, something has been bothering me about “Empire.” When the show started, it had this great central conflict: A music industry mogul was dying and had to choose which of his three sons to leave his empire. Simple. Shakespearean. Full of drama. What is “Empire’s” concept now? Where is the show going, and who are we supposed to be rooting for? For all the deaths and corporate showdowns and album releases, “Empire” lacks real stakes or a long-term vision. Despite its recent improvements, perhaps that’s what makes it less and less appealing to tune in each week.
But how was this episode on a micro level?
Was Hakeem shirtless and wearing sunglasses in a dark strip club while lip-syncing to his own music?
You bet. The opening shot of this week’s episode appeared to be a new Hakeem music video, but it was actually just Hakeem feeling sorry for himself for all of his recent failings. Classic Keem.
Did Cookie have some good one-liners?
Yes, the best of which was after Lucious told her nothing happened with the music blogger, and she said, “You know they got blue pills for that?”
Was family drama at the center of the episode?
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Mostly. A lot of the drama was about Anika and/or the slutty music blogger, but the core scene between the three brothers and the bombshell of Lucious’ mom kept things Lyon-focused. “Empire” is also smart to keep mental illness as a frequent conversation in the show because it allows them to dive deeper into cultural commentary. “It’s unusual for a man from your culture to admit that he suffered from childhood abuse,” blogger says in what seems like a throwaway line but is actually significant.
Were there strong musical numbers?
Strong is not the right word, but there were musical numbers. Opening on Hakeem being Hakeem never hurts. Jamal also performed at a café in front of Michael (why are you here again, boo?).
Bonus: Did Lucious partake in a sex scene so uncomfortable that I almost changed the channel?
Yep. Note to the “Empire” writers: I don’t need to see a woman take off Terrence Howard’s belt with her teeth ever. Ever.
‘Empire’
Season 2, Episode 15
3 out of 4 stars