Okay, I just finished watching last week’s episode of Empire. I love this show which is why I don’t recap it and save it to watch when I have a chance to take an hour away from the blog. I know y’all wanted a place to talk about the show, so here you go.
First of all, while I do love this show, there are some things that just seem to come out of no where. The writing seems all over the place. It is like the writer didn’t realize the show was going to blow up so rather than just going with the original outline of the show, now they are changing things up and bringing in big name singers. I hate when shows or companies try to fix things are not broken.
Now it seems they are trying to sell music on iTunes. I love me some Jussie Smollett. We have seen him show up here and there in bit parts on network dramas, and it is great that he is getting his big break but I don’t need to have the music played over and over on every episode. It should be handled more like Nashville, the songs stand on their own and at the end of episode, they tell you where to go download them. It makes me like the songs less.
On this episode, I think Cookie took it too easy on Naomi Campbell’s character. That cougar needed to be handled. But, I guess she has more serious issues at the moment. 
Why hasn’t Andre’s wife made an appointment for him? She has seen him sliding off the rails for weeks. She’s gonna wait for a suicide attempt before she does anything?
Am I supposed to know anything about this whole Billy Beretti situation? Because next week everyone is drawing weapons and shit and I didn’t realize it was all that serious.
Luscious is just all over the damn place. Is he trying to bring his family together in a family business to honor his legacy after he dies? Or is he pitting his boys together urging them to fight to the finish for the privilege of running the company? Does he want the boys to make their songs their own and sing from the heart? Or to pretend to be something they are not? His is rampant homophobia (in the entertainment business of all places) supposed to be accepted as just the stereotypical black homophobic father as referenced by Jamal and his new (very hot) love interest? Or is there something deeper going on there? I am not really bothered by his two timing ways as part of his storyline, but I am bothered that Anika is suddenly a devious hobag when all season long we have seen her taking care of him and clearly deeply in love with him. Sure I can see her going all scorched earth on Luscious eventually, but not after a couple of romps with Cookie that she had to have seen coming from three miles away.
And what happened to the whole Cookie is working with the Feds storyline? Is that not a thing anymore?
Andre is another character who isn’t fleshed out. Are they going to kill him? How does it make sense that Luscious doesn’t trust him because he went to college and married a white girl yet the dude is covering up a murder for his father?
Shouldn’t Luscious be trying to be a father to these boys before he dies? Speaking of the boys, how did Hakeem’s balls suddenly descend since last episode? Hakeem was the kid who is drinking and fucking and lacking ambition and had no serious ties to his family last week. But this week, he was cool with Jamal and supportive of him. He was cool with his mom and the three of them are a happy family. What brought that on? Did I miss an episode where he got some counseling from an older male who convinced him to grow a sack and be a man?
I am looking forward to tonight’s episode. It looks like all three brothers may be brawling in an elevator. So much for the happy brotherhood ? Anika seems disposable at this point. Will someone take her out? What is Cookie’s end game? Does she want the family back together like the show’s ending suggests? Or is gaining control of Empire more important?
I think we can assume that Luscious won’t be dying on any episodes of any upcoming seasons. But if he did, who should get the CEO role in the company?
Okay. I’m ready. Hit me with all of your thoughts!
As we say in Trini, ‘Bacchanal!!’
LOL!!! My mother is Trini… bacchanal, indeed!
Trinis on TT’s blog…look trouble now!
This show is my favorite thing since Single Ladies. Love the fashions! Cookie went away for 17 years, came out rocking all those animal prints and giving Gucci free advertising.
Boo-boo kitty and the Cougar are in for trouble. Which mother wouldn’t want Naomi for a daughter-in-law, age factor aside. Dre has more than bipolar. Something no blowjob-bib could cure. Not since waist-trainers have I wanted something so badly. QVC needs to get on it.
Jamal’s high emotional IQ and Hakeem’s grit would make them a powerful team. Cookie could become the face of the company. She could marry the security guy or even Malik (Vernon – who chose that name for his character). Sounds like that creepy, old uncle. Uncle Vernon.
“You’re so beautiful” is my ringtone. DH said stop singing it to the chirren. Mind you, caught him singing it in the shower.
Hahahah nah Naomi is trouble!! She is trying to make Hakeem into the man she wants for herself! A high profile powerful man emphasis on MAN!!! He’s not ready yet don’t worry cookie gonna beat her with her animal print!! Hakeem has mommy issues which is why he is always taking orders from the cougar! I didn’t know Naomi had all those skills though!! I love everything about Jamal!! I think I prefer cookie single with all the sexual tension with she and lucious and security guy!! Vernon is trouble!! He is the fixer for the company but he is fixing himself too!! Watch him screw over Andre and try to take over! Speaking of Andre he and his wife saw opportunity in each other but she is tired of the sex games and covering for his mental incapacity! Gosh I feel for him because he doesn’t compare with his brothers! Lucious is a had man and his favourite is clearly Hakeem!
I am no fan of Naomi Campbell, but I will say this is her first acting role and she is fantastic in it.
On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 10:57 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Yes she truly is! Pleasantly surprised!! She really is owning that role! I wonder if she will pelt a phone at cookie in their final showdown?
I totally agree with you TT. Naomi is impressing me with her acting. Most models can’t successfully make that transition to acting, but she’s doing a great job! I’m so surprised. I’m trying to think of model (Female) who has made that transition to acting. All the ones I can think of bombed. Great acting is when you can’t tell they’re acting and boy she is playing that role. Definitely cut out for her.
I love Empire!!!!
Initially, I was not even remotely interested in watching this show. I thought it would be more of the same bs and that I could watch Power and be just as happy. I’ve discovered that this show is truly a treasure, however, you are right when you say it seems they’ve changed the original (possibly awesome) storyline that it seems was originally being developed. They’ve already been greenlit for season 2 so we’ll have to watch and see. I hope they don’t ruin this like how I think Ryan Murphy ruins AHS with fan comments etc. as he watches the ratings climb. Your job is to entertain me, that doesn’t always equate to giving me what I want….
Sadly, I think that is exactly what is happening. I have no idea why writers would listen to us about what to do. I’d like to think they have thought past the next episode and were not just making shit up as they go along.
I appreciated that you quickly give me the tea with or without spelling errors. But I wish commenters would spell LL’s name L U C I O U S —
as in the devil, lol.
autocorrect changes it. I finally gave up.
On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 10:25 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Little King!! So sooooo true. In the tv & movies business it’s NEVR about giving us what we WANT, it’s about giving us what WE NEED.
That’s their job, that’s what made the first couple episodes of Empire SO DAMN GOOD. Tonight’s episode? Wtf? What happened? Cookie actually bored me to death! Where’s her awesome dialogue? Where’s her one liners? Anika can suk dik for all I care I’m glad she’s with Beretti & she can stay there. I just can’t WAIT for Cookie to hook up with the security guy! Taraji is so damn good I love her. She’s the star of the show IMO.
Looking forward to Andre’s story next week, I was wondering what all the effin pills were about, we get to see WHY. His breakdown was so sad 🙁
His wife needs to go too, she’s boring.
I rly need more Cookie & her assistant Porsha lol they’re my comic relief.
I feel as though this show is a lot like Nashville in certain ways — you can enjoy the characters, the music, the relationships, but you can’t think too much about the holes in the plot, and you just have to suspend disbelief fot the duration.
I’m enjoying Empire and I agree the character development does seem loose.
I hate that they gave Lucsious ALS. I like Terence Howard and want him on the show long term.
I completely agree. The show is entertaining but there are too many things going on, the story line is all over the place. The killer part is that I think each character could have a show all on their own, each is definitely interesting enough to hold my attention, but all together it can be a bit much at times. The writing just doesn’t always seem that sophisticated nor do they do continuity well. Hopefully it will improve with time.
WOO HOO!!!
Andre and his wife has been scheming against his father and the “Empire” all season. I think Luscious has always known what he was up to with that white she devil but did not say anything because his son is a smart business man, helps runs his company and he loves him.
Anika is pissed because Luscious only proposed to her to get her father to sign off on Luscious clean bill of health, which he needed in order to go public. Plus he’s screwing Cookie… so she’s just a woman scorned. We knew she had it in her, especially after she drugged Courtney Love’s character.
I think Cookie and Niamoi Campbell will have more run ins, but it was a public setting and they didn’t need the tabloids gossiping. I like what Cookie said to her and even though I absolutely hate that little boy sleeping with an old lady, I hope it will explain his terrible attitude and why he feels comfort in her bosome and not his momma’s. Hakeem certainly did not grow up between episodes but in this one he was not around his friends or Tiana, he may have had a fresher outlook on his life, and not just putting on a show for the peanut gallery..
I love all story lines with Jamal, I can really listen to him sing all day. His scenes make the most sense except for the child….why is a child annoying me?? I love how he finally decided to come out…I was very excited!!
Conclusion, Cookie and Luscious will be together and she will become the head of the empire. Jamal is going to sell hit after hit. Hakeem is going to become an addict or drunk and no one will be able to rescue him from his life but his momma. Andre is going to go bat shit crazy and spend some time in a mental institution…then divorce his wife once he realizes you don’t need a bib to get your peen sucked.
HAHA! I love your show vision…especially why Andre finally leaves Rhonda…
Luscious having ALS long term was foreshadowed by the delightful dinner where Andre’s wife puked in her plate. The host asked if the couple had seen The Theory of Everything, and Andre’s wife only perked up when she found out that Hawking had been living with ALS for nearly 50 years. Most ALS patients succumb much earlier, within 5 – 7 years, depending on what type they have. Or, in true soapy fashion, it could turn out he was misdiagnosed. That would another incredulous plot twist, but hey, as you said, there are holes you can drive a truck through already. What’s one more? Thanks for recapping, TT.
I only wish my friends w/ALS had lasted 5 years. It’s an insidious disease.
All I can say is Terrance Howard is so hot! Damn!
Yes, ma’am! That is why I cannot watch Empire. He does things to me. Whew!
I love this show! One of my favorite parts was the first episode where Andre’s wife literally puts on a bib to give him a bj!!! Hahahha
I love cookie! She’s the best 🙂
Cookie should be the CEO.
Cookie is fantastic. Love Terrence Howard, he’s perfect for the role of Luscious. I was getting double messages on the last episode because everyone was playing so nice nice, but it all went to hell fairly quickly. Cookie got jilted but it seems her shrugging it off was totally in character. I do believe Cookie will take over running Empire for a time, Luscious will probably spend some time in a wheel chair then make a miraculous recovery to reclaim his position. Anika seems like she might be an early casualty of the show. I was so surprised there was no video of her putting drugs in Courtney Love’s drink. But there might still be. They’re all pretty good actors and this is the most entertaining show I love to watch. The writing I think is purposely fast and loose as all nightime soaps are like Dynasty. The blurred lines make you easily forget but who cares. The show was meant to be like Nashville where you can download the tunes but I read that they purposely take the viewers from the song creation and production in hopes of them connecting to the songs better and buying of course. They want to sell music. I love the menagerie of stars parading by. Can’t wait for Jennifer Hudson. May it have many, many seasons to come. Thanks TT for being on board for Empire. Good TV.
I love Empire and I, too, am glad TT is here for recaps!
Empire is the show we’ve been waiting for. The Black people need our own Game of Thrones. Great homes, no maid characters, fabulous clothes, pretty women not all of which are light skinned, bad cars….I f’ing love it. I agree that they didn’t expect this show to blow up so the character development is loose. Too bad OWN didn’t see this one coming. Oprah are you reading this? Somebody in casting call Diahann Carroll RIGHT NOW!
It’s so strange that they don’t seem to be particularly interested in finding Jamal’s baby’s mama. Leaving a little one in a big Manhattan office building should make anyone think that something disastrous happened. And isn’t Jamal interested in a DNA test at least,since he knew nothing about this child, and had sex with her mother only once??
Then how did they get a tricked out bedroom for the little girl, complete with pink paint in just two days??
That said, I LOVE the show… and all of the sets are gorgeous!
I thought about that for a minute too.
Then I remembered how it was my job once to setup a tricked out corporate apartment for the president of a MAJA fashion label (I was his assistant, my first job) and I did that in 3 days.
MONEY TALKS. That, having a driver, dropping his name & private shoppers.
Lucious is FILTHY RICH. Think Diddy, Jay Z wealth. Beyonce could have a tricked out kids room in a day too,
Taraji Henson and Terrance Howard. No better casting, ever. Love the show, love the bad boy Luscious thing, Cookie’s Yoko comment was brilliant.
This show looked very promising to me in the beginning, and I do like it, but it gets more difficult to like each week.
Why? There is really no one to empathize with/root for. With the sole exception of Jamal, every last character on the show is completely amoral and soulless; each week they sink to new lows to achieve their ends. Jamal seems to at least have a moral compass, but he’s pretty weak and wishy-washy. I can tell we are meant to root for Cookie, but she’s no better than any of the others (remember a couple weeks ago when she put out a hit on that guy and it turned out to be a mistake? So…oops…I guess? And now she’s a murderer too!)
Along with the other problems with the writing mentioned already, this is what stands out most to me. From a dramatic structure standpoint, there needs to be some good to be versus the evil. This can shift as time goes on (villains can be redeemed, heroes can go bad) but it needs to exist so the audience can empathize and to provide structure for storylines going forward.
I agree.
On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 8:01 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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Boo Boo Kitty is in some deep Doo Doo.
and why is no one keeping an eye on the bipolar dude who is off his meds?
On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 9:11 PM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
> I agree. > > On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 8:01 PM, Tamara Tattles [email protected]> wrote: > >>
I *think* that they are going to redeem the first son’s wife, the blond chick. I’m also hoping that head of security will be a good person and a more central figure. However, I agree that the entire family has no moral compass.
Some of cookies fashions are absolutely stunning that red dress she had on in one episode I need that in my closet
I beyond Love every second of show
But all eight episodes were shot and in the can before the pilot aired, no?
Oops, TT…that reply was supposed to be under your comment about the writers responding to fan input. Oh well.
OH MY! I love this show and your assessments…
I too wish that the music was done more like the music on Nashville, I’ve found some tunes that I’ve loved on there, but it’s not as much like here, listen, buy…that could be a Timbaland strategy for getting his stuff purchased, it is distracting.
Billy Berriti, I believe is the guy that Lucious screwed over to get his company off the ground…I think he initially signed Lucious to deal or something of that nature…so bad blood and Anika (who I’m ready to be killed off or something) knows that.
Cookie gave up the goods, I guess the Feds are done with her?
I’m not sure what Lucious’ game is. I love the talk he had with Hakeem asking him to tell his mama why he was mad. That was necessry, but other than that coversation, he’s not much of a parent and he’s not offering too much guidance or help for the future…this is a place where the story gives me pause…
Vernon also is a story that I’m not sure about, he seems like an insider, but he seems like an insider that’s an outsider, maybe he’s keeping his self on the outs because of a personal agenda…I don’t buy his and Andre’s relationship.
Girl! I could go on and on, I love this show. One last question, where is Tiana? I mean Cookie was her manager, Cookie doesn’t seem the type to just let money run through her hands…what’s up with that? and I’m sad about Courney Love’s turn, I hope she comes back and they nail Anika’s ass!!
Oh and when are Jamal and Hakeem gonna talk about the shooting? They started off so close…
Agreed. It shocked the shit out of them that this became a monster hit so soon. The writers need to start from scratch and build on the foundation but shore up the storylines. The stories are there but are so fragmented and disconnected it is tough to watch for those of us that need more than sex and music. I have been in from the beginning but if they don’t start connecting the dots I fear they will lose the viewers 40 and up, a key demo in Neilson. Keeping my fingers crossed because I really like the characters. Gabby S needs to go and Malik Yoba desperately needs a storyline.
I haven’t watched this yet. I’m too hooked on reruns of “The Walking Dead”. I know…I know. But I like that show.
I love this show too. Jamal is my favorite. I don’t like boo boo kitty. I don’t like bipolar dude either. I live when Cookie enters the room.
I’m sure they included the dinner scene where they talked about Steven Hawkins so they could use his survival of the disease as how Lucious survives somehow. He is to much of a key character to die off I would imagine. Love me some Jamal. He’s a cutie and his voice is intoxicating. I like seeing the guest stars but I agree that they have a lot if them. It is sometimes hard to keep up with all of their story lines. Still this is my favorite show on now.
Cookie testified for the feds already about 3 episodes back and thats all they wanted…. Hakeem and Cookie have been rebuilding since Luscious announced his ALS. I dont think luscious has ALS… I think Anika was poisoning him.
I saw that Cookie testified. To me that was one of the storylines that they just abandoned. It was a whole lot of build up for her to just testify and nothing happen.
@kim, Me too! I told my hubby the same thing!! Love this show!
I hope Cookie and the security dude hook up. He is very phine chocolate. Love this show and it is a nice diversion from the HW shows. Love all of the characters.
52 year old, hormone patch wearin, southern grandma here who would have her uterus put back to have lil tiny jussie babies….. whew…. that young man is some kinda hot…….just saying lol
@lovinlife63, I feel you! I have that same kind of ‘crush’ on Pharrell. I will surely go to hell, but I’m sorry I can’t help it. I (we) am/are dirty old women, lol.
I’m not sure I believe Pharrell is real yet. He is sort of like the Prince of this generation. He’s sexy as hell yet effeminate (which I usually do not care for) and seems so….trustworthy (which makes me suspicious).
On Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 11:08 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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I am so excited! Thank you TT for recapping Empire. I love it!
Woke up sick & abandoned all hope of accomplishing any work today. Instead binge watched the entire series. Love it! True, some plot lines get lost but the whole juicy stew is absolutely delish!
I came late to the party but I am loving this show! It’s wonderful to see wonderful Black actors get roles that they can sink their talented teeth into…
The characters are certainly more authentic than any others on network TV. The depiction of the music business and the people in it is spot on!
The writing issues will resolve over time as they will have a chance to go more deeply into who these people really are!
If nothing else, they have given us Cookie… A strong woman who is black and proud of it… And doesn’t take shit from anyone! Olivia Pope could learn a few things from her.
Wait, so Olivia Pope isn’t black enough for you? Is it the lack of prison time? Because it would seem to me that Olivia Pope is running the capital city of the United States and banging the POTUS and Cookie is a convicted drug dealer, who just murder someone while trying to retake a record label. Is that what strong black women are?
On Sun, Mar 8, 2015 at 11:29 AM, Tamara Tattles wrote:
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