Empire Review: Fires of Heaven (Season 2 Episode 3)
In this week’s episode of Empire, “Fires of Heaven,” Cookie comes out on top. At least for me. Spoiler’s ahead.
I can deal with a lot when it comes to Lucious. I can handle his battle with his family. I can handle his drama with Cookie. I can even handle his ruthless violence. What I can’t handle is his treatment of Andre. I really hoped that Andre going to Lucious to tell him about the baby would fix things. Andre has apologized so many times. It is so cruel of Lucious to act like he’s excited and then to kick Andre out. I want to believe that Lucious isn’t a complete monster, but his continued refusal to forgive his son is starting to make me hate him. And yes, I know Lucious keeps having flashbacks where Kelly Roland is his mom and she’s crazy, but I don’t care. He needs to step up and be a father.
Despite his refusal to forgive Andre, who has apologized and asked to come back to Empire so many times, Lucious gives everyone else the chance for all to be forgiven. All they have to do is shut down Lyon Dynasty and come back.
Obviously, this is not something Cookie wants to do. When Lucious proposes this, Cookie reminds us all why she is his perfect match. Instead of wavering, she calmly pulls the runner off of the dinner table, sending food, dishes, candles, etc., crashing to the floor. I love her.
I love her even more when she learns about Empire’s next big party and decides to crash it in the most epic way possible. I mean, if you are going to crash a party, you should definitely get a smoke machine and wear a gold Egyptian queen ensemble. Very well executed, Cookie.
Side note: if you aren’t already doing so, I would strongly suggest watching the party guests dancing during scenes like this. Some of them are truly hilarious.
But back to family dynamics… Lucious desperately wants to sign Freda (perhaps he feels guilty about the time he had her dad killed?) but Jamal can’t make it happen. Jamal is also upset because he thinks Lucious isn’t paying attention to him as an artist. He even considers going to Cookie to ask her to produce him. But, Lucious gets wind of this and says he needs a “God” to produce him. Of course, Lucious means Lucious. I’m so annoyed that he eases up on Jamal so quickly. He’s so unfairly hard on Andre.
He’s also goes pretty easy on Hakeem even though he’s still with Lyon Dynasty. I am, however, really bummed that our girl group is over before it even really began. The push to get them ready in three days is pretty hilarious. However, Lucious steps in and buys all the radio stations (or something?) and steals Valentina away. Such a let down.
The only kid Lucious seems willing to really go to bat for is Freda. He even risks going back to prison when he steps in and stops her from shooting some random person during a random rap battle. I’m guessing Freda is going to be even more of a handful than Valentina.
Despite the fact that Lucious now controls important radio stations (and has stolen back yet another artist), Cookie is the winner of this week’s drama for me. And it all comes down to her attitude with her sons. There is one thing Cookie is better at than Lucious, and it’s putting family first. She’s willing to fight dirty, but she’s still there for all of her kids, no matter which side they are currently on. This makes me like her as a person, sure, but it also makes me feel like she just might come out on the top in the end. If Lucious alienates everyone he just may run out of tricks.
Empire is huge this season. The celebrity cameos keep coming (Pitbull showed up this week), the new songs keep coming, the drama keeps coming… I’m loving it all.
What do you think about “Fires of Heaven?” Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Empire airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Fox.
Amanda Coyne
Amanda is an associate editor for Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer, teacher, and pop culture enthusiast with a love for 30 Rock and The Mindy Project. She is also the proud mother of two orange cats. Follow @amandarcoyne