Empire Review: Birds in the Cage (Season 4 Episode 10)

On Empire Season 4, Epsiode 10, “Birds in the Cage,” the show solidifies itself as much more than a prime time soap opera.

Empire is back and leaner than ever. Although music and fashion are still present, “Birds in the Cage” is cutting decidedly closer to the core.

The best way I can think to describe it is that the drama is giving way to trauma.

“Birds in the Cage” seems to be signaling a more mature Empire. Still with the glitz, of course.

And the music. Even in a more muted epsiode we still get a few scenes that are pure music video (though I can’t decide if Tori is purposefully ripping off Britney, or if her ‘Stronger’ is just lazy writing).

The DuBois are gone but have left broken Lyons in their wake.

Their struggles, though, are mired in their past traumas. Each Lyon son is fighting to take hold of his life. That they resolve to work together on these pursuits is truly touching.

Lucious, too, is fighting demons — his just take the form of a literal psycho. Claudia is an, admittedly, more dramatic element of “Birds in the Cage,” but even so she doesn’t manage to fully push the show over the cliff into the absurd.

Even her noise/light torture creates a horror-film-like lunacy that I don’t hate.

Certainly we don’t want Empire completly void of glamorized drama.

In all the darkness and despair of “Birds in the Cage” Cookie emerges as the hero.

Cookie is not broken.

Cookie is not to be caged.

She simply won’t allow it. Although she has her fair share of trauma, she has only grown stronger.

When she encourages Claudia to “do it… do your work, bitch” with a knife to her throat we are shown for sure that Cookie is whole.

Through a life of tragedy and betrayal, Cookie has been whittled down  to her core — she’s distilled to who she really is.

I love it.

She’s learned to rely on, and trust, herself; as evidenced by her “come on, Cookie” incantation.

I sincerely hope this Cookie isn’t going anywhere.

Becky, too, is being tested. She’s pregnant and doesn’t want to be.

Her frank admission to Porsha that she “just never saw ‘mother’ as a job for me” is breathtakingly direct about something women are rarely allowed to feel in real life — let alone on prime time television.

A pregnant woman, no less.

We don’t yet know where this is going, but it’s safe to say that Empire is heading into uncharted territory.

I’m hopeful that Empire will handle this as throughtfully as it’s handled issues like gun violence and racism in the past.

In fact, all of “Birds in the Cage” makes me hopeful for a strong second half of season 4.

 

What did you think of this episode of Empire? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Empire airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!