EMPIRE: THE LYON'S ROAR (TV)
Summary
One in this musical drama series about the members of the morally grey Lyon family and their struggles for control of the prestigious Empire Entertainment company in New York. In this episode, in a flashback, Cookie bids a sad farewell to her sons as she prepares to be sentenced in court. In the present, she urges Lucious to get rid of Anika, promising that she herself will make him "immortal" with a tribute album and documentary, and he readily agrees. Jamal and Hakeem put aside their differences and agree to collaborate on a family song for their parents' sakes, and they soon ahead to the studio to re-record Lucious' old song, "You're So Beautiful," as Andre watches unhappily. Lucious hires filmmaker Ryan Morgan to shoot the documentary, but Anika then confronts him about enticing her father to commit fraud and about sleeping with Cookie, and he hastily agrees to marry her the following weekend to prove his love for her. Andre schemes with Vernon to have himself voted "interim CEO," and he and Rhonda prepare to seduce a certain board member to secure her vote. Cookie and Hakeem again butt heads in the studio, and Hakeem finally admits that he resents his mother's authoritative presence in his life because of her long absence and clear preference for Jamal, but she tells him that she merely does not know him well yet.
Ryan flirts with Jamal and states that he is unconcerned about Lucious' reaction to his sexuality, and Cookie and Lucious continue their affair in the recording booth. Camilla gives Andre an elegant suit for the upcoming white party, and when he promises to take her as his date, she tells him that his verse should appear last in the song to highlight his importance. Rhonda and Andre are disturbed when the elderly man she is meant to entice, Mr. Blakely, comments that Stephen Hawking has survived many years with ALS and has maintained his intelligence, and Rhonda makes it clear that she is tired of "their games." Hakeem requests to be put "on a pedestal" with the final verse, and while on a date, Ryan urges Jamal to finally come out, saying that he should not be ashamed of his true self. Jamal bonds with Lola as they sing together, and Andre is stunned when Lucious himself refuses to vote for him for interim CEO. At the white party, Jamal is stunned to find that his parents have secretly resumed their romance and warns Cookie that Lucious loves no one but himself. Lucious then arrives with Anika and informs Cookie that he is marrying her after all, but Cookie then tells Anika of her second sexual encounter with Lucious, pointing out that he is not to be trusted.
Cookie meets Camilla and bluntly voices her disapproval of their age difference, stating that she is exploiting Hakeem's "mother issues," and Camilla orders Hakeem not to perform the family song. Jamal too wants to forgo the group performance, but Lucious urges him to focus on the music itself and "tell his truth" with it, so Jamal takes the stage and sings "You're So Beautiful" – but changes the lyrics to a defiant coming-out statement. The media reacts with great excitement to his "audacious" choice, and Lucious confronts Vernon and Andre, telling his son that he has never trusted him. Andre is sure that his father scorns his lack of talent, but Lucious informs him that he will never be accepted in white society even with his prestigious education, and Andre descends further into suicidal despair. Hakeem praises Jamal's bravery, and a resentful Anika pays a visit to Beretti. Cookie and Lucious' rekindled passion comes to an end as she calls him out on his lies and adds that Jamal's coming-out has had no negative backlash whatsoever, and Lucious bitterly states that he will not participate with the tribute album and film after all. Cookie sadly recalls her time in prison, remembering how her love for her family allowed her to survive the long stretch. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: FOX
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 121890
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Drama; Families
- SERIES RUN: Fox - TV series, 2015-2020
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Francie Calfo … Executive Producer
- Brian Grazer … Executive Producer
- Ilene Chaiken … Executive Producer
- Lee Daniels … Executive Producer, Created by
- Danny Strong … Executive Producer, Created by, Director, Writer
- David Rambo … Co-Executive Producer
- Wendy Calhoun … Co-Executive Producer
- Sanaa Hamri … Co-Executive Producer
- Loucas George … Producer
- Malcolm Spellman … Co-Producer
- Attica Locke … Co-Producer
- Ashley Contino … Associate Producer
- Timbaland … Executive Music Producer
- Jim Beanz … Music Producer
- The Math Club … Music Producer
- Knitwit … Music Producer
- Tariq Beats … Music Producer
- Fil Eisler … Music by
- Terrence Howard … Cast, Lucious Lyon
- Bryshere Y. Gray … Cast, Hakeem Lyon
- Jussie Smollett … Cast, Jamal Lyon
- Trai Byers … Cast, Andre Lyon
- Grace Gealey … Cast, Anika Calhoun
- Malik Yoba … Cast, Vernon Turner
- Kaitlin Doubleday … Cast, Rhonda Lyon
- Taraji P. Henson … Cast, Cookie Lyon
- Naomi Campbell … Cast, Camilla Marks
- Eka Darville … Cast, Ryan Morgan
- M. Emmet Walsh … Cast, Harold Blakeley
- Leah Jeffries … Cast, Lola Lyon
- Rada Portzer … Cast, Janet Blakeley
- Reggie Baker … Cast, Ralph Anderson
- Yanis Kalnins … Cast, Carl Johnson
- Andre Teamer … Cast, Barry Richardson
- James Earl Jones II … Cast, Marcus Mitchell
- Doug MacKechnie … Cast, Server
- Antonia Arcely … Cast, Bailiff
- Ben Chang … Cast, Doorman
- Alex Henderson … Cast, Young Andre
- Genis Wooten … Cast, Young Jamal