EMPIRE: SINS OF THE FATHER (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, the family – minus Lucious – visits Andre at a private mental health clinic and meets his music therapist, Michelle. Cookie initially dismisses his bipolar diagnosis as "white people problems," but then learns about his first breakdown during college while she was in prison. Lucious reveals to Vernon that he intends to re-marry Cookie and raise Lola with her, and Vernon signs away some of his company shares when Lucious calls him out on attempting a coup. Malcolm tells Cookie that he will "keep his distance," feeling that his feelings for her have crossed a line, but she makes it clear that she too is interested. Jamal records a song about Lola and tells Ryan that he wants to raise her himself, though Ryan is not interested in being a co-parent. Elsewhere, Olivia's abusive ex Reg tracks her down and demands to be taken to Lola. Camilla takes further steps in taking over Hakeem's career, and Andre refuses to leave the hospital, telling Rhonda that she is now his proxy in signing over his shares of Empire.
Lola tells Jamal about her nightmares, and he invites her to live with him, promising to care for her. Lucious makes Cookie the new head of A&R in Anika's place, and she informs him that he will go through with the tribute concert after all. Jamal tells Lucious of his intentions, though Lucious objects to Lola growing up around "that kind of lifestyle," and in the past, Lucious angrily orders Rhonda and the others to keep Andre's mental illness a secret. Cookie and Malcolm's flirtation continues, and Hakeem brings Camilla to the official paper-signing gathering and announces that she is helping him to create a new sound, as heard in his new song "Nothing But a Number." In response, Lucious demands that Camilla leave his son's life forever and tries to pay her off, though she rejects his money and vows to return to Hakeem upon Lucious' death. Hakeem and Jamal entertain Lola with a song and Rhonda arrives without Andre, informing Lucious that she does not actually come from wealth and has always known the value of hard work. She then finds that Lucious has diluted his sons' shares in order to give Cookie more in an attempt to buy her loyalty, and Vernon then arrives with Olivia and Reg. At the hospital, Michelle invites Andre to pray with her when music fails to comfort him, and Lucious is angered to realize that Vernon has resumed using drugs.
Hakeem discovers that his father has gotten rid of Camilla, and Jamal realizes that Reg is the true source of Lola's fears. Reg then pulls a gun and threatens Jamal for interfering with "his woman," but Lucious then reveals that he took advantage of Olivia's unhappiness with Jamal and is Lola's true father. Reg grabs Cookie as a hostage, and Lucious confesses his various sins against his family members and urges Reg to shoot him instead, but Malcolm then returns and kills Reg. Later, Olivia explains to Jamal that she abandoned Lola with him to save her from Reg, and the family bids farewell to Lola as she leaves with her mother. Lucious then tells Cookie that he is now all the more determined not to lose her, but Cookie, disgusted that he had yet another affair with his own son's wife, informs him that he is simply afraid of dying alone and rejoins Malcolm instead. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: FOX
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:01
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 121892
- 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
- Wendy Calhoun … Co-Executive Producer
- Sanaa Hamri … Co-Executive Producer
- David Rambo … 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
- Rob Hardy … Director
- Eddie Gonzalez … Writer
- Jeremy Haft … Writer
- 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
- Derek Luke … Cast, Malcolm Deveaux
- Naomi Campbell … Cast, Camilla Marks
- Jennifer Hudson … Cast, Michelle White
- Raven-Symoné … Cast, Olivia Lyon
- Mary J. Blige … Cast, Angie
- Jerod Haynes … Cast, Reg
- Eka Darville … Cast, Ryan Morgan
- Antoine McKay … Cast, Bunkie Williams
- Leah Jeffries … Cast, Lola Lyon
- David Girolmo … Cast, Dr. Sirak
- Kathy Searle … Cast, Shelly Jaworski
- Sam Porretta … Cast, Andre's Doctor
- Danny Martinez … Cast, Ed
- Deron J. Powell … Cast, Engineer
- Ryan Robinson … Cast, Young Hakeem