Previously on Empire... Rhonda's fine.
but the baby didn't make it.
RHONDA: God doesn't exist. If He did,
the baby would still be here.
Dwight Walker, that's my real name.
If you win an ASA against your father,
you're on your way to being legendary.
JAMIESON: Jamal's got a girlfriend and all.
LUCIOUS: He didn't tell you?
I'm still gay. Well, then what are you screwing Skye for?
As the new chairman of this board,
I am turning over my proxy
to my wife, while I'm undergoing
chemo and radiation.
What would you say if I made you CEO of Empire?
But you need to get rid of your little
Mexican girlfriend first.
I told you, I think I'm in love with her. I love you.
I will stop at nothing to take my company back.
I ain't got to do what you want.
Cookie has her own company under Empire
And that's ridiculous.
I want to be head of A&R, for all of Empire.
Ma, you got yourself a deal.
I'm going to take Camilla out from the inside.
You got 48 hours.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Empire's new CEO, Hakeem Lyon.
(applause)
What's up, y'all?
Let me just say, before we start this meeting,
that I'm very excited to be
the new Chief Executive Officer of Empire Enterprises.
Thank y'all for coming.
This company was kicked off by my parents,
and we will keep it in my family bloodline.
Starting with my mother, Cookie Lyon,
she will be leading with her creative direction,
as our new head of A&R for all of Empire,
and our sub-label, Lyon Dynasty.
My brother Andre's been doing a great job
as Chief Financial Officer,
making sure we don't go broke. (reporters chuckling)
You know, I'm going to keep him in that position.
And he's going to continue to be
the President of Gutter Life Records.
And the big news is that my brother Jamal's
going to step aside as vice-chairman,
and he's going to focus on his Black and White album,
and focus on his seven ASA nominations.
Congratulations, bro.
So, we have some time for some questions.
REPORTER: Hakeem... plan to take the company
in a new direction?
Well, I plan to continue on keeping the company
as the dominant, most relevant,
most innovative music company
on the face of the planet.
You.
Excuse me, you never mentioned Lucious.
Who's Lucious?
Um, Lucious is focusing
on his music right now.
In addition to producing
his half of Jamal's Black and White album,
he's also prepping a video for his number one hit,
"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom."
Hakeem, will Empire be underwriting this video?
Considering everything that's happened between
you and your father.
Did you just hear what she said?
"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom" has been nominated for a ASA.
Okay, now, Lucious has been a big part of this company,
and Empire will always support Lucious Lyon.
Thank y'all for coming.
Yes, thank you for coming. Thanks.
Right this way, everyone.
Now, Ma, how many times I got to tell you,
that you got to back off
and you got to let me do what I need to do.
Boy, you better do what we discussed,
if you want to stay alive,
let alone stay on as CEO.
(sighs)
♪ ♪
So cut to Madison Square Garden, the tournament scene.
I'm talking about more than a thousand extras.
And when Richard banishes Bolingbroke...
Who's playing the role of Bolingbroke in the video?
Oh, my girl, Freda Gatz over there.
Hey, Freda.
Say, "hi" to Harper Scott.
She's from Q&A News.
Oh, Lucious, you are not subtle,
are you?
Only when I want to be.
Look, what's your angle on this article, anyway?
Richard II is about a deposed king,
violently trying to take back his throne
from a weak usurper.
So should we expect violence?
LUCIOUS: I mean, stylized violence.
More Jon Woo we were thinking than, than Tarantino.
In real life, though.
What are you prepared to do to get your company back
from your son Hakeem?
I won't have to do a damn thing, sweetheart.
I predict in three months,
they're going to come crawling back to me,
the same what that Apple
came crawling back to Steve Jobs, sweetie.
So, Mimi Whiteman
and her wife?
(laughs) Look, we-we going to get them
a real nice, uh, wedding present.
You know, a couple of dildos.
The way Camilla Marks came for you,
it seemed personal.
Lady, you're just trying to find a story
where there isn't one.
All right, baby, our business is done.
You didn't see it coming, did you?
It's... You heard the man.
Let's go.
Look, bitch, I'm from South Philly,
I see everything coming,
from every direction.
Leave that, sweetheart. Let's go.
♪ Lie, cheat, steal, fight ♪
♪ Just to get on for the night ♪
♪ I'll do anything for the power ♪
♪ La, la, la, lie, cheat, steal, fight ♪
♪ Just to get on for the night ♪
♪ I'll do anything for the power ♪
♪ I want everybody at attention ♪
♪ At attention ♪ ♪ You can call me Mr. Lyon ♪
♪ When I visit ♪ ♪ When I visit ♪
♪ If money is the root to all evil ♪
♪ You can see me ball, you'll never see me fall ♪
♪ 'Cause I got the... ♪
♪ Time of this ♪ ♪ Of this ♪
♪ Hot damn, it keep me focused ♪
♪ Keep me focused, keep me focused ♪
♪ My mind is a weapon ♪ ♪ Pow ♪
♪ I got to keep it loaded ♪
♪ Keep it loaded, keep it loaded ♪
♪ They all want to see you, whenever you make it ♪
♪ They all want to come, when your name in the papers ♪
♪ The more that you give 'em, the more that they take it ♪
♪ So you gotta remember to cover the bases for the ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ For the power ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ All for the power ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ For the power ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ All for the power ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ Of the Empire ♪
♪ Power ♪
♪ I'll do anything, for power ♪
♪ Of the Empire ♪
♪ Of-of-of the Empire ♪
♪ If money is the root to all evil ♪
♪ You can see me bow ♪
♪ People never see me fall ♪
♪ 'Cause I got the power. ♪
(cheering, applause)
Look, y'all, it's the dawn of a new empire here at Empire,
and I'm so psyched to have Empire's employees
from day one in the building-- make some noise.
(applause, cheering) I want y'all to check out something.
This our new logo.
(cheering)
♪ ♪
Hakeem did surprisingly well
at his little press conference, didn't he?
Wow, I mean, it's just insane.
There's no way that he can run a company as big as Empire.
Reverend Pryce says God has a plan for me.
I need to pay attention because... (clears throat)
he might want me to lead Empire,
or he might have something else in mind,
I don't know.
I need to tell you something,
and, and I know you don't believe in this stuff,
but I, I hope that you won't dismiss it out of hand.
What?
Baby...
I had a vision.
Oh...
What was your vision, babe?
Your fall down the stairs, it wasn't an accident.
(sighs): Oh... Honey, you didn't just fall.
Andre, please, don't do this, really.
I'm not doing anything, God is.
He's leading me, so I won't let this go.
He wants us to find out what or who... Who?
Who caused you to lose our child.
You're acting paranoid right now,
and that's a sign of a break.
I promise you I'm taking care of myself.
Are you? I am.
I'm taking my medication every single day, I am.
I'm just really worried about it, Andre, that's all.
I need you to trust me, okay? Okay, I trust you.
I need you to have faith.
Okay, well, I don't need faith.
That's for sure. Well, what do you need?
I just... I think I need to just get out of the house.
Honestly, I need to get back to work.
Okay, you want to go back to Whitney Lane?
I heard that Camilla was starting
a high-end fashion department at Empire, is that true?
Yeah.
"Antony and Cleopatra," in honor of her and Hakeem.
You're kidding me.
I wish I was, but...
Wow.
I just feel like I can't sit around wallowing
and feel sorry for myself.
So do you think that you could talk to Hakeem and ask him
if she would get me in there?
Sure, absolutely.
Thank you.
If...
Oh, God.
If... you do something for me.
What?
Come to church with me.
See Reverend Pryce for grief counseling.
I know it'll help you heal, Rhonda.
It'll help heal us.
Will you come?
THIRSTY: Uh, let's make sure the neighborhood knows
that we're coming to shoot a video.
Keep it clean. You got it.
Ms. Lyon,
Lucious is interviewing the video directors,
how about I show you around?
Uh, you don't need to show me around.
This is my place, punk.
Get your ass out of here.
LUCIOUS: Uh, Ms. Miles, please see him out.
Thank you for your time.
Why do you even... MS. MILES: Right this way.
All these new school directors are all the same,
a bunch of hacks.
Remember when you and I used to direct our own videos?
Yeah, well, that was back before
we had the generous support
of the head of Empire's A&R Department.
Show me your storyboard.
And you can go back
to being useless.
Stop wearing your granddaddy's suits.
Okay, so the good thing (Thirsty chuckling)
is old resting bitch face
is busy with her fashion company,
so she seems to be staying out of our business.
Meanwhile, I'm working on our plan to get her out of Empire.
You need to get rid of this.
Lose it. You don't need it.
Wait, w-wait, wait, that's my dream sequence.
Yeah, I know.
It's beautiful, but it's too much, I mean,
you're hiding behind all that fantasy.
Get rid of it. You don't need it.
The song's not about hiding.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, bang, bang, bang, bang.
Drop that. Trust me.
That's dope. Damn 'em.
You always were good, Cookie.
I know.
Okay...
(muttering) let me try your ears on something else.
(dramatic piano melody playing)
Mm!
Just piano. Yeah. It's hot.
Mm...
(music continues)
(chuckles)
(remote blips, lowers volume on music)
That's fire, Lucious.
I mean, I can hear the pain, the passion...
Yeah, you're doing some pretty decent work right there.
You mean that? Maybe.
(laughing) Seriously, that's
probably some of the best work
you've done in a long time.
Maybe that's the silver lining.
Maybe Hakeem did you a favor.
I can't wait to return the favor.
(wry laugh)
So how's Jamal doing? (knocking on door)
I got some bad news.
And not altogether surprising,
but, but, but bad nonetheless.
I should've seen it coming, I should have been ahead of it.
I'm sorry, I'm, I'm very sorry.
Are you okay, Andre?
I'm not okay, no.
I'm not okay. No.
Hey, wait, wait. Wh... what's the bad news?
Camilla cut the budget for your video.
She slashed it.
What?! She can't do that.
Oh, yes, she can.
Any outlay over $750,000
is subject to board approval.
She controls the board...
Well, not for long.
Hey! Thirsty!
No, uh, uh... n...
Thirsty! Lucious! Lucious.
You got to sit tight till Hakeem gets enough dirt on Mimi,
then Dre's ready to pounce.
(slaps wall)
(sighs)
Andre?
You okay, babe?
Yeah.
I'm a little worried you came back to work too soon.
(chuckles) You don't got to worry, Mama.
I'm good.
BECKY: Look, Crazy Camilla cannot stay in charge of Empire.
I really think that Lucious should just...
JAMAL: Becky, no, trust me.
Cookie put the fear of God in Hakeem.
Soon as he gets Camilla on tape admitting
that she and Mimi set Lucious up, we gonna be fine.
Jamal...!
Congratulations on all your ASA noms, Boo.
Aw, thank you so much.
Absolutely. Will you please sign these?
Yeah, no doubt.
What is this about?
See, we put you where you are,
so why did you decide to...
(music intro plays)
♪ You let the team down ♪
♪ She made the gays frown ♪
Come on, we should go. Let's go. Come on. Wait, wait...
♪ She shamed the wrong crowd ♪
♪ She make that thing go ♪
♪ Flip, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flippity, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flippity, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flippity, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flop ♪
♪ Flip, flippity, flop! ♪ BECKY: Come on, now!
That's not even his song, stupid.
JAMAL: Let's go.
Jamieson, you really expected me to believe
that you've never been caught, I don't know, whispering,
or holding hands with some d...
look at the picture of you and Chrissie Hynde.
Are you saying that you didn't hook up with Skye?
I'm saying that it's nobody's business, honestly.
I'm saying that I don't see
how the entire gay community can turn against me,
based on gossip and innuendo.
I'm sorry, it's not gossip and innuendo,
when it's your own father
who's out there bragging about it, Jamal.
My father?
Lucious is the one that told me
what a great thing it was
that you and Skye got busy.
Not just for you, but for your career.
He still thinks that being gay is a liability.
Jamieson, he did that on purpose.
Explain.
My father and I are nominated against
each other for the same category.
He's never won an ASA award before.
He wants it more than anything.
Even if it means sabotaging my chances.
I still can't believe he'd do that to me.
(kissing)
So how do you like being a girlfriend of a CEO?
Is that my official title?
We made it official the other night.
At least that's what I thought.
Me, too.
Check out the view.
Hakeem, I met with your sister-in-law today.
I'm prepared to hire her, so long as...
Who's this?
Laura Calleros, my singer in Mirage á Trois,
meet Camilla Marks.
Marks-Whiteman.
Camilla Marks-Whiteman,
wife of the Chairman of the Board of Empire.
See, Laura, she's here,
'cause she got a huge meeting with A&R downstairs.
And matter of fact, you should go downstairs,
so you won't be late.
Nice to meet you.
You got this.
What's up?
Didn't I tell you to get rid of her?
I can't, she's a big part of Empire.
She's pathetically in love with you.
So, you married-- what do you want from me?
What am I supposed to be, a side piece or something?
It's only a matter of time before my dear wife passes.
And did I mention she's going to leave her Empire shares to me?
And I've always imagined you and I,
whether we would dismantle this company or start a new one...
Dismantle it-- are you crazy?
I'm not here to do that.
I'm here to prove to everybody that I got this legit.
And that it's not just because of you.
I believe you'll be a brilliant CEO, Hakeem.
Didn't I tell you that you'll be king one day?
Yeah, you told me that.
Are you going to make me happy?
I want to, and I promise I'll try.
I certainly hope so,
after everything I've done for you.
You need to show her what again?
Well, I have a list of all the hotels
on the tour stops,
where Empire has special rates.
I think you better give me that and let me show her.
Well, I'm going to tell her, bitch.
Cookie, I got some info for you.
She didn't get it, I did.
That's my tablet, Cookie.
Look, you know she fresh out of rehab
and her brain still muddled all up.
What is it? You know this entitled bitch
had a nerve to get your publicity girl
to take out your dry cleaning
instead of doing it herself, like you asked her to.
First of all, who you calling a bitch?
I'm calling you a bitch. Hello!
Hello! Hello.
Hi... See all these lovely people here?
We're having a meeting in here.
Yeah, because we have jobs, and we're trying to plan
Tiana's 30-city tour.
So we don't have time to listen to you
cat and claw down the hall.
You need a smart assistant.
You need a brain cell.
(guffawing)
What's after St. Louis?
I'm so sorry.
Okay, uh, we got an offer from Lincoln Hall,
Mom... and I think that Tiana can continue at
the Chicago Theater if...
It was Lucious.
(sighs) COOKIE: Your father is a tampon,
we already knew that.
No, Mom, it-it's different this time-- it's so much,
it's so much deeper than, than some stupid award.
You know what I'm saying? He's foul on a, on a whole other level.
And I'm getting him back this time.
Jamal, what you need to be focused on
is getting your fans back, okay?
There are a lot of gay ASA voters, and you need them.
I don't care about the ASAs or... I care about my music.
That's what... uh... he's not having anything to do
with the Black and White album.
We'll push it back...
No... You can produce it.
I don't care. No, you will not.
Look, I'm meeting with the PR team to discuss Tiana's tour.
I will have them come up with a clever way
to get the gays back behind you.
It shouldn't take a PR team.
Just drop your drawers, brother.
This is what we do now.
Andre, what do you need?
I-I didn't mean it, bro.
I know, man. It's fine.
What is it, Andre?
Camilla won't approve the budget for Tiana's tour.
She said Hakeem hasn't provided her
with the items she requested.
That bitch got to go.
Mom, we're building a case.
Soon as Hakeem gets us that tape, I plan to
demonstrate poor performance, malfeasance,
moral turpitude...
Andre, I don't care if your crazy ass got to
build a rocket to launch her to the moon.
I'm so sorry. It's okay.
Andre, honest, I'm sorry-- I didn't mean to say it.
It just came out.
I need to do a better job
of checking myself, okay?
I'm so... sorry.
I need to go tell Tiana.
She can't hear this from nobody else.
(fast tempo intro playing)
♪ ♪
♪ I just came in here to dance ♪
♪ I'm not looking for a man ♪
♪ Me and my best friend ♪
♪ Goin' in ♪
♪ Boy, you better watch your hands ♪
♪ 'Bout to get summertime, playin' for the bad boy ♪
♪ Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I look good? ♪
♪ Look at my body ♪
♪ Don't I look sexy? ♪
♪ Look, but don't touch, don't touch ♪
♪ Don't touch, don't touch ♪
♪ LBDT ♪ ♪ Look, but don't touch ♪
♪ Don't touch, don't touch... ♪
♪ I just came in here to dance ♪
♪ Me and my best friend goin' in ♪
♪ Boy, you better watch your hands ♪
♪ 'Bout to get summertime, playin' for the bad boy ♪
♪ Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I look good? ♪
♪ Look at my body, look at my body ♪
♪ Don't I look sexy? ♪
♪ Don't I look sexy? Yeah. ♪
MAN: Okay, ladies, that's a cut on rehearsal. Thank you.
Thank you.
You like? I love!
Thank you.
Come here, let me talk to you for a minute.
Okay, um, this is just temporary, okay?
So I don't want you to get upset,
but we might have to put your tour on hold.
I'm not upset.
Good.
I'm out. No, no, no.
Tiana, I said temporary.
It's just temporary, baby.
Would it make a difference if I started
sleeping with him again? Who? Hakeem?
And please, don't tell me
he's putting her on my tour instead.
Mirage á Trois couldn't even fill up a coffee house.
You are right about that.
That's, that's not what this is about. You know what?
They're barely good enough to even open for me.
That's it.
I'm surprised you wanted to come back to work so soon.
Especially for her.
I had to, honestly.
I've been trying to explain that to Andre,
but he just doesn't get it.
He's not good, is he?
He just needs to recalibrate his meds.
It's happened before,
and major stress is the worst thing for it.
So... Like losing your baby.
What do you do when he gets like that?
I mean, I don't want to see my baby in that hospital again.
Neither do I.
And I have tried and tried and tried
to get him to see a doctor, but he...
We are going to his pastor for counseling, so...
Well, I hope that works.
Me, too. Milla's at her
drafting table, so we probably shouldn't
gab in front of her.
Well, you take care of yourself, okay?
I will, I will.
Wow, Camilla girl, you are
really working these designs.
Very chic.
As if you would know.
The reason I'm here,
I would like to talk to you about Tiana's tour.
You know, we've been working on this for months.
Well, that's before you had to answer to a board of directors.
Right.
But if artists don't tour, they don't eat.
Yes, but the board feels that it's too expensive
for a single artist, who isn't a stadium act.
Glad you brought that up.
That's why I'm thinking of sending Mirage á Trois
out on a tour with her, as the opening act.
(wry chuckling)
Mirage á Trois?
Yes, we get two tours for the price of one.
I already got them on a 360 deal,
so we can afford to keep them out on the road
for months.
Okay, so I'll push it through,
and that way you'll keep her away for a very long time.
Mm-hmm.
Bingo.
Mom, you can't be making decisions
without consulting me first.
Boy, I'm trying to protect your stupid ass, Mr. CEO.
You let that psycho-bitch in the house in the first place.
I seen a chance and I went for it.
And I think I deserve my props.
You wanted Lucious out and I got him out.
You wanted Empire, and I got Empire.
I am trying to save Empire.
That bitch can burn it down any time she wants to.
Do you not understand that, Hakeem?
So until you get me what I need to get rid of her...
I'm not sending you on tour, so don't worry.
It's okay, Hakeem.
I actually think it's a really great idea.
Uh, don't worry about it, I can handle Camilla.
Are you not listening to what she's saying?
Laura, please tell him.
It's a huge opportunity.
I talked to the girls.
Mirage á Trois is excited to go on tour with Tiana. Really?
Get your stuff, hon.
Hakeem, you brought this on yourself.
You're not only going to lose Laura,
but you're going to lose your entire family
if you don't fix this.
So for the shoot, you guys are going to be
holding up a girl who weighs roughly 110 pounds
for maybe, I don't know, five or ten minutes.
Is that going to be a problem?
(laughing): Oh, okay.
I guess not.
(whispering): I can't. I just can't right now.
Would you guys, actually, excuse me for one second?
You can go ahead and grab their shoe sizes for me, thanks.
It's not that, it's just that I don't want you
to travel if you're not well enough.
Of course, I'm excited to see you.
But I'm not. Mimi.
You keep accusing me and it's just so insulting.
Okay.
(sighs) I look forward to seeing you, too.
Love you.
(angry shout)
♪ I know you know we're wrong ♪
♪ We can make a good thing... ♪
Hello. Hi.
Thank you so much helping get his people out tonight.
I got played by Lucious.
I should have known better.
But I'll do everything I can
to help repair the damage.
Thank you.
Your ex-husband is a bastard.
♪ ...good thing, keep happening. ♪
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome multiple ASA nominee, Jamal Lyon.
JAMAL: Y'all know I ain't never been one to put
my family business out there,
but even my loyalty has its breaking point.
(slow intro playing)
♪ Ah, ah, ah ♪
♪ Ah, ah ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Guess what? ♪
♪ People tell me I'm just like my daddy ♪
♪ My daddy ♪
♪ 'Cause I lie like I'm lying on a rug ♪
♪ Get my hands a little dirty ♪
♪ No glove ♪
♪ Everybody welcome to the gun show ♪
♪ Let it go ♪
(gunshots)
♪ Everybody duck down ♪
♪ It's hard to love ♪
♪ The devil ♪
♪ He's a hater ♪
♪ A dirty hypocrite manipulator ♪
♪ Made a mama lose her kids ♪
♪ Let her go away for 17 years ♪
♪ Not allowed to shed a tear ♪
♪ Growing up with all your phobic fears ♪
♪ But people tell me I'm just like my daddy ♪
♪ People tell me I'm just like my daddy ♪
♪ Oh, really? Hell, no ♪
♪ 'Cause I lie like I'm lying on a rug ♪
♪ Did some crime, even wore some black gloves ♪
♪ Everybody welcome to the gun show ♪
♪ And we go Daddy? ♪
(gunshot)
♪ Everybody duck down ♪
♪ You reek of royalty ♪
♪ A dangerous mix ♪
♪ You sing of loyalty ♪
♪ But you the snitching ass bitch ♪
♪ I tried to play it cool ♪
♪ Funny what people do for money ♪
♪ Power and fame ♪
♪ I'd call you Mr. Lyon, if I did ♪
♪ I would be lyin' ♪
♪ 'Cause that even your name ♪
♪ But people tell me I'm just like my daddy ♪
♪ People tell me I'm just like my daddy ♪
♪ They all say that you look just like your daddy ♪
♪ Nah, bruh... ♪
(whooping, applause)
Jamal, are you saying Lucious is inauthentic?
I'm saying Lucious Lyon ain't even his real name.
(feedback squeals, audience murmurs and gasps)
THIRSTY: You're a lucky lady.
He wants to give you an exclusive.
Thank you so much for coming back.
Sorry about the other day.
I was a bit out of sorts.
And today?
Well, it's a new day.
Hm. I thought you and Jamal were close.
Has your family turned on you?
What, that little bit of flexing Jamal did?
He called you "inauthentic."
That seems a little bit more than flexing.
You gonna retaliate?
Against my own boy.
No.
I'm going to thank him.
Thank him.
That little family jewel that he dropped,
was something very personal and private
that I entrusted to him.
But once he did it, I realized I don't
have to keep it private no more.
So now I'm actually changing my whole concept of my video
and I thought you might be interested in that story.
Well, that depends. What's your story?
Everybody knows the Lucious Lyon story.
How I started off poor,
sold drugs to finance my first album--
I mean, damn near taught as part of the school curriculum.
But I've never shared with anybody
how I became Lucious Lyon.
That's the exclusive I'm offering you.
It's the Dwight Walker story.
How a homeless orphan,
became Lucious Lyon.
Rhonda, what you've gone through can be traumatizing.
It can fester in a marriage,
but in the presence of God,
you can unburden yourself.
Oh, really?
How about, uh, I go first, Reverend?
All right, Andre.
(exhales) Okay.
Rhonda,
have you been cheating on me?
What?!
No.
Rhonda, if you're being truthful,
let's try and understand why Andre's doubting you.
I do understand why Andre's doubting me.
It's because he's paranoid,
which always precedes a bipolar break.
Has he told you about his mental health?
Paranoid how?
He just accused me of cheating on him,
which is ridiculous.
And also, he's been having visions.
Babe, have been telling him about your visions?
I told the reverend that God's been speaking to me
about what happened to our child-- yes, I did.
And that doesn't alarm you at all.
I believe that God speaks to us in different ways.
It's not my place to doubt Andre.
Where were you last night, Rhonda?
I was at work.
I went to see you at work, you weren't there.
This isn't a counseling session.
This is a setup.
Isn't it? Is that, is that what this is?
Wow, okay.
Well, look, if you really want to help my marriage,
what you need to do is get Andre to go get some medical help.
He needs to see a doctor to recalibrate his meds.
That's the only thing that's going to help my marriage.
Of course I'm concerned about Andre's health.
Good, 'cause you should be.
But the difference between now and the past,
is that he's also in God's care,
which is far more powerful than any doctor's medicine.
Thank you, Reverend.
Ma, where are they?
They went to Andre's pastor
for some marriage counseling, child.
Don't you think that Dre needs more than
a pastor?
Dre needs more than just meds.
Know what I'm saying?
What he really needs... Hey.
Cookie, would you do me a favor
and tell Andre where I was
last night at 8:00?
Uh, she was in my office snitching on Camilla.
Did you hear that? Cookie's office.
So I was not in my office.
I was spying on Camilla for your family.
That's right.
Dre, this was your plan.
Prove that the way Mimi
and Camilla stole our company is illegal, right?
Thanks to Rhonda, here,
we know that Mimi's in New York
this weekend.
And now all we got to do is get Hakeem
to get them to incriminate themselves on tape.
You know Hakeem will never do it, okay? He's not with us.
He's paranoid.
COOKIE: Maybe,
but Hakeem ain't here,
and I told him to be.
Yo, chill out, like, uh, he's at a marketing meeting.
He's going to be here.
Yeah, well, he better get this done
'cause Lucious got a itchy trigger finger...
Oh, my goodness, y'all.
I'll talk to Hakeem, come on.
COOKIE: You better.
This one right here, we can change the material.
Yes, sir. Make these gold right here.
Be on time today.
Yes, sir.
Look y'all, let me talk to my brother.
Man, get out of here, please?
Sure.
Just go.
If we get rid of Camilla...
who gets Empire?
I don't know, man, but...
look, the board got rid of Lucious and it got nasty,
so it's not like they're going to reinstate him.
Yeah, but nobody thinks I should have it.
Who cares?
I'm looking at your right now, and you're a natural.
You know, but it's not going to be easy.
You know, with everything that you did.
You got to really prove yourself to the rest of the family.
I will.
Watch me.
So babe...
I'm sorry for being a little extra.
I'm not used to this type of stuff.
Just got a lot on my mind right now.
But it's what you always wanted.
It is, but I'm going to be honest,
I couldn't be in this position without you.
You took on my family.
You took out Lucious.
And you did it all for me.
You're my queen.
♪ Right back where I started... ♪
Cheers. Cheers.
Come here.
Am I still your mama?
You'll always be my mama.
♪ ♪ (moaning passionately)
Yep, come on, baby.
So why you make me so crazy?
Mmm, I know.
I can't see you this weekend.
Mimi.
I thought she was sick.
Not sick enough.
I'm sorry, is that awful?
Why won't you just come clean to her about me and you?
Just be real.
She's so possessive, darling.
We'll lose everything--
Empire, Antony and Cleopatra.
I've worked very hard for this.
Try to be patient.
♪ Run, run, run, run, ♪
♪ Run ♪ ♪ Hate, hate ♪
♪ Hate, hate, hate... ♪
JD, looks good.
Takesha.
Yo, what up, Hakeem? What's up?
My man.
Y'all, our plan was iffy.
Mimi's too sharp to get caught by us saying stuff,
so I changed tactics.
Now look, I can't save you from your father
if go around changing...
Mom, it's cool; just wait.
What's your plan, oh, grand master of espionage?
I made a tape and sent it to Mimi's hotel. What kind of tape?
Look, Mimi is overprotective and jealous,
so I made a tape of me and Camilla doing the nasty.
Oh!
So you, you made
a sex tape, huh, Ray-jay?
Mom, she basically admitted that she was using her
to get back with me.
And she said some pretty rank things
like she was hoping Mimi dies, so I figure Mimi...
Mimi is dumping all of her Empire stock.
Now, I don't know why, but she's divesting.
What are you doing, Dre?
I'm calling the estate brokers.
Tell them to buy up as many shares as we can legally own.
We need to move fast, brother.
Damn, Hakeem.
You did it.
We're free.
So now you believe in me, Ma?
Boy, I always believed in you.
I made you my partner, didn't I?
You don't believe that I can run Empire.
You put your family first--
that's a step in the right direction.
Buy it all.
I don't care. Buy it all.
Drop everything, put it all in Empire.
Well, then, buy it in Rhonda's name.
Man.
Listen, I, I, uh...
I created a, a, a trust in my son's name.
Just buy, buy it in his name.
Okay, mm-hmm.
Good.
Dre!
Oh, my God.
Hey!
Dre! Dre!
It's okay.
No.
Dre, come on, man...
Hey, man, come down to the studio.
Me and Hakeem got something for you to hear.
Yeah, come on, let's go to the studio. Okay.
Yeah.
What is this?
Well, um, Hakeem and I wrote you a song,
'cause we know that you're going through a seriously hard time,
and it's all that we know how to do, so...
we're here for you.
It's going to be okay.
Sit down.
(slow rhythmic intro begins)
♪ Sometimes it's hard to pray ♪
♪ Sometimes, it's hard to stay ♪
♪ Grateful ♪
♪ It's painful ♪
♪ Hurts so bad ♪
♪ Sometimes it's hard to be ♪
Mm...
♪ It's hard to keep going ♪
♪ But we keep holding ♪
♪ On to what could have been ♪
♪ But we'll get by ♪
♪ We'll see the light ♪
♪ In the morning, it's going to be all right ♪
♪ Circumstance ♪
♪ Is in the plan ♪
♪ Even if we don't fully understand ♪
♪ Why the bad things ♪
♪ Happen to the good people ♪
♪ So much pain ♪
♪ It's still a lesson ♪
♪ Sometimes it rains ♪
♪ It's still a blessing ♪
♪ You never see the silver lining in the cloud ♪
♪ And so you doubt it ♪
♪ You never know how much ♪
♪ You truly have until you go without it ♪
♪ One day it's going to turn into another season ♪
♪ Gonna change ♪
♪ You're going to see that ♪
♪ All your tragedy you had ♪
♪ Was for another reason ♪
♪ It's just a temporary good-bye ♪
♪ So you got to keep your head high ♪
♪ The rain is coming down and it's pouring ♪
♪ But joy is going to come ♪
♪ Inside the morning ♪
♪ Whoo! ♪
♪ We'll get by ♪
♪ By ♪
♪ We'll see the light ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ In the morning ♪
♪ It's gonna be all right ♪
♪ It's gonna be okay, baby ♪
♪ Circumstance ♪
♪ The Lord gotcha ♪
♪ Is in the plan ♪
HAKEEM: ♪ And I gotcha ♪
JAMAL: ♪ Even if we don't fully understand why ♪
♪ Understand why ♪
♪ The bad things ♪
♪ Happen to the good people. ♪
(sighs)
LUCIOUS: So I hear Hakeem's cleaning up that mess he created.
Yeah, just call your lawyers.
They'll tell you--
Mimi's getting rid of all of her stock.
She's probably getting rid of that bitch, Camilla,
right about now. Really?
Mm-hmm.
I think I'd like to see that.
Ugh, Lucious, everything is done.
You don't need to do anything.
Where are you going?
I'm going home and celebrate by myself.
Good work, Cook.
You pulled it together.
I know. (chuckles)
I always do.
You know, nobody's going to believe that she killed herself.
I mean, they might have,
had I not watched you pour
that stuff in her drink.
Get out.
What was that stuff you poured in her drink?
Was that cyanide or arsenic?
Hakeem's going to kill you when he finds out what you did.
What'd you say?
I'll go, but first I got to stop over
at the police and make sure they get the video
of you and Mimi's last few precious moments.
Not to mention a video of you and Hakeem.
He'll never forgive you.
What are you talking about?
It was Hakeem that sent the videos to Mimi.
How's that feel?
Knowing it was your Hakeem.
Your little prince,
that did all of that to you.
He used you and got what he wanted from you,
and now don't want nothing more to do with you than I do.
I mean, if I was you,
just FYI, I would think about maybe offing myself.
I mean the police are probably going to think
it's a double suicide or a murder-suicide.
It don't matter.
You're going to be dead.
That feeling you got right now?
That's prison.
But a million times worse.
And don't forget you got to constantly be aware of the fact
that somebody's going to try and rape you,
or murder you, or just
the general unsanitary conditions of the place.
(sobbing): What have I done?
You committed murder, Camilla.
Now, I got to tell Mimi's family.
That means you're going to have to face them in court.
Come on...
it'd be a whole lot easier and a whole lot less mess,
if you just take a swig of whatever that was
that you made Mimi drink.
Why don't you shoot me, please?
After all the pain you caused my family,
I don't owe you any favors.
Nah, you're going to have to off yourself.
Go ahead.
(bottle clatters across floor)
(sobs, sniffles)
Rot in Hell.
Yeah.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH