First of all. I have to admit the poor little country girl in me, who didn’t learn super rich Black people existed until she moved to Atlanta, is kind of in love with EVERYTHING about the DuBois. And I mean, who amongst us didn’t grow up damn near on the nip of Claire Huxtable?
But beyond the radiant Phylicia Rashad as Diana Dubois, who I’ll say much more about later, this was by far, one of the strongest episodes of Empire, I’ve ever seen.
Is it because it had the least music? Perhaps. And MOTL.
Courtrooms can’t help but be Drama.com, so LOG ON. This is where tonight’s showdown begins and ends.
Anika, affectionately known to all as Boo Boo Kitty, being represented by Angelo DuBois’ the vengeful, heartbroken former lover of Empire matriarch Cookie, and played by Taye Diggs vs Baby Boy Hakeem Lyon and the entire family might as well have been the trial of the 21st century.
Primarily because of the intimate knowledge all the players have of each other outside of the courtroom. The legal showdown over Baby Bella reaches a zenith when #NuLucious, uses his damaged, or recovered memory (still kind of unclear) to change the emotional tempo of the entire hearing and painting Hakeem as genuinely a good father who should not lose custody of his baby daughter Bella. Lucious trots out soft sensitive Dwight, who doesn’t remember things to well, but it certain his son is a good Dad.
{#NuLucious Please}
Outside the courtroom it was great to see Becky almost take her power back from J-Poppa. The Christian rapping ex-boyfriend who, of course, now is an Empire artist. Until they completely put the paws on each other in the studio. Becky gets her closure, but she still has to oversee the production of J-Poppa’s next release with my forever favorite character on the show Shyne Johnson.
{Oh, hey X...}
Andre hooks up with a new therapist who at first, he’s hesitant to confide in, but then spills the beans about his dangerous liaison with Mrs. FBI Officer. There are so many hanging threads in everyone’s storyline, its hard to imagine who’s will get truly wrapped before the season ends. Will #NuLucious ever get to face his attempted killer? Or better yet, Will Andre EVER win on this show. Poor baby.
Back at the Courthouse, it kind of looks like its over for Anika, when Hakeem impulsively (foolishly) fires the attorney representing him in order to represent himself. Yet, by bringing Anika on to the stand he’s able to show her lack of knowledge. She doesn’t know her own daughters likes or habits, hasn’t made an effort to be in her life and honestly, the case looks like a done deal.
But of course this was the point in the show where I was like, “there is no way Angelo is going down in flames like this.” His client Anika, clearly obscured all kinds of knowledge from him allow him to prepare the tightest defense possible. But up until this point, he’s shown a damn near Trumpian propensity for beating women down on the stand, as he successfully does to Tianna, and while he came for Cookie, we all know he was not sent for.
The final chapter unfolds when, Mama Dubois😍😍😍 arrives unexpectedly to take the stand with some rebuttal testimony. Turns out, not only has Hakeem been taking Bella to a weekly play date with Mrs. DuBois for months, he’s been complaining on camera. She produces videos of Hakeem confiding in her about his distrust of his own family in raising Bella.
*smdh x3*
Oh Hakeem.
It’s basically over at this point. But before the gavel comes down, Cookie and Mama DuBois have a titan clash of epic and well tailored suits in the ladies room, continuing to highlight all of the underlying dynamics that made this episode so juicy and precisely tense the entire way through. Powerful rival families, new money vs old, youth vs age, respectable professions vs whatever entertainers do. (I KEED!) It was a warm blanket of all the unspoken, ne’er discussed cultural and economic schisms within the Black community often obscured by our collective call for social and economic dignity from the American establishment.
Add that to a nice hot cup of sadness of seeing a young Black father desiring to be an active healthy participant in his kids life, yet being denied the opportunity by a callous and unfeeling judiciary.
Another story we know all too well.
{#NuLucious is Back?!?}
What’s been great about all of these last few episodes has been watching the fire between Cookie and Lucious BURN. The two are having a drink in the final scene when #NuLucious calls for blood. But can #NewLucious draw blood? Are his fangs back sharp and all the way in place? What’s he gonna do yawl??
And where is Demi Moore as the crazy live in nurse??
I know Cookie instructed Juanita to escort her from the premises Uncle Phil style, but I can’t think for a moment she’s not actively on the way back with a thorough revenge plot of her own.
{Bye Bih.}
Lastly, I couldn’t help but notice there was significantly less music in this episode. We see Jamal and that crazy DuBois cousin in the studio at the open, but knowing the treachery thats about to go down, their duets make me sick.
{No Jamal, Its YOU Who Should Be Afraid.}
I don’t know if that a conscientious take by production, listening to some fans turned off by the musical aspect of the show, and personally I haven’t liked a song on Empire since ‘Drip Drop’. But having watched the show from inception, the music on Empire is very very good and it never feels forced or out of place. Having said that, it was kind of nice to have high drama, with all these high caliber Black actors, without hella musical breaks.
Til next week!