Tiana’s got a big performance coming up at a high-end fashion show for HvW. A lot is riding on this performance, and Cookie is hoping to impress Angelo’s mom. Diana runs into Jamal and wants him to write a song for Angelo’s campaign and perform it at the lavish Captain’s Ball. That sounds great and all, but Jamal hasn’t performed live in a long time.
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Poor Andre is still hearing Rhonda’s voice. It’s time to get some help, dude. He even scares Nessa. He brings her to Tiana’s practice, and she tells Andre that she wants that performance. Andre puts on the charm with Cookie to get Nessa what she wants. After tugging on Cookie’s heartstrings, Cookie agrees to let Nessa shadow Tiana.
Lucious wants Hakeem to record over Gram’s voice on Tiana’s album. Tiana is 50 shades of tired of being used as an Empire pawn. She doesn’t want to just be used to revive Hakeem’s career after his Nessa meltdown.
Lucious goes from one problem to the next. He has lunch with his mother and Anika to try and strike a truce between them. Lucious’ mom freaks out at the table, and an FBI agent sitting by overhears the commotion. Tarik is outside listening in. He’s just waiting for the right moment to strike. He corners Lucious’ mom and wants to use her to expose Lucious.
Triggers & A Girlfight Is Brewing
Tiana’s busy trying on outfits from Helene, the HvW designer, before the performance. She hands the dress to Nessa, and that’s a terrible decision. Nessa is cutthroat. She sets it down, and it conveniently catches on fire. Tiana has a complete and total meltdown and goes OFF. Someone records the entire thing and puts it on the internet. Andre claims he’s fix the situation, but that’s exactly what he wanted all along. Poor Tiana!
Phillip asks Jamal to try exposure theory to get over his PTSD. He hopes allowing Jamal to experience virtual reality will get him back in the swing of things and off the drugs. Jamal starts out OK, until Lucious walks in. Lucious gives Jamal an ultimatum: Fail again and you’re out of Empire.
Phillip realizes that Lucious is Jamal’s PTSD trigger. Jamal is going to have work through his issues with Lucious if he’s ever going to perform again.
After Tiana’s Kanye West-esque rant, Helene doesn’t want her to perform. Andre pitches Nessa instead. Helene is super racist and basically calls Nessa classless. Helene is vain to the max, even meticulously brushing her daughter’s hair like Marcia freaking Brady. You know what Andre does to Helene? He has someone cut off her daughter’s hair! That’s savage. But it works. Nessa ends up performing and KILLS IT. Say what you want about Nessa, but the girl can SING.
Hakeem figures out what Andre’s up to with Nessa and Tiana. These two brothers go head-to-head with their nasty taunts, with Andre saying he’ll go after Tiana next. Hakeem vows to get Andre back. He hangs out with Tiana and asks her to team up with him to take down Andre and Nessa. She doesn’t exactly say no…
In the midst of all the drama, Cookie starts to worry about Andre. She thinks he’s going down a dark path. Girl, he’s already there.
Crazy Sex & A Shocking Song
Lucious comes home after a long day and finds Anika breaking some of his most prized (and expensive) possessions. Oh, and she’s in lingerie. She provokes him so much that he wants to scream. But he secretly loves it. She straddles him on the dining room table, and they are literally about to have sex right then and there, but his mom walks in. Lucious’ mom has been disgusted by the fact that Lucious and Anika have been having sex all over the house.
Lucious brings his mom into a separate room to talk. Apparently, Lucious and his mom are on the same team. She’s been faking everything with Tarik!
Jamal brings the family together and sings a new song — about Lucious! “You’re judgment’s coming,” Jamal sings about his father. The song is titled “When Cookie Met Lucious.” Jamal goes too far when he claims Cookie’s dad died because of Lucious. Cookie defends her ex and says that was not the case. Lucious has been protecting the people he loves. He does it in some unethical ways, but it’s better than nothing.
Lucious makes sure to let Jamal know the great lengths he’s gone to for the family. When Cookie called in a hit (ahem, Frank Gathers) to clean up her mess, Lucious was the one to take care of it all. Lucious protecting Cookie just might be the thing that brings him down, though.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s Empire? Let us know!