Lucious has a dream and remembers what Andre said to him while he was drugged. The next day, Lucious wants Thirsty to find out everything about the night his car blew up. He’s starting to suspect something’s up with Andre. His eldest son better be scared because the old Lucious is back and ready to reclaim his throne and Cookie. He’s ready to go all-in with Cookie, but after what they said to each other at the cabin, she’s not so sure. “You’re my one,” Lucious says. “I’m your one.” Cookie’s going to let him roar a little bit, but she wants everyone to know: “I still run this b*tch.”
Silicon Valley tech guru Kelly Patel is stopping by Empire to make a deal. At the meeting, Lucious takes over, leaving Cookie in the corner. But Cookie’s not going to stay quiet. She knows he wants to make a deal, so she wants to cut out all the BS. But there’s something Kelly’s not telling the Lyons. He’s secretly working with Eddie!
Tiana’s got a new song with Jamal and Hakeem. She’s getting the full makeover treatment with Eddie’s wife. Eddie is super focused on making Tiana a huge star, so that she makes Eddie a whole lot of money. There’s one thing that’s standing in the way: Hakeem! Tiana and Hakeem are back on.
Cleaning Up Messes
Cookie and Lucious have a big problem on their hands. One of Empire’s former girl groups, TBD (Three Black Divas), are pissed they were left out of the 20 for 20. In a leaked interview, they trash Cookie and Empire. They say their new album is going to spill all the tea on Empire. Cookie vows to fix it. Cookie, Becky, and Porsha show up to a mall to find the girls of TBD performing. Cookie hands them a contract for a reunion album. They’re all good with this contract if they get an apology from Lucious. The girls come and meet with Lucious, who comes bearing lavish gifts. He apologizes, but they call it a faux-pology. They’re pissed Cookie left them out of the 20 for 20. They’re jealous of Cookie, too! They kept Lucious “busy” while Cookie was in jail. The meeting just goes south from there. He’s glad to see them go. Needless to say, Cookie is furious. Lucious doesn’t want anyone to tell him how to do business. While Cookie says she’ll clean up his mess, Lucious promises to get it down the old-fashioned Empire way.
Together, Lucious and Cookie do fix the situation. They acquire the label the girls had signed with to release their diss track. They’re officially owned by Empire. BOOM. Before the meeting’s over, Lucious makes the girls apologize to his “queen.” They do and really make a comeback at the showcase.
During a recording session, Eddie has a heart-to-heart with Tiana. If she’s going to make it big, she has to be all in. No distractions. To Eddie, Hakeem is one of those. He needs to be the only man in Tiana’s life for now. Dude needs to chill.
With Angelo’s death still so fresh, Jamal drops out of the showcase. Becky tells him that she’s pregnant and hasn’t told J Poppa. Later at the showcase, Becky breaks things off with him. Tiana and Hakeem’s relationship is in a really good place until Hakeem proposes to her! She takes Eddie’s advice and tells Hakeem that she has to think about it. She can’t have any distractions right now.
These Are My Confessions…
Andre goes to church and knows he needs to confess his big sin. He promises Shine that he’ll keep his name out of the conversation. The Lyon family convenes for dinner after the showcase. They tell Andre that they still want him to take over Empire, but Lucious is shooting daggers at his son. The family dinner just gets even more awkward from there. Jamal’s mad that he’s been benched, while Hakeem is upset about Tiana. Finally, Andre asks to see his father privately.
The episode ends with Andre finally coming clean about how he almost killed Lucious. After confessing, he grabs a gun and hands it to his father. “Do what you have to do,” Andre says. Lucious attacks his son in a blind rage and trashes his office. He yells over and over, “It was him!” He breaks down in Cookie’s arms. Jamal is furious with Andre. Hakeem is a little bit more sympathetic, but he’s extremely disappointed.
Cookie and Lucious talk in the wake of the shocking news. Cookie begs Lucious to not hurt Andre. The stress of everything finally breaks Cookie. She starts to faint and can’t catch her breath. Lucious calls for help. Is Cookie having a heart attack just like her father did?! Start a prayer group for Cookie, please!