Nothing brings the Lyons together like a shared enemy.
This episode opens with Lucious and Jamal in a crunch to finish their albums.
Jamal brings another audience, a different demographic, he tells Lucious.
Credit: Chuck Hodes/FOX
So Lucious calls Jamal into his office.
Youwillbe onInferno,he demands.
But Jamal laughs it off.
Meanwhile, Nessa apparently tipped Cookie off that she thought Andre might do something reckless.
(Like, uh, commission Shynes army to kill Lucious?)
I heard youre back!
To her family comment, Shyne says, That doesnt help me.
Cookie has a great reply: As far back as we go, youre like a distant cousin.
Turns out Angelo is behind it, of course, laughing on a couch and drinking Lucious brandy.
Lucious stays calm and buys him another round on the house.
But inside, hes fuming, and he storms over to Cookie.
You know what he did was about you!
You know me too well, Cookie.
I cant let that go, he tells her.
He tells Giuliana goodbye and tells Anika she can move back into the mansion because G will be gone.
(Oh, so she up in the mansion already?
Cookie stomps out, saying she guesses they can handle this Angelo stuff another time then.
Hes not mad, except about them being distracted while hes trying to have a serious conversation about Bella.
(And that theyre going to a girls-only party later that night.)
Somebody needs to marry this woman immediately!
Shyne says upon tasting Cookies food.
Ugh, how ironic.
Anyway, she convinces them to put the murder stuff on hold and let Lucious set up for Vegas.
If his show makes money, they all win.
And if he cant get it together, they can take it from him.
Seems like a smart, bloodless solution to me.
Who is this banker, it turns out?
A Mr. Ezekiel…DuBois.As Lucious says, Aint that a coincydink?
Again, Lucious yells at Cookie, deciding he wants to take real action against Angelo.
She says shell try first and tracks him down trying to apologize.
But for Angelo, thats not even what its about.
He thinks that Cookies Lucious drama destroyedgenerationsof work his family has done.
(Okay, dramatic much?
Then Angelos bodyguards and mama march over and start pulling Cookie away.
Whenmyfamily decides to shoot, your entire family will burn to the ground, his mom hisses.
Finally, the Lyons minus Hakeem hold a meeting.
That bitch better ask about me!
Its fun to watch, but as Jamal explains, this is not how to handle that family.
Now we can go high for once, he says.
(To which Cookie replies, Oh, thats cute.
You learned something from Michelle Obama.)
Jamal says he can go talk to them, and Lucious asks Andre, Youve lived in their world.
Do you think Jamals right?
Jamal finds Angelo at WOKE and apologizes with class.
I wanted this for my mom so bad, he says.
Angelo says Cookie was right all along theyarefrom different worlds.
Every kid in WOKE will get a free ride to the college of their choice.
Can Angelo seriously turn that kind of money down?
Especially if the Lyons name wont be attached?
Nope, he cannot.
(For now.)
Then he has an epiphany while watching some lions (actual animal lions in Africa).
The way how that mama lion was protecting her baby lion… the connection was so deep!
Whats the name of that?
No, hes not on drugs.
Anyway, somehow this inspires him to realize family is over everything… rising above it all… elevated.
In the studio, Jamal is still having problems, and Cookies losing her patience.
Then, right on cue, the most perfect beat wafts into the room.
Jamal and Cookie follow the sound, which is coming from Beckys computer.
Thats exactly what Im looking for!
Who made that beat?
Then Lucious pops in, and we all know the answer.
You know it is, Becky says.
The other singer speaks first when its done: I think you just found what youre looking for.
Father and son perform for Cookie, and everyone knows theyve finally found their hit.
And now Jamal has a killer final track for his album the song will go on both.
Lucious says, Im down, but Cookie isnt having this kumbaya moment.
She leaves Jamal and Lucious to keep perfecting their song.
Later that night, the whole family gathers for dinner Anika and Leah included.
Lucious wears glasses and looks like a normal family patriarch as he bestows gifts on his people.
Anika gets divorce papers and a $25 million settlement.
(Thats more than you gave me!
And Lucious, moved by Hakeems podcast (you mean my live stream?)
gives Keem his Empire Xstream channel back,and…his name on Bellas birth certificate.
But the peace and happiness doesnt last long this isEmpireafter all.
WHAT THE HECK?!
Do any lawyers read these recaps?
Can they actually do this?
Wouldnt that be too easy?
I wonder if theres someone else behind this.
Or maybeMrs.DuBois, but Angelo has no idea?
(He would have cop connections.)
Guess well find out next time.
