Episode 11: "Die But Once"
Lucious Lyon is alone and playing a somber song on the piano when his hands start to shake and vision blurs. His ALS is cutting up while he's getting his Beethoven on. He takes his anger out on Becky who comes into his office to ask him a question and he snaps on her. She snaps right back and tells him to use his inside voice to talk to her. Becky gives no damns and ain't scared of Lucious or the unemployment line. She leaves and Lucious returns his attention to the piano but he has severe writer's block.
As he's sitting at the piano, he flashes back to the good old days with Cookie and his young sons. The children are running around like Bebe's Kids while he's at the keyboards tapping out a song. Cookie's short, curly blonde wig is on point but Lucious' du-rag is doing the most. She gives him suggestions on how to fix the song by moving stuff around, and he takes her advice but unfortunately also begins singing in the key of struggle.
We're brought back to present day, and Lucious beckons for Becky and asks her where Cookie is. He needs her to help him get out of this musical rut. Unfortunately for Lucious, Becky informs him that she's gone out of town for the weekend, and she doesn't know where she is because she isn't minding her business. He isn't too happy to hear this, but he finally answers Becky's questions about an event that they're planning for that night with Snoop Dogg and Hakeem scheduled to perform.
Cut to Hakeem and his entourage of scrubs and he's spitting some new lyrics for them. Lucious calls him and Hak sends the call straight to voice mail because he's still knee deep in his feelings about his dad sending Camilla on a midnight plane to London.
Back at Empire Entertainment, Lucious is going over plans with Becky and he stops to marvel at what he's built and the upcoming, ridiculously named Cookie Lyon Presents The Lucious Lyon Sound concert, which will likely be his last hurrah since he has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. The show, which happens the night of the IPO earlier in the day, is going to be epic and he can think of nothing else -- but finding Cookie as the day draws nearer.
- Advertisement -Cookie, meanwhile, isn't trying to be found by Lucious, nor is she lost, as she has slipped away to a winter wonderland with new boo Malcolm. He takes her to a secluded cabin and has a romantic weekend planned for them filled with wine, candlelight and a raging fire. Cookie has the nerve to bring work with her because she's putting the final touches on the concert, but Malcolm coaxes her into taking a break so that he can break her off! Before they get down to grown folks business, Cookie reveals to Malcolm that the only man she's ever been with in her life is Lucious. Malcolm doesn't pity her, but he does say to Cookie, "We'll take it as fast as you want. Cause you're in charge." Oh? Oh my! Needless to say, she wastes no time unwrapping that chocolate bar, and they make sweet love in front of the fireplace. Hallelujah!
Lucious is over at Empire running around and finalizing details for that night's party. His nurse is there to check up on him, and Lucious tells him that he's fine with the exception of having double vision. The nurse finds that odd because double vision isn't a typical symptom of ALS. Off to WebMD he goes.
- Advertisement -Jamal is busy at his own event -- his record release party and album signing. Ryan is filming all the reverie and capturing Jamal in is element with all his new fans coming through to show him love and give him props.
The party at Empire has kicked off and Snoop D-O-double is in the building. He praises Lucious during an interview and expounds on their joint venture to release Snoop's new album. Lucious launches into a speech about the reasons why he is taking Empire public (because it's always all about him, lest you forget) and somehow correlates it to social justice (because it makes sense in his head). He fields questions from a reporter who asks why he's bigging up Hakeem's performance that night and isn't showing any love to Jamal whose album dropped that day. He slickly disarms the reporter and once again makes it about him and his plans to take Empire to the next level with the IPO and for Lucious Lyon to become a god. (Yes, he totally talks about his self in third person.) In the midst of his party, Lucious gets served with papers from Billy Beretti who has filed an injunction to stop the IPO.
- Advertisement -Lucious won't let that bitch Beretti kill is vibe, though, and it's time to turn up when Snoop performs his new single "Peaches N Cream" for everyone gathered. Uncle Snoop gets everyone two-stepping to his groove then he kicks a freestyle rap while fresh-out-of-jail rapper Titan gives him a beat. The two rappers play off of each other then they invite Hakeem to join them on stage for their freestyle session. Hakeem takes the mic and goes off -- on Lucious. He spits a wicked rhyme about his father's funky ways and taking his bitch before dropping the mic and walking off. Ouch! Hakeem doesn't get far, though, before Lucious stops him and they have a quick meeting in the hallway -- Lucious' fist meets Hakeem's face and Hakeem meets the floor.
The next day, Hakeem's ass whooping is all over the papers because it was a slow news day, and Jamal is at his crib trying to talk some sense into him. Hakeem isn't trying to hear all that, and he wishes that their father would simply drop dead already. Jamal listens to his younger brother but explains to him that he's over being mad at Lucious even after all the dirt that he's done to him. It's in one ear and out the other for Hakeem who's ready to jump ship from Empire to another label since he's never signed a contract with Empire as it is. Young Hakeem is smarter than he looks.
- Advertisement -Lucious is still looking high and low at Empire for Cookie, and he goes to her office where he finds Porsha. She unknowingly spills the tea that Cookie is on her way back from The Berkshires. Lucious looks stupefied because that's the same place where he knows Malcolm was for the weekend. Aw damn.
Andre is due to return back to work at Empire, but finds himself going to visit Michelle at her church instead. Jennifer Hudson is in character as the music therapist turned church soloist who's making a joyful noise at choir rehearsal. Michelle shares some encouraging words with Andre who is still having some issues but trying to make it through.
- Advertisement -Cookie finally returns to the Empire offices after her weekend tryst with Malcolm and brings her sister Carol with her who's in town visiting. She's about to take her on a tour when she's stopped by security and asked to hand over her keycard and is barred from going any further. Cookie is trying to figure out what the hell is going on when Lucious comes sauntering over and confirms that her services are no longer needed and that her little boyfriend can't help her now. He takes it there and then plays the big joker by informing her that a convicted felon cannot serve on the board of a publicly traded company. So she's out of a job and her position on the board. Lucious played Cookie to the left and right. Cookie is escorted out and spits hot fire at Lucious her entire way out the door.
After that scene in the lobby, Cookie is only allowed back in the building for 15 minutes to pack up her entire office in one box. That's when Malcolm pays her a visit, and he tells her that Lucious didn't in fact fire him but that he's decided to quit to pursue a high-level government job opportunity in Washington, DC. Cookie is taken aback by that news, but she's really not ready when he asks her to come to DC with him. Unfortunately, Cookie doesn't take him up on his enticing offer because she needs to stay at Empire to fight for what's hers. You gotta respect her resolve, but after just getting her groove back and on with Malcolm she kisses him one last time before their chapter comes to an end.
- Advertisement -
