Empire "Unto the Breach"

I have a confession to make. I'm one of the many addicted to Fox's new drama EMPIRE. I caught the last 20 minutes of the pilot, and that was all I needed to get happily immersed in a new show.

Honestly, unless a series promises to be completely kickass, I usually don't bother with TV programming. I have my set favorites (Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, The Fosters, The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family - along with Idol and AGT,) most of which I started to watch because someone else was watching it (usually my hubby.) It takes a *lot* to impress me with new show simply because I don't have a whole lot of free time to squander on watching TV. It generally serves as background noise only.

As a matter of fact, I'm extraordinarily picky about which movies I watch and which new books I read, probably the pickiest person in my whole house. I've never been the kind who will turn on something poorly crafted just to laugh at it. I don't have that kind of time to waste. Plus bad or lazy storytelling usually pisses me off. To me, storytelling is as intimate as sex. I'm not looking to accumulate notches on my bedpost just because they're there and they're convenient. I want to be blown away. I want the eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head, mind-blowing, sheer orgasmic glory of being fulfilled beyond my wildest expectations. I dare creators to impress me because I want them to. Nothing else matches a well-told story. That means if I get excited about something, I consider my very high standards surpassed. Such is the case with EMPIRE, which titillated me from the get-go, especially with the caliber of talent they had to bring that concept to life. I filed it away immediately as a To Be Considered program. Still, I didn't really even tune in that first night, opting instead for a new episode of Modern Family (Mofy,) figuring I could catch up on Empire in my own time.

But then I turned it over after Mofy just to see if it lived up to the hype. That was right around the part where we learned that Terrence Howard's character had just been diagnosed with ALS and given three years to live. (Dramatic.) I meet Cookie, played by the incomparable Taraji P. Henson, and realized the beating heart of this show was the conflict between a homophobic entertainment mogul and his gay son - in a community where LGBT are not often welcomed/accepted. That last little bit was enough to pull me into the show. I love the idea of ballsy, in-your-face, thought-provoking, paradigm-shifting programming. EMPIRE immediately promised to be all that and more. I promptly messaged my BFF and told him in no uncertain terms he HAD to watch the pilot, which we did together.

We were hooked. We got our husbands hooked. It's a brilliant show that has shattered all records week after week as more and more people tune in. Wednesday has become just as much Must-See, Plan-Around-the-TV night as Sunday. The Walking Dead has a brand new show nipping at its once untouchable heels.

There are several things that make the show so good. Each episode walks you through several key themes: music, family and power. These are heady topics with rich, fertile ground to toil where we get to see how flawed and complicated the patriarch of EMPIRE truly is. Lucious Lyon is portrayed by Terrence Howard, who plays him a bit like a cobra you never know when and where he will strike. Once a street thug, he's now one of the most important and respected men in music, having built his empire from the ground up. We are introduced to him as he's trying to turn Empire, his entertainment label, into a publicly traded company. He wants credibility and respectability, which now has a deadline courtesy of his dire diagnosis. And he shows, from that pilot episode, he'll do *anything* to protect Empire while he's there to protect it.

Preoccupied with legacy, he must choose which of his three completely different sons will take over at the helm of his company when the worst happens. There's his oldest son, Andre, played by Trai Byers, who is currently the CFO of Empire Entertainment. He's college-educated and business-minded, seemingly perfect to step into his father's shoes and run the family company at any given time. Unfortunately for the ambitious Dre, Lucious wants an artist to be the face and voice of the company, which leaves him out by default. (The fact that he married a white woman, however, was the last nail in that coffin.) Second son Jamal, played brilliantly by Jussie Smollett, is probably the most talented of the bunch, who would likely be a shoe-in if it were not for the fact he is a homosexual, something that Lucious inherently despises. The history between them is complicated and heart-wrenching.



Finally there is the youngest son, Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) who is talented like Jamal, and - unlike Jamal - is favored by their father as being the true Empire progeny. He's brash, edgy and much like Lucious probably was back in the day. Unfortunately for Lucious and for Hakeem, he's nowhere near ready to shoulder the responsibility of Empire on his very young shoulders - which puts Lucious in a bind. He's not a stupid man. He knows what he needs to do to make a solid decision for his company... he just doesn't want to do it.

Throwing a big ol wrench in all his plans is his ex-wife Cookie (Henson.) After spending 17 years in prison, going down for a crime that virtually started Empire, she's back for what's hers - including her sons, Jamal in particular. She doesn't give a rat's ass if he's gay and she never did. In fact she favors him for being sensitive, mature and arguably the most talented of their three sons. She's a music producer at heart, knowing how to make hit records and get things done, and she's no match for anyone on that show from Lucious to his brand-spanking-new fiance, Anika (a.k.a. "Boo Boo Kitty.") She knows what is best for Empire, and for the Lyon family itself, and is willing to throw it down on a weekly basis to protect both.



The writing, acting and particularly the music all work together to tell this story amazingly well, but let's just get real. We're all tuning in to see what Cookie will say or do next. (#TeamCookie) Originally the hubs and I crossed blades on whether or not Cookie was the devoted Mama Bear she seemed to be, or just a self-serving con artist in her own right. He felt she was playing her sons for her own agenda. I argued that her agenda is, really, their agenda... so she's just T.C.B. and doing what they're too stupid/pig-headed to do, using their own weaknesses against them to get the job done. She's manipulative, but ultimately she's doing what is best for all of them - so I'm OK with her methods.

The true heart of this show is Jamal, who is sensitive and stronger than Lucious will ever give him credit for being. He proves, week after week, that regardless of what his father might think of his sexual orientation, he is 100% man. He's strong enough to stand up to his father and fight for his place at Empire. So far, this first season is a coming-of-age story for Jamal, in determining who he is going to be as an artist and as a man. This was especially true in "Unto the Breach," when the whole family had to band together to save Empire from a sneak attack from Luscious's bitter enemy, Baretti (played by 80s icon Judd Nelson.) After one of many betrayals from Lucious, Boo Boo Kitty Anika trades alliances to Baretti, taking talent from Empire with her when she goes, but stopping just short of telling Lucious's foe exactly how vulnerable he is.

The family scrambles to keep Empire together, but Dre is a ticking time bomb. His behavior is erratic and self-destructive. Unbeknownst to his family, he suffers from bipolar disorder and has decided to stop taking the pills that his wife, Rhonda, insist that he take. He's been falling apart for weeks, and he bounces all around this episode between manic episodes and fits of rage that were hard to watch. That he does all this in clear view of both the family and the employees of Empire make the situation even more of a game-changer. He faces off with his father, reminding Lucious that he knows his father's dirty secrets, in a not-so-veiled threat to get what he wants.

Jamal, who recently earned his father's wrath for publicly coming out, is forced to keep the whole family from falling apart, once again demonstrating an unyielding, graceful strength suited for running Empire. Lucious will never give him credit for how passionately he does what is needed to be done for the family he loves.



When he performs "Conqueror" with the guest star of the week, Estelle, you can feel his resolve fortify. I've seen this duet countless times, and am moved to tears each and every time.



This hip-hop soap opera is unafraid to tackle any juicy topic, diving in both feet with betrayal, sex and angst. It combines the danger of the gritty streets to the splash and decadence of an entertainment dynasty, while tackling relevant social issues by putting them right in your face where you can't ignore them. The public can't get enough. Eight weeks unprecedented growth in ratings ensure that Empire has come to stay.

Since I have no idea where they're going - and anything can happen - so am I.