This week gives us some good examples of how Cookie can remain lovable in spite of some glaring flaws. On the hunt for their missing sister Carol, she nevertheless blasts insults and accusations back and forth with her more posh sister Candace (a convincingly uptight Vivica A. Fox), still bitter about her lack of visits while she did time in the big house.
The two compliment each other despite how confrontational their relationship seems, and credit goes to the actors for getting their complexities across. There’s a whiff of pettiness at the way Cookie turns up her nose at her sister’s nature, yet an understandable sense of hurt after years locked away.
As opposed to her sister’s “Diahann Caroll” nature, Cookie is easily the more street savvy between the two and more or less takes the lead in the search, enlisting the help of a former cellmate turned local baker Pepper (Rosie O’ Donnell, pretty much playing herself). The trio eventually locate their strung out sibling, who lovingly greets Candace by changing the color of her shoes- with the aid of her stomach. It’s the expression on Fox’s face, not Tasha Smith’s actions per se, that makes this moment so funny. She decides to stay with the cocky producer in New York, while Candace minds her children.
Back at Lyon Dynasty HQ, Hakeem steps up as the boss while Cookie is in Philadelphia, still high off the good publicity he received from winning last week’s battle over Freda Gatz. Even with his (understandable) suspicions, he still presses Laz to step up his workload- who’s sweating bullets after his Bully cohorts have pressed him to get more money out of the Lyons by force. And when Lucious comes to a newly returned Cookie to ask for his old songs for raising some Swiftstream capital (she of course gives him a big fat no instead), Laz begins to set off his threat radars as well.
But Swiftstream isn’t the only thing giving Lucious angst this week- there’s still the matter of what he considers his “legacy”. Still bristling over Hakeem dropping his last name, he invites the young rapper into his office and offers him a deal for a return to Empire, which of course he turns down. This scene is eerily reminiscent of the most commonly told story about Joe Jackson asking for Jermaine to resign with Motown, and I have a feeling that wasn’t a coincidence.
Lucious feels he’s having better luck with Andre and Rhonda’s new child, enough to buy them a luxurious new crib. Unfortunately, Anika decides to pay her friend a visit, and seeing Rhonda’s new gift from Lucious only seems to confirm the theory she put forth in their prior conversation. Boo Boo Kitty is only further convinced that Laura is a threat that must be dealt with, and that somehow Hakeem can be convinced that she, Anika, is clearly the superior choice. This direct approach only serves to anger Hakeem, and it’s pretty safe to say that she’s turned full vindictive heel at this point.
In what can only be considered a temporary truce between the two labels, eventually Lucious and his Empire team dig up enough dirt to confirm to Cookie and Hakeem that Laz is indeed a mole for the Bully gang that had been harassing Lyon Dynasty. Cooks considers killing Laz herself, but instead leaves the pleading assistant to his fate. When Carol offers to comfort her, Cookie instead reiterates that she get herself rehabilitated in a nice sisterly bonding moment- which is also a good distraction from thinking on all of the gruesome demises Laz may possibly be submitted to.
Though blame it on love or her wanting to push Lyon Dynasty to the top, Cookie has made a number of dumb and naive decisions over the past few episodes, but perhaps the power of family can help get her head on straight…
The fluffier moments this week once again come from Jamal, who’s on Cloud Nine while getting to collaborate on some new songs with the violet haired starlet Skye Summers (Alicia Keys). While performing a pretty sweet new ballad “Powerful”, some interesting chemistry begins to spark between the two, beyond both the music and Jamal’s established sexuality.
Odds and Ends
– Lee Daniels has a pretty funny and insanely meta cameo, playing himself as he directs Jamal’s new Pepsi video. It almost feels like the dude’s running a little victory lap, but given this show’s success, can you really blame him?
– Seriously man, Vivica A. Fox’s face. Good freaking lord.