The interwebs are abuzz with predictions, commentary and other posts about Empire's two-hour season finale tomorrow night on Fox at 8 p.m.
Someone's goin' to die! Or so say the entertainment rags. VH1 has a short list. Among them is Vernon (Malik Yoba) — who gets my vote.
The ALS-stricken Lucious (Terrence Howard) has been giving right-hand man Vernon the death glare since he teamed up with Andre (Trai Byers) to vote Lucious's eldest power of attorney. Plus he's the only other person who knows Lucious shot Bunkie. Vernon may as well be walking around with a big fat target on his back, escorted by the Grim Reaper. The fact that he isn't dead yet just means they're saving it for a big Fredo-style kiss and a bang during the finale.
Have we seen the last of "Fake-Ass Halle Berry"? If you've seen the previews, you know there's going to be a fabulous Krystle-Alexis-style catfight between Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Anika (Grace Gealey). One is an ex-con and the other is almost half her age, so this tussle should transcend gender and hotness.
Incidentally, Boo Boo Kitty is a USF Bull. Yup, Gealey is a University of South Florida grad. She attended classes in Tampa, where she received her bachelor's degree in Theater Arts.
Will they top Jamal's coming-out performance? The best moment of the season so far was Jamal changing the words to his homophobic dad's hit song, effectively coming out of the closet (see video above). The look on Lucious's face is priceless.
In last week's episode "Sins of the Father," youngest son Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) brought his older girlfriend Camilla (Naomi Campbell) to the family's IPO document-signing powwow, which infuriated Lucious. Lucious pulled Camilla aside to bribe her into leaving. She tore up a check but consented. It remains to be seen whether Lucious has some dirt on Camilla discussed off camera or if she was just posturing. It was one of two ambiguous moments that were eyeballed by security hunk Malcolm (Derek Luke). The other involved a ridiculously diabolical Anika slipping a drug in Courtney Love's drink during the “Our Dancing Days” episode. Ever the strong and silent type, Malcolm may use his inventoried secrets against Lucious in an attempt to whisk Cookie away and take over Empire. Or he may get shot. But let's hope not. Malcolm's one of the more compelling characters on the show. And who knows, maybe in true soap opera fashion, he's secretly an illegitimate Lyon, one of Lucious' many secret lovechildren, thus an heir to the throne … hmm …
Celebs galore: Tomorrow will be an all-star cameo night. Word is that Snoop Dogg, Patti LaBelle, Rita Ora and Juicy J will be making appearances. Jennifer Hudson should be back to as Andre’s music therapist. Judd Nelson's Billy Beretti will be causing a ruckus, too.
Thank you to Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Timbaland, FOX and a multitalented cast for making me wig out over a nighttime soap again this season. Brings me back to the Dallas/Dynasty days of my youth. It's exciting to see a series in this age of solitary binge-watching attract simultaneous hordes to the TV during prime time on a weekday night. The writing is tight if not perfect; the characters are nuanced and the plots are well conceived for what most toss off as a hip-hop soap opera. Daniels has said that he derived inspiration from Shakespeare's King Lear when he conceived of the series, and the layers of family drama, personality idiosyncrasies, loyalties vs. disloyalties and conflicts offer a modern-day homage to the Bard. Methinks he'd love it.
And the music. "Drip-drop, drip-drop …" that track is hot. For mainstream fare, Empire's tunes are solid, offering us producer Timbaland at his finest. And if the lovable and effervescent Jussie Smollet (Andre) doesn't become a pop star after this, R&B will be missing out on something truly great.
Big ups to Ms. Henson for giving us TV's most exciting female lead. Funny, street-smart, wise, the teddy-flashing, shoe-flinging Cookie has a heart and personality as outsized as her gold earrings.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2015.
