Empire season 2, episode 14, “Time Shall Unfold,” should have been titled, “The Lies Never Stop.”
Will we ever get tired of Lucious’ games and lies? Probably not because that’s what keeps us coming back, amirite? I just don’t understand how someone (Lucious) can be so conniving and ruthless and still have people that love him, namely Cookie, who seems to be falling back in love with him. Let me just get straight to this recapping thing.
Freda and Jamal
Jamal meets with Freda at the barbershop to go over their music. A guy comes in and sits in Frank Gathers’ chair and starts talking crap about him and Freda literally pistol whips him.
Cookie is scared to have Jamal hanging around Freda, so behind Jamal’s back she schedules him to meet with another famous artist, Stacy Run Run — she kinda reminds me of Trina or Nicki Minaj. Problem is, Stacy has an exclusivity clause in her contract that won’t allow her to be on any album with another female rapper.
Jamal lets Freda know about Stacy. She took the news VERY well. Almost too well.
When Jamal is ready to put down the track with Stacy, he walks in to a pre-recording of Stacy’s hook. Yeah, he was’t feeling this at all. He walks out and heads straight to Freda’s barber shop to tell her that he picks her.
Anika
While at Anika’s house, she confesses to Andre and Rhonda that she’s pregnant with Hakeem’s baby. There’s definitely a look of disappointment (or maybe shock) on Rhonda’s face.
We later see Andre present Anika in front of the family talking about giving people chances and blah blah blah, I wasn’t paying attention because it’s Anika, and she doesn’t deserve it. Rhonda walks in with Anika, and Anika announces her secret. Cookie flips out, as she should. We get some great one-liners in this scene that you’ll see in our list below.
Jamal mentions Lola and Lucious says he sent Thirsty to get a paternity test on Lola and he’s not the father. As I typed that I said it in Maury’s voice. Lucious asks Anika what she wants and she says she wants the baby to have a family. Queue everyone’s eyeroll.
Can we please find out that she’s the one that pushed Rhonda in next week’s episode? Because I’m totally on board with Rhonda killing Anika. Full disclosure.
Lucious later pays Anika a visit and says he will give her $10 million dollars to give Hakeem and the family the baby after she has it. When Anika tells Lucious that the baby is a ‘he,’ he has a twinkle in his eye.
Shareholder meeting
Hakeem is a bit in over his head because he really has no idea what he’s doing as CEO of Empire. Lucious sabotaged the A&C clothing line with Saks. Lucious also had Thirsty plant drugs on Lara’s roadie’s trucks so when they were pulled over everything was confiscated.
At the start of the shareholder meeting Tiana comes out and performs her new song, “Body Speak.” Here it is for your listening pleasure:
Cookie is the one to present the Empire CEO, and her baby boy, Hakeem. When the floor is opened up for questions. Lucious comes out and asks the hard-hitting ones.
Specifically, questions about the security breach of the A&C clothing line. Lucious then somehow gets the shareholders to chant his name during the meeting. Thank goodness Cookie gets up and gets them both to unite on stage — all for show, of course. A woman yells that Cookie should be the one to take over Empire. Now there’s an idea.
The board of advisers met up later and ended up voting Hakeem out. They said they ‘like’ Cookie. There goes that twinkle in Lucious’ eye again.
Leah Walker
Lucious brings Andre to his mother’s grave. Lucious is obviously trying to get on Andre’s good side because he’s trying to get back in at Empire. I just hope that Andre realizes how untrustworthy Lucious is, or is at least watching his own back.
We then later see Thirsty Rawlings, again, and he’s walking into a type of nursing home and asks to check in on Leah Walker. Damn, Lucious. When will he finally redeem himself?
Favorite quotes
– Lucious to Hakeem; “I wrote a song in the joint about people like you. It’s called ‘Snitch Bitch.'”
– Cookie to Anika: “Are you that thirsty, you trick-ass-hoe!?”
– Cookie to Hakeem: “So you don’t know how to use a condom, stupid!?”
– Jamal to the family: “This family uses the term ‘heir’ as if we’re in a Shakespearean play.”
– Lucious to Anika: “Seeing how much you adore Lyons, I thought I’d bring you one.”
