A ghost from the past comes back to haunt Lucious in Empire season 2, episode 16. Can this family deal with anymore skeletons in the closet?

The grave Lucious dug for his mother was a shallow one. “The Lyon Who Called Wolf” brings Leah Walker back into Lucious’ life and not through a dramatic recreation for a music video. Empire‘s second season built to this reunion, choosing to unearth bits from Lucious’ past over the past few weeks. When Andre’s diagnosis sent him digging for answers about his family’s connection to the illness, Lucious tries to literally bury his family history once and for all.

But when Andre blows the lid off of the proverbial casket, it takes the Lyon family down a road of reflection and, for what feels like one of the first times in the series, sincere honesty. The members of the Lyon family are not afraid to speak their minds. But their words are more often than not clouded with ulterior motives. Maybe that is why I had a hard time buying anything that came out of the Lyon family’s mouths in season 2, episode 16.

Of course, just when I chalk up the Lyon’s honesty as another power move, I am surprised to find that it was all grounded in some truth. In the “Lyon Who Called Wolf,” I found myself as the unsuspecting townsperson too exhausted by the drama week in and week out to see that Lucious and the entire Lyon clan were actually conveying their deepest truth. (And with some of the series’ best songs to date!)

Lucious is not the only person who tackles some ghosts from the past. Sure, Leah Walker’s entrance was a bombshell for the mogul, but Lucious explained to Cookie that his mother died when she was taken away from his family. Carol feels the weight of the secrets from her past with Lucious holding her back from recovery. Jamal gets involved with D-Major and another closeted relationship. Rhonda lets in some demons from her pregnancy fall that shed some light on Anika’s involvement with her “trip” down the stairs.

But Lucious gets the truth on the table for the entire family through the notes his mother first gave him at the piano. Hakeem’s words echo the family history as Cookie, Jamal, and Lucious create just a moment of peace in their war zone.

Lucious giving mother a second chance proves to be a mistake. Just as Lucious puts his current devils to sleep, another awakens him at three in the morning demanding he have his cake and eat it too. Lucious may have it all now, he may have given his mother a chance, and not walked over her like he did in the past. But Leah is still not well and she still cuts right to the heart of what makes Lucious tick — not living up to potential.

Watching Lucious in front of his mother as a grown man, afraid of her slowly wielding a knife inches from his heart, lifted the veil on the Empire Records co-CEO. Hearing from a young age that he ruined someone else’s life sent him down a road to put himself in the position of power. Running the drugs, arranging murders, being the reason other people were let down is the role he fit into in life.

Until one day Lucious realized he could mold others to fill that role for him, namely his sons. For all that Leah Walker revealed about Lucious and his past, she did to fix his future. Well, for one week at least.

Stray Observations

•Becky screaming, “YES BITCH,” at Jamal and Hakeem in the recording studio reminded me how incredible Gabourey Sidibe is in this show.

•Should Jamal really be involved with D-Major? That can’t possibly go horribly wrong, right?

•Anika and Rhonda’s flashbacks felt a little too daytime with the emotional heart of this episode.

•The Lyon’s should be back to their lying, abusive selves in no time, especially with the ASAs coming up next week. But this was a nice break.

Empire season 2, episode 17, “Rise by Sin,” airs Wednesday, May 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.