S01.E04: False Imposition

[Irlandesa]

Allow me to introduce you to Sleepy Hollow. It a master class in how to screw up a good thing.

True.  But I don't think FOX is to blame for that show going off the rails.  Even they seem concerned with the direction the show is headed.  Falling ratings will do that. 

 

The creators of Empire could go to extreme places where I, and many of the audience, might lose interest.  I don't think pushing Cookie to the background and pulling Rhonda to the foreground (although I like her) will be one of those things.

Allow me to introduce you to Sleepy Hollow. It a master class in how to screw up a good thing.

True.  But I don't think FOX is to blame for that show going off the rails.  Even they seem concerned with the direction the show is headed.  Falling ratings will do that. 

 

The creators of Empire could go to extreme places where I, and many of the audience, might lose interest.  I don't think pushing Cookie to the background and pulling Rhonda to the foreground (although I like her) will be one of those things.

[Syndicate]

Allow me to introduce you to Sleepy Hollow. It a master class in how to screw up a good thing.

So basically this show is doomed then?  That's "encouraging."

[luckyroll3]

Any good show that airs on Fox must always be watched with caution!  They just don't know how to keep a good thing going, unless it's a cartoon.

 

Still chuckling at Becky's "she gave the social security number of a dead woman!" in regards to Porscha.  Lol!

[LolaRuns]

I liked this episode. I wouldn't mind it at all if there was plenty of music industry business (ie stealing artists, setting up performances) rather than just family stuff. I liked the aspect of Lucious being mad at his former boss and how it played into his scene with Titan. Wouldn't mind seeing Titan show up again. That Lucious sure can have charisma, he had a major scene with Annika, flirting with Cookie and he was flirting with that girl at the club and he still came off as good with both of his ladies, that's quite a feat. 

[Jipijapa]

 

Okay, this wasn't bad, but it made me laugh with unintentional humor.  Jamal walking the streets rattling chains and kicking trashcans gave me such Michael Jackson vibes that I half expected him to throw up his arms and yell OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

I didn't have quite the same reaction, but your description is making me laugh oh so hard.  Thanks.

 

This episode was lower key than the others, which is fine because they can't all be "superb," and I'm still into this story.  Keep in mind they probably only wrote enough story for 13 episodes because they didn't know if it would be picked up or not.  There's plenty of time for them to bring on "dangerous" characters later on.

 

Finally I actually can see Andre as at least a two-dimensional character now that we understand his relationship with Lucious (growing up).  I'll try to forget the kinky sex games with his horrible wife.

 

Terence Howard is awesome but I do think they need to tone down the crying every week.  Dude, we know you can summon the tears on command, very impressive skill to have, but it's starting to become a cliche that's distracting me from a pretty compelling character.

[DollEyes]

  My verdict: not as fast-paced as the first three episodes, but still entertaining. Just because an episode doesn't hit the ground running that doesn't mean it's not worth the trip. Lucius was shaken professionally and personally this week. On the professional front, there was Lucius' dealings with Titan, the hottest gangsta rapper in the game, who was also busted for his part in a nightclub shooting after his concert in front of dozens of witnesses including Becky, hindering Lucius' chances of getting him on the label. Baretti, Lucius' rival and his warning Lucius about taking the company public and his subsequent threats didn't help. If Baretti was mobbed up, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

  On the personal front, Lucius actually impressed me by doing several things right. First, his telling Anika the truth about his illness was a pleasant surprise. I expected him to hide it from her for way longer than he did. Also impressive was Lucius' getting Titan to sign with Empire and do a demo behind bars, with a little help from a star-struck prison guard. Also impressive was the way that Lucius dealt with Hakeem by giving Hakeem's VIP passes for Titan's concert to Becky in order to make Hakeem concentrate on his own music and his telling Hakeem that while he may not like Cookie, he still has to respect her because she's his mama whether he likes it or not. Lucius even gave props to Cookie for her business savvy where Titan and Tianna were concerned. About Lucius and Cookie, while they do still have chemistry, I hope that Cookie doesn't go down that road again for her sake because she lost way too much the first time.

 

  Anika was another character who impressed me because of her loyalty to Lucius after he confessed he's dying and for her attempt to negotiate with some of Titan's people in the 'hood. Anika was out of her element -to put it mildly- especially during the shoot-out, but she still chose to stay, to her credit. However, had a stray bullet flown the wrong way, disturbed pearls would have been the least of her problems.  Yet another character who impressed me was Jamal. When things were tough for him, Jamal stuck to his guns instead of leaning on Lucius or Cookie, pizza aside re the latter. When Jamal was walking outside, I thought that he was gonna get hurt, too but thankfully that didn't happen. Jamal also gets props from me for using the sounds of his environment to inspire him, which will ultimately work to his and Cookie's advantage and at Lucius' expense. Stevie Wonder did it to great effect on "Living For the City," so Jamal probably figured that if it's good enough for Stevie, then it's good enough for him.

Edited February 6, 2015 by DollEyes

[CofCinci]

Anika was another character who impressed me because of her loyalty to Lucius after he confessed he's dying

I wouldn't be surprised if she's poisoning Lucius and set up him with a fake doctor.  Did you see the poncho that doctor wore in the Pilot?  Ain't no one practicing medicine with a crocheted duvet cover shielding their body.

[jhlipton]

I was rather surprised at the "shade" thrown at the Nation of Islam.  I know it's been the center of controversy since the get-go, but very few shows will mention it and many that do will have some character discovering it in prison.  It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

 

 

What struck me as stupid about Andre just spontaneously inventing an alibi for his dad was any smart cop would've immediately separated them and drilled them on the details, wouldn't they?   

 

The detective is no dummy.  He may have wanted to see the dynamic, and I'm sure that he noticed that Andre blew his father's statement.  Dre probably did more harm than good there.

 

==============================================================

 

Bi-polar doesn't give you "dead eyes" or cause personality breaks.  It just makes it hard to stay on an even keel.

Edited February 1, 2015 by jhlipton

[wanderingstar]

The detective is no dummy.

 

I read this as "The detective is so yummy."

 

Yeah - I'm shallow.

[DollEyes]

  Yet another character who impresses me is Tianna. She's not only pretty and smart, she's ambitious and independent, as she proved by not letting Hakeem's latest booty call with Camilla distract her from business and killing it on the Teen Choice Awards Nomination special, which she did, with some help from Hakeem. Tianna also encouraged Hakeem to cut Cookie some slack, which shows that she's also compassionate when she wants to be. Tianna's also got sense enough to know better than to put all her eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to Hakeem. Speaking of whom, he's way too impressed with himself most of the time for me to be impressed by him. If it weren't for Hakeem's talent and his relationship with Jamal, I'd write him off altogether. Hakeem's just a spoiled punk who thinks he's a thug, but Hakeem's no Titan. Hakeem hasn't lived the life that Titan has lived nor done what Titan's done. Hakeem knows way more about popping bottles than busting caps. Hakkem's rapping about the hood is like Lucius rapping about the law, Anika rapping about thrift shops and Andre rapping about marital fidelity. However, Hakeem did pull his head out of his own ass long enough to perform with Tianna.

 

Getting back to Andre, his younger self showed his good and bad sides, whether it was his duet with Lucius or his covering up for Lucius by hiding his gun from the cops. Besides being a businessman, Andre has three other talents-singing, sexing the Deputy Mayor and lying to cops. Andre's giving Lucius an alibi for the night of the murder might have helped Lucius with the cops, but with Andre, not so much. Chances are Andre will get suspicious about why he had to lie for Lucius again where Bunkie's murder was concerned in the first place, put two & two together  and realize that Lucius killed Bunkie, which Andre could use to his advantage re taking over the company.

 

    And how could I forget Cookie? In her own unique way, Cookie's proving to be indispensable to Empire (the show and the label), from her meeting with Titan's mama Fatima to getting Tianna to make headway with Hakeem where Cookie's mending fences with him was concerned. Cookie's still rough around the edges, but her conversations with Fatima and Hakeem show her mature, softer side. Cookie's not "perfect," by any means, but she still rules. This is Cookie's world; we're just living in it.

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if [Anika] was poisoning Lucius and setting him up with a fake doctor. Did you see the poncho that doctor wore in the Pilot? Ain't no one practicing medicine with a crocheted duvet cover shielding their body.

 

  I respectfully disagree. I don't believe for a second that after being told that he's dying, Lucius wouldn't seek a second opinion. As for the Doctor's outfit, she probably wore it because she's Lucius' private physician and she came in on her day off to give him the bad news herself.

 

 

Okay, this wasn't bad, but it made me laugh with unintentional humor. Jamal walking the streets and rattling chains and kicking trashcans gave me such Michael Jackson vibes that I half expected him to throw up his arms and yell OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

  I didn't. I'd expect that shit from Glee, not Empire.

Edited February 1, 2015 by DollEyes

[tmelange]

 

Yet another character who impresses me is Tianna. She's not only pretty and smart, she's ambitious and independent, as she proved by not letting Hakeem's latest booty call with Camilla distract her from business and killing it on the Teen Choice Awards Nomination special, which she did, with some help from Hakeem.

 

Tiana became my favorite baby girl in this episode. She showed her mettle, and a few of the things she did resonated with me. I loved that she sought Cookie out, recognized her authenticity, and made Cookie her manager, despite Hakeem trying to talk her out of it. To top that off, she stood behind her decision and Cookie when others (Anika and Hakeem) tried to turn her off. I really appreciated the way she called Hakeem out for disrespecting his mother in various ways; never date a guy who treats his mom like crap, whatever the underlying reason. 

 

Of course, she handled that issue with Naomi Campbell like a BOSS. And she took charge of her professional relationship with Hakeem instead of letting Cookie handle it at the Teen Choice Awards.

 

So, all in all, I'm rooting for Tiana. She's young and will likely make mistakes, but she has a good head on her shoulders, as Cookie noticed. It's also great to see Cookie mentoring a girl, since she has four guys that she's always playing off of. Women have a hard time in the music biz, especially in hip hop. I hope Cookie and Tiana tear it up.

[Syndicate]

I was rather surprised at the "shade" thrown at the Nation of Islam.  I know it's been the center of controversy since the get-go, but very few shows will mention it and many that do will have some character discovering it in prison.  It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

 

 

 

The detective is no dummy.  He may have wanted to see the dynamic, and I'm sure that he noticed that Andre blew his father's statement.  Dre probably did more harm than good there.

 

==============================================================

 

Bi-polar doesn't give you "dead eyes" or cause personality breaks.  It just makes it hard to stay on an even keel.

I don't think it's being suggested that Andre has "dead eyes" because of bipolar disorder.  It's just how he looks, and how he seems to be portraying the character with his eye movements.  That being said, I agree that bipolar disorder on an actual level just makes it hard to stay on an even keel, but will this show actually portray it THAT way?  My answer is, I doubt it.  This show seems to be quite a bit about shock value, and Andre will likely do some crazy shit resulting from his condition.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Syndicate

[Demig]

and Andre will likely do some crazy shit resulting from his condition.

 

Not unlike quite a few people with the disorder.

[Milz]

I don't mind the "slower" pace of this episode. In fact, I'd rather have a different pace for each episode; it gives me time to catch my breath and really ponder the show.

Seeing the flashbacks of young Jamal and young Andre, makes me want to see a young Hakeem flashback.

 

  Yet another character who impresses me is Tianna. She's not only pretty and smart, she's ambitious and independent, as she proved by not letting Hakeem's latest booty call with Camilla distract her from business and killing it on the Teen Choice Awards Nomination special, which she did, with some help from Hakeem. Tianna also encouraged Hakeem to cut Cookie some slack, which shows that she's also compassionate when she wants to be. Tianna's also got sense enough to know better than to put all her eggs in one basket, especially when it comes to Hakeem.

 

 

I'm so happy Tiana isn't a co-dependent, loser-magnet. I hope they keep her as a strong woman.

 

 

Speaking of whom, he's way too impressed with himself most of the time for me to be impressed by him. If it weren't for Hakeem's talent and his relationship with Jamal, I'd write him off altogether. Hakeem's just a spoiled punk who thinks he's a thug, but Hakeem's no Titan. Hakeem hasn't lived the life that Titan has lived nor done what Titan's done. Hakeem knows way more about popping bottles than busting caps. Hakkem's rapping about the hood is like Lucius rapping about the law, Anika rapping about thrift shops and Andre rapping about marital fidelity. However, Hakeem did pull his head out of his own ass long enough to perform with Tianna.

 

This exactly.

 

Andre, Jamal, and Hakeem remind me of my grand mom's family. Her parents started a hardware store when she was a toddler. They lived over the store. By the time her youngest sibling was born, the store was doing well, they lived in a house, life was easier. Her youngest sibling had a different attitude about financial things and a different outlook on life than she and the older siblings did, primarily because all he knew was the financially good times.

 

Jamal might not like the roach-motel apartment he and Michael currently live in, but Jamal knows how to live like that. I don't think Hakeem would know how to live in a place like that and would be less inclined than Jamal (or Andre) to disregard Lucious and be financially cut off.

 

 

            And how could I forget Cookie? In her own unique way, Cookie's proving to be indispensable to Empire (the show and the label), from her meeting with Titan's mama Fatima to getting Tianna to make headway with Hakeem where Cookie's mending fences with him was concerned. Cookie's still rough around the edges, but her conversations with Fatima and Hakeem show her mature, softer side. Cookie's not "perfect," by any means, but she still rules. This is Cookie's world; we're just living in it.

 

 

Cookie's my girl. I cut her a lot of slack because in the Empire timeline she's only been out of jail for a month or two (if that) and she's beginning to adapt to the corporate world. Her approach of getting to Titan through his mom was excellent strategy----better than Lucious/Annika's  stupid meeting at the diner plan.  Cookie is a survivor.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Milz

[JBC344]

This is so random, but does Trai Byers (Andre) sound like Denzel to anyone else? I only recently started seeing Trai in things (he played James Forman in Selma), but as he speaks, I hear Denzel intonations. 

Funny you mention this. Lee Daniels has been heavily courting Denzel Washington to join the show.  Denzel has been meeting with him so it may be a possibility Denzel will show up in the season finale or in the new season.

[darkestboy]

Not my favourite episode but certainly a fun episode though.

Cookie is a good businesswoman/manager given her scenes with Hakeem/Tiana and Fatima showed this week.

The story with Titan was a little more interesting than I thought it would be actually.

Like that Anika found out about Lucious's illness in this episode as well. Andrew covering for him I did expect a little.

Jamal didn't have the greatest moments in this one but I did like Keep Your Money as well as Hakeem/Tiana's Keep It Movin as well, 7/10