S02.E16: The Lyon Who Cried Wolf

[Actionmage]

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I don't think he could put her anywhere when he saw her again.

Which is why I also said:

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 Or as soon as you had more than a couple of coins to rub together, but no.

She was what seemed like an average nursing/ group home. Yes, homes where older folks, due to being older folks, tend to have medications that nurse/staff make sure the residents take.

We know that Lucious doesn't think meds and therapy will help, despite it doing good with Andre. Lu feels that the illness is stronger.  We have not been privy to whether Leah has actually been properly diagnosed nor medicated. She may have physical things to take meds for, but we haven't learned about Leah from when she was Kelly Rowland until she became Leslie Uggams.

Lucious is also an unreliable narrator of his own story, so what we know from him about her? Needs to be nailed down by a third party- not Thirsty! *g*

[wanderingstar]

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I know Lee and Ilene have repeatedly said Michael is Jamal's true love (UGH!) but Jamal has way more chemistry, and potential, with Derek. I'd much rather Empire put it's efforts into building Jamal & Derek as a couple then for the show to twist itself into knots to bring Dora's useless ass back again.

I don't buy Michael as Jamal's true love. First love, sure. But people can move on from first loves. And I think Jamal has had way more chemistry with Ryan and Derek than he ever did with Michael. So I'm definitely open to seeing them develop Jamal and Derek more, even though I don't fully trust him yet.

[LaChavalina]

14 hours ago, Jade Foxx said:

I'm a little confused - so was/is Lucious' mom really suffering from bi-polar or perhaps schizophrenia; or is she just inherently evil?

The entire backstory has been the mentally ill angle, which supposedly predisposed Andre to it, which is why Lu shuns him for being "like his mother"

A mental disorder/condition and being a clinically dangerous psychopath are NOT the same thing!!

I'm fairly sure they're implying that she had some form of postpartum psychosis-- i.e., sometimes women who have been bipolar develop much more serious symptoms after childbirth (hence, she blames Luscious). Although, the cakes and the knife-wielding is almost a cartoonish caricature of that.

[announcergirl]

3 hours ago, LaChavalina said:

I'm fairly sure they're implying that she had some form of postpartum psychosis-- i.e., sometimes women who have been bipolar develop much more serious symptoms after childbirth (hence, she blames Luscious). Although, the cakes and the knife-wielding is almost a cartoonish caricature of that.

This is a good line of questions and thought. While she might have bonafide mental issues, her speech blaming Lucious and remembering she PURPOSELY tried to kill him says something different to me. A mental break is one thing. A premeditated attempted murder something else. Yes, they don't have to be mutually exclusive, but to remember and then repeat it 20 years later?

[PepperMonkey]

Leslie Uggams! LOVE!!! Having said that, Leah gotta go. I'm afraid she's going to hurt someone who's NOT Lucious. And honestly, I'd be sad if Lucious was off the show because I love his OTTness, even when it's a bit too much.

I keep hoping that Rhonda's remembrances of BBK's possible involvement in her "accident" ARE a red herring. I really do not want Anika to be a baby killer. I like her on the show and want her to be around to foil the Lyons when they get too full of themselves, which is often.

Hakeem needs to lose Laura NOW. She's always been boring, and now she's acting like the second coming of Beyoncé, without the talent. I have always loved Tiana, though, so I am biased. Keem and Laura do NOT have chemistry, and I'll be glad when we don't have to give her another thought.

[thuganomics85]

Well, Grandma Leah sure got fucking scary real quick.  That might have been the first time I ever, ever, felt concerned for Lucious' well-being.  I really thought she was going to at least stab him in the hand or something.  And it was just so weird seeing the almighty Lucious be that meek and unthreatening in that scene.  It makes more and more sense why the way he is; especially about Andre being bipolar.  It's not right, but he probably just automatically assumes the worst of people who are mentally ill, thanks to his childhood.  Still doesn't make up for all of the awful shit he did, but I at least understand him a bit better.

Speaking of awful shit, of course he had Harper whacked for what she did.  Of course, I would have thought a reporter as apparently smart as her would have known better then to get in a car with fucking Thirsty.

Both Candace and Carol are back, and thanks to a particularly loud conversation, they have just put Lucious back into the FBI's sights.  Ha!

I wouldn't be surprised if Derek ends up being shady, but I'd actually like it if him simply being in the closet would end up being the story, and it's about Jamal using his past experiences, to help Derek open up.  But that would be way too normal for this show...

Oh, Hakeem.  You are so falling for Tiana again.  Classic Hakeem!

Rhonda is finally remembering things again!  And she suspect Anika now!  This should be fun!

Sorry, Portia, you are entertaining as hell, but Becky really could teach you a thing or two, or really everything about being a good secretary.  Sometimes I wonder why Cookie still bothers with her.

The Lyons song was pretty awesome.  

Leslie Uggams was amazing in this.  Really hope Leah is an one season and done character.  I can see so much potential and future storylines with her.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Empire Gets A Real Name Policy

Meddling family members cut our (anti-)heroes down to humiliating size.

[DollEyes]

As Nana Leah,Leslie Uggams is amazing. She can be a sweet old lady one moment and a scary, batshit crazy bitch the next and is equally convincing as both.  Given all that Lucius has gotten away with, especially making Harper disappear, it's about time someone put the fear of God in him. 

  I don't trust Derek. Jamal & Derek may have chemistry, but chemistry isn't enough for me. I've seen enough of these storylines on different shows to know that nine times out of ten, a brother on the downlow rarely, if ever, ends well. 

[Mreid]

I don't think Anika pushed Rhonda anymore, for the fact that they still have not shown the person's face. I think we will all be really surprised at this finale to find out who really pushed Rhonda and why. 

[Biggie B]

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I think we will all be really surprised at this finale to find out who really pushed Rhonda and why. 

I suspect we won't find out just yet - they'll leave us hanging until the show returns in the fall (or whenever it's slated to return). Although I could see reveal coming in literally the last seconds of the finale, leaving us knowing but shocked. We shall see! Either way, I hope it's fun and over the top!

[Bookworm13]

Did anyone else find Anika's behavior suspicious when she and Rhonda were relaxing? Rhonda said something to the effect of, "this wine is going straight to my head", and Anika's reply of "good" seemed super quick, then she caught herself and came up with some other response. It came across to me almost as if she had put something in the wine prior to giving it to Rhonda, though I don't know why she has any reason to currently want her gone. I may be over thinking things, and subtlety isn't this shows strong suit, but it just struck me funny. 

[RCharter]

On 5/9/2016 at 6:59 AM, Mreid said:

I don't think Anika pushed Rhonda anymore, for the fact that they still have not shown the person's face. I think we will all be really surprised at this finale to find out who really pushed Rhonda and why. 

I would be so proud of this show if  Anika wasn't the one that pushed Rhonda.

[announcergirl]

10 hours ago, Bookworm13 said:

Did anyone else find Anika's behavior suspicious when she and Rhonda were relaxing? Rhonda said something to the effect of, "this wine is going straight to my head", and Anika's reply of "good" seemed super quick, then she caught herself and came up with some other response. It came across to me almost as if she had put something in the wine prior to giving it to Rhonda, though I don't know why she has any reason to currently want her gone. I may be over thinking things, and subtlety isn't this shows strong suit, but it just struck me funny. 

I thought this also. After she said it, Rhonda looked at Anika strangely, as if she also realized what Anika said. 

[jhlipton]

On 5/5/2016 at 6:11 AM, Biggie B said:

Now, why exactly was Harper taking a drive with Thirsty?

Yeah, that did not make sense at all.  At the very least, before she gets in, make sure Thirsty hears both sides of a conversation where she tells her boss at the paper that she's going for a ride with Thirsty and she'll call him back when she returns.  [Both sides so Thirsty knows she's not just making it up]

On 5/5/2016 at 8:54 AM, TobinAlbers said:

[Dwight] continued a weird cycle of psychological and verbal abuse bordering on violent. And yet when he sang the anthem and bleating out that the one thing true about him was his love for his kids, you believed it, it's just that Lucious simply doesn't know how to show real love because he is so damaged.

Cycles of abuse, where abused children grow up to become abusing parents, are very common, I believe.