S04.E15: A Lean and Hungry Look

[luckyroll3]

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Eddie fights for his place at Empire and gets the board on his side; Lucious and Shine must find a solution to keep him out; Cookie is desperate to fulfill a promise to a friend before it's too late; tensions rise in Jamal and Tory's new band.

Started the thread.  

Can't believe they finally got rid of Shine.  And in as ruthless a way as possible.  Although, I did love the face Lucious made when Shine snarked on his ascot.  Lol!  Shine's verse on the song was fire, though.

I'm so done with Tiana.  I don't understand what she's whining about.  Since the show has started, she has been Empire's main focus....most of their resources have been directed to her over all the other artists on the label save for those with Lyon last name.  And what did Eddie do for her besides change her look (which she already did every 5 minutes), make her isolate herself from everyone, and encourage her to act like a bitch diva?  And last time I remembered, Booboo Kitty wasn't being friendly or thankful to her for being Bella's life while she was in jail.

[wanderingstar]

RIP, Shyne. You really shouldn't have trusted Lucious, but then that is a mistake many characters on this show have made.

Can't believe Tiana has thrown in with Eddie and Anika. She's playing this one all wrong. The Lyons always come out on top - and it's their company. *smh*

Do I want to know what Andre's plotting now that he knows what Anika is up to?

Porsha and Becky are looking great this season. I also loved Becky telling Jamal, "Please, I have spies everywhere!"

Kind of want to see what comes of Jamal and Tori's music collective. The little bit we heard in this ep sounded promising.

[tennisgurl]

I should never stop being shocked at how cold Lucious was, but still...damn. RIP Shine. It was inevitable that he was going to get a bullet, after betting against the Lyons too many times, but it was still harsh. I did snicker at Lucious rubbing that ascot in his face. Never diss Lyon style! At least he got a hot verse in before he went. And it really will be worth a whole lot of money. 

Tiana is really backing the wrong horse here. Siding with Boo boo Kitty is going to end badly for her, on every level. Its probably only because Hakeem still loves her that they'll even keep her around, or at least down throw her down the drain with Eddie. 

Interested to see how Jamal and Tori`s music collective goes. It sounds pretty cool in what we heard for that bit, looking forward to hearing more! I like Jamal and Tori`s music a whole lot, and the guy that they recruited last time was good too, so heres hoping we get some good stuff! 

Porsha and Becky look fabulous this season, and Becky is really coming into her own. She even has her own spy network!

Poundcakes daughter reading her letter when she was too weak to talk to her was heartbreaking. At least she got to see her, and that she turned out well, and seems to have had a good life. although, maybe if Cookie wanted to tell her that her mom was more than a criminal maybe tell her Poundcakes real name first off? 

Edited May 4, 2018 by tennisgurl

[Biggie B]

I really enjoyed this episode. I sort of felt bad for Shyne, but...he sided with Eddie and that was the wrong choice. I did like the scenes with him and Lucious in the recording studio. When they were recalling their days in Philly, it was very genuine and bittersweet, which is how memories and shared experiences with long-time friends often are - you look back with a tinge of sadness and regret mixed in with the fondness. I wonder how Eddie will react to Shyne's death. And how exactly will his absence at Empire be explained? 

I did not like Becky's hair up in the bun. It made her look matronly. She's gorgeous and her clothing is always stunning, but I just didn't care for that particular hairstyle. Her scene with Jamal was brief but terrific. They're so good together.

The final scene with Cookie, Maya, and Poundcake was very well done - really moving. Even the way Cookie's tear slid down her face, down her chin, and then down her neck was so real and added to the emotion of the moment. I wonder if there will be anything more to this story line.

Oh Tiana - big mistake - this will not go well. She is such a petulant brat right now, which stinks. 

[Dee]

Xzibit will be missed but Shine had it coming. A ringmaster can't keep putting his head in a lion's mouth and not expect to get bit.

Terrence Howard makes Lucious such a compelling antihero. His reaction to Shine dissing his fashion sense was hilarious.

Andre & Jamal are trash. One was forgiven way too easily & the other remains too ridiculously idealistic for his own good.

Cookie, Maya & Poundcake was great drama. All three actresses knocked it out of the park.

Paolo has been dressing Gabby Sidibe wonderfully this season. Becky has never looked better.

Tiana is being a real diva, but it's difficult to fault her for feeling betrayed by the Lyons. It's a messy situation all around.

Hakeem & Blake are cute together. Who knew?

Edited May 6, 2018 by Dee

[Vixenstud]

22 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

Since the show has started, Tiana has been Empire's main focus....most of their resources have been directed to her over all the other artists on the label save for those with Lyon last name.

I don't....fucking....get it!  Hell, I miss the virgin Latina Hakeem almost married, anyone but this hack talent.

Muhfucka cried like a punk over Cookie, Poundcake and Mya....damn, that was such a sad and well acted scene.

TH's Lucious is the black John Ross Ewing, Jr.  You either love him to death or want to machete his ass....his scene with Shyne was epic.

[Biggie B]

1 hour ago, Vixenstud said:

TH's Lucious is the black John Ross Ewing, Jr.  You either love him to death or want to machete his ass....his scene with Shyne was epic.

With perhaps a dash of Tony Soprano thrown in for good measure.

[Dee]

Tiana was originally supposed to be played by Ryan Destiny.

Which makes me wonder what her version of the character would look like.

Serayah's Tiana is a pretty solid Rihanna imitation, but if Ryan were Tiana, would her Tiana resemble Justine Skye?

[Babalu]

I don’t usually pay much attention to the credits, but I noticed the name James Leo Colby at the beginning of the episode and then at the end saw it was dedicated to his memory, so I looked him up. He played Burleson, the rape-y, sadistic prison guard, and passed away in February. His IMDB page.

[Margohill]

Great episode. Oh! Shyne, I was shocked how it all went down. The scene reminded me of a horrible scene in The Godfather except this was in bunker. I thought Shyne knew Lucius well enough to predict his actions. Somehow when they were reminiscing old times in the studio, I had a hunch that something bad was about to happen but I never guessed things were going to go down that way. Too bad for Shyne. When you live by the sword, I guess you die by the sword. RIP Shyne.

Now what happens to Andre? Is Lucious going to off him too? OMG and to imagine that Cookie was in on the Shyne deal too. SMH. Cookie and Lucious truly belong with each other. Killers, the both of them. 

Tiana is certainly driving everyone up the wall. I don't know why she turned into this she-devil. All because of Eddie? She just made the biggest mistake to take Eddie's side over the Lyons. She'd be lucky to still be an employee at Empire by the time Cookie is done with her because she'll find out what she's been up to.

I don't even want to mention the babykiller.......

Jamal and Becky have a great friendship. I like their scenes together. BTW, did Becky get that abortion? I don't think that has been clearly addressed.

Cookie and Maya crying when Maya reads the letter in Poundcake's room. It was very heartbreaking, yet a relief that Poundcake finally got to see her daughter. I was so happy that Maya decided to visit her mother. Now she knows why she hates onions................

Really loved this episode. So much to look forward to. The writing has greatly improved. 

[Dee]

Life has to really suck for Tiana.

All of her intense hardwork is paying off, and the very folks who should be happiest for her aren't, because her success interferes with their schemes.

[crowceilidh]

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BTW, did Becky get that abortion? I don't think that has been clearly addressed.

 

My feeling is that she hasn't because it's so rare for a show to have the guts to go through with it. -- I wlll be disappointed if it becomes a SURPRISE! story line, but I won't be surprised.

[jhlipton]

On 5/3/2018 at 5:11 PM, tennisgurl said:

maybe if Cookie wanted to tell her that her mom was more than a criminal maybe tell her Poundcakes real name first off? 

"Sarah  Lee" -- of course her prison name was "Poundcake"!!!

On 5/4/2018 at 8:48 PM, Margohill said:

did Becky get that abortion? I don't think that has been clearly addressed.

16 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

My feeling is that she hasn't because it's so rare for a show to have the guts to go through with it. -- I wlll be disappointed if it becomes a SURPRISE! story line, but I won't be surprised.

It hasn't been addressed.  My feeling is that she did have it or there would have been some mention of her pregnancy.  I think it's been about a month or two show-time, hasn't it?

[Biggie B]

I have been wondering about Becky's abortion as well - I still do not believe she went through with it, even though they showed her going in with the baby's father (his name escapes me right now). I am so skeptical - it's such a gigantically taboo topic that it's hard to imagine a network actually allowing it. It is weird, though, that there has been NO mention of it at all, either way. I am surprised there hasn't been a quick exchange, for example, between Becky and Jamal. Something like Jamal pulling her aside and saying, "How are you doing? If you ever want to talk or anything, I'm here for you. " And then Becky responding either way, either confirming that she had it done and is OK, or confirming that she didn't do it and is moving forward with being a working mom, or whatever. I thought for sure she would have an oh-so-convenient miscarriage, thereby relieving anyone from having to make the tough decision. But regardless - to not mention it at all is odd.  

[crowceilidh]

"No mention at all is odd" is why I think she didn't have the abortion and they're saving it for a  surprise.  I guess I could also see it as a way of dealing with the taboo.  No one's going to complain until they KNOW and if they come to know only because she hasn't had a baby in the allotted time period, it's hard to raise a concerted complaint effort.

[jhlipton]

On 5/7/2018 at 9:19 AM, Biggie B said:

moving forward with being a working mom

That's I think she had the abortion.  She's still actively working and making long term plans, and not planning for a baby (or even being off work).

[darkestboy]

I will not miss Shyne one bit as a character but this was a good exit for him. Good bit of rapping and the final confrontation with Lucious was fantastic before he was taken out.

Been enjoying Hakeem and Blake's friendly-ish rivalry of sorts as well.

Still not sure what Jamal's Collective plot is actually meant to be about but I was on Becky's side here.

Hated seeing Tiana working with Anika and Eddie. Tiana in general is not being written well here.

Cookie's subplot with Poundcake and Maya was brilliantly done. Knew she'd go to her mother at the end, 8/10