LAST night, the first season of Empire, an unparalleled musical drama series, came to a poetic climax: Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) found himself behind bars. In the first episode, it was Cookie Lyon (Taraji P Henson), his ex, who got out of prison and was hell-bent on getting her cut of the Empire fortune.
His character’s final words: “The day will come when Lucious Lyon will return. Game time, b****es.”
Of course, the fabric of the Lyon family has been ripped apart with Jamal named Lucious’s successor, much to the envy of his brothers Hakeem and Andre. And the latter, despite his recent bipolar meltdown, is still hell-bent on heading up the family empire, too.
Meanwhile, those “pillow talk” (pun intended) sessions with Cookie have ended after her attempt to kill Lucious.
Empire resonates with its global audience through its pulsating nuances of popular hip hop culture. In many ways the context is relatable and believable – more so given Jay-Z’s iconic rise to fame.
Yes, the story thread meanders into soap opera territory with gold-diggers surfacing – one in the form of Naomi Campbell. She makes a guest appearance as fashion designer Camilla Marks, who has designs on a naïve Hakeem. Then there’s the Shakespearean-like artfulness of one family member and his Lady MacBeth of a wife, and the almost stepmother, Anika, exacting revenge by sleeping with Hakeem, and a homophobic Lucious impregnating his middle son’s ex-wife. But it bounces back to reality with an unmistakable tone of gangsterism that comes into play.
Empire’s legacy would not have reached its acme without a) the stellar casting of the Lyon family b) ditto for the supporting cast c) the cunningly penned storylines d) the musical score by Timbaland e) the fabulously famous guest stars.
This series has also proved to be rather serendipitous for the careers of Howard, P Henson, Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Y Gray.
POWERFUL COMEBACKS
HOWARD and P Henson are brilliant as the leads. And they offset each other magnificently. Howard, channelling his Hustle & Flow persona, exudes all the power-wielding swag, savvy and fashion sensibilities demanded of his character. Even when he meanders into morally questionable territory, this silver-tongued devil makes it impossible to dislike him.
Cookie has that chutzpah that is constantly applauded. She is a go-getter, feisty, and, most importantly, a survivor. Nothing gets in the way of what she wants and no one messes with this mother hen’s progeny. She’s fabulously flamboyant with her wardrobe. At the same time, she is talented and the backbone of the empire – even when Lucious denies her that acknowledgement.
Prior to Empire, Howard earned his stripes in some heavyweight movies in Hollywood. But last year wasn’t the busiest for the seasoned actor with only Sabotage and Lullaby releasing. Thankfully, this role proved to be a saving grace from the lag. Unfortunately, it is also a costly one for him as his former wife has had a rethink about their whole financial agreement. In case he challenges her, there is that sex tape for blackmail in her possession. Ah, the price of fame…
Meanwhile, P Henson has arguably overshadowed every role with this series. She is such a tour de force as Cookie that she trended globally every time Empire aired. I wouldn’t be surprised if she bagged herself a few honours at the next bout of TV award ceremonies.
WHEN THE FAME FINDS YOU
THE Lyon siblings – Andre (Byers), Jamal (Smollett) and Hakeem (Y Gray) – cement the pull of the show. Each character is distinctively etched. Andre is dark. While loyal to his father, he is more loyal to his ambition, which is spurred on by his wife. Hakeem is impatient, arrogant and an entitled brat. Think of a cross between Chris Brown and Justin Bieber. Jamal, however, is the almost perfect son with his homosexuality being the biggest setback in his relationship with his dad. And he is talented with star power. He is sexy and debonair to boot.
What’s so brilliant about their casting is that while Byers (90210, Selma) and Smollett (The Mindy Project, Revenge) have been in front of the camera before, this is the first time they are the leads. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Smollett is also a singer-songwriter, which explains his electrifying stage presence.
By the way, he has an album on the way in the near future. And Gray also straddles the music and acting worlds. His forte is rapping and Empire marks his acting debut. Of course, his talent is ingeniously exploited with his character. Like Smollett, he has an album in the pipeline.
STAR-STUDDED CAMEOS
Cuba Gooding jr was introduced earlier in the series. He played Dwayne “Puma” Robinson, a songwriter who had beef with Lucious and a crush on Cookie.
Raven-Symoné played Jamal’s ex-wife, Olivia, and the wife to his daughter. However, it turned out that Lucious was the real daddy.
Estelle played Delphine, one of the sought-after talents for Empire Entertainment.
Mary J Blige was cast as Angie, a woman from Lucious’s past.
Gladys Knight, Anthony Hamilton, Snoop Dogg, Rita Ora, Juicy J, Patti LaBelle and Charles Hamilton all played themselves.
• For fans nursing withdrawal symptoms, don’t stress – the second season of Empire will be returning to Fox (DStv channel 125) before the year ends.