Empire writers are all up in their Shakespearean feelings. They’ve quoted him time and time again, in the naming and telling of this hoodtastic (I made that word up) drama. This latest episode keeps with that theme, in that it’s named after a line from the Shakespearian tragedy, King Lear: “Time Shall Unfold.” The full line from the play reads: “ Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides, who covers faults at last with shame derides,” meaning, what is hidden is doomed to be revealed in time. And whoever covers his faults is shamed in the end. That is a clear set-up for this latest round of Empire.
Welp. The boo-boo kitty is out of the bag. Anika was conveniently caught by Rhonda and Andre barfing her guts out. She confirms what’s already assumed, that yes, she’s knocked up. But then lowers the boom by confirming that the baby is the next Lyon heir and is indeed Hakeem’s, thus prompting Rhonda and Andre to stage a family meeting in Lucious Lyons’ den.
Most everyone is blindsided and acts accordingly, you know, the way you would if you found out the woman that was your dad’s fiancé/ex-husband's new boo, who started sleeping with your brother/son is now pregnant with your nephew/grandson. Cookie calls her a, and I quote, “trick-ass-hoe,” and Hakeem all but calls for Maury Povich. I mean, wouldn’t you? The only one that isn’t riled up is Lucious. He’s over there daydreaming about handing out cigars with 24k gold Empire labels, though he keeps his cool and asks what Anika really wants. “I want my baby to have a family,” is her heartfelt reply, to which Cookie hits her with an appropriately placed, "girl bye."
Lucious, however, was ready to wheel and deal. He later rolls up on Anika, unannounced with a $10 million offer in exchange for silence and essentially Anika handing over baby boy Lyon to Lucious, by way of Hakeem of course. Anika is having no parts of this and dangles the fact that she knows where all the proverbial bodies are buried — and could easily snitch her way right to the FBI. Lucious isn’t visibly swayed but warns that many women die in child birth — a threat she might not want to take lightly since we all know that Lucious will “Bunkie” your ass in a heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Rhonda and Andre have moved away from the notion that someone ( clears throat, Anika) pushed Rhonda down the staircase. This new Zen Andre has ditched religion and the good reverend, stopped having divine visions of Rhonda’s assault, and is back on his meds. Rhonda is delighted that Andre is done with all that silly talk of God, so they can get back to their power-grabbing ways. Andre has found solace with the fact that he and his late grandmother have a kinship beyond blood, as he visits and makes peace with her and Lucious at her gravesite, or is it? More on that in a minute.
Poor Hakeem is being dragged by Lucious. He uses dirty tactics to embarrass the young CEO at a shareholder’s concert. Cookie swoops in to save Hakeem from further embarrassment but the board still votes Hakeem out. A new CEO has yet to be named. I’m sliding my vote across the table for Cookie. And you can’t blame the mama Lyon for trying to protect her other cub, Jamal. She tries desperately to sabotage his chemistry and collabos with Freda Gatz, a futile attempt to guard him against Frank Gathers’ spawn. But a well placed Nicki Minaj- ish rapper named Stacy Run Run isn’t enough for Jamal to kick Freda to the curb when it was all said and done.
Finally, time is slowly unfolding for Lucious. A powder keg is nearly ready to blow. His “Dwight Walker” video, which tells the true story of how his mentally ill mother commits suicide right in front of him, is a hit and a lie! We find out that Lucious has actually stashed his poor, LIVING mama away! Who covers faults at last with shame derides. Translation: Cookie’s going to whoop that ass when this fault unfolds.
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