04x16 - Fair Terms

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Empire...

Andre is grown, Cookie.

You can't talk to him
like he's a child. (SHRIEKS)

A -degree sensory
experience... "House Empire."

The Empire streaming numbers
will rocket

into the stratosphere.

The Lyon family coerced
Eddie's resignation.

I need Eddie Barker back.
So does Empire.

THIRSTY: It was Shine.
He had Giuliana k*lled

to cover his tracks.

I was always better than you.

(g*nshots)

- You do not get to be my mother now.
- Listen.

- I don't ever want to see you again.
- Loretha.

Hey, Mama.

(GASPS) Oh.

(LAUGHING): Just c-come in.

(RENEE SIGHS)

Do you need a kidney?

This is probably a mistake.

Lolo.

I have missed you, pumpkin.

(SIGHS)

- (TEA KETTLE WHISTLING)
- Oh. Want some tea?

- Mm-hmm, sure.
- I'll make you some tea.

Okay.

(SIGHS)

You got anything stronger?

(RENEE LAUGHS)

Look, we need to distribute
the body parts throughout

the four boroughs. And do me a favor.

Put his head in Staten Island.
(LAUGHS)

- Shiny Boots would hate that.
- Yo, this ain't what you

promised us when you said you
were going legit with Lucious.

Okay, first of all,
the only thing I promised you

was to get your sister
in rehab, remember that?

And secondly, Lucious helped keep

men like me
from ending up men like him.

What other fixers you know
with a K plan?

All right? Shut up and get your
ungrateful ass back to work.

- All right.
- (MOCKING): All right.

♪ Come get what you wanted ♪

♪ Don't you stop before you start it ♪

♪ I'll give you every reason
not to stop after we started ♪

♪ Come get what you wanted ♪

♪ Don't you stop before you start it ♪

♪ I'll give you every reason ♪

♪ Not to stop after we started,
come get ♪

♪ What you wanted, don't you
stop before you start it... ♪

Yo, why don't you
pass the Cheetos, bro?

I got you.

♪ Not to stop after you start it ♪

- Here you go. All right.
- Cheeto police.

Yo, we need to be done,
and we're uploading this damn

- song right now. I'm sorry. Yes.
- Word? - Shut up.

- About time.
- Let's go.

Well, we better do it before

- we change our minds.
- Literally. All right.

- So...
- Let's go. Come on.

- Come on...
- Yo, shut up. Damn. - Go.

All right. No publicity, no money.

- No money.
- Upload, upload, upload, upload.

Upload, and...

- uh, done.
- Yeah!

- (WHOOPS)
- Ain't no turning back now, yo.

So Poundcake d*ed,
and Maya broke down.

I mean, she was grieving really hard,

crying big tears,

even though she didn't know her.

When your mama goes,
it leaves a hole in your spirit.

Didn't matter
that she didn't know her.

Been living with that hole
inside of me

most of my life.

That hole...

that hole goes both ways.

I should not be smoking
around your heart.

Candace told me.

Yeah.

Just like my daddy. (LAUGHS)

I'm hungry. You hungry?

Okay, let me see.

I've been juicing.

- Oh. (LAUGHS)
- I haven't been to the market.

I don't know what I've got.

RENEE: Hmm.

These pictures are really nice.

Very professional.

Yeah. I teach, too.

I can make you some toast.

A lot of toast.

You still take it with the...

with the crust cut off the ends?

This is a picture of me,
Candace and Carol

when we started that new school.

How did you get... these pictures?

You weren't there.

Uh, I mean, I remember this.
I-I remember this.

I remember when we lived here.

How did you get this?

I have seen you all.

After your daddy put his hit out,

the only way that I could get
close to you was with a Leica

telescopic lens.
I didn't make every event,

but when... when I could,

I'd just find a little
hidey-hole to sh**t from.

It was the best I could do.

Lolo?

No one calls me that, you know.

(RENEE SCOFFS)

I've been calling you that
since you were two.

(SETS PICTURE DOWN)

(SIGHS)

(LAUGHS)

I've been walking around
all my life...

with this idea of who you were

in my head, you know?

(SIGHS)

But I don't know you at all.

I remember every step you took
up until second grade.

And what your nosy sisters
been telling me recently.

(CHUCKLES)

Well... (CLEARS THROAT)

Carol is a mess,
I'm sure you know that by now.

And Candace is...

well, she's as...

she's tight as a padlocked Bible.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

And I'm on parole.

So do you still think, um,

I'm the one that's most like you?

I would like to find out, grown girl.

Woman.

Come here.

We cannot fix this quick.

Hell, maybe never.

That's a lot of lost time.

- (SOFTLY): Yeah.
- Loretha, if...

if there's any chance that...

we could just have something,
anything...

I want to try.

- Me, too.
- Yeah?

Yeah. (LAUGHS)

Oh.

Hmm.

Oh.

- My girl.
- (CHUCKLES)

THIRSTY:
So they scattered what was left

of Little Big Man all over,

wider than the A-train can track.

And the m*rder w*apon beyond that.

That sounds like
a really good movie, man.

I hope it ends well.

It was fantastic.
I mean, it had everything.

It'd make you laugh, make...

(THIRSTY CLEARS THROAT)

I've been calling you all night.

Yeah, well, unfortunately,

I've been a little bit busy tonight.

- (LUCIOUS CHUCKLES)
- Anika's been meeting

with Empire's
most powerful board members.

God, she's like
some reoccurring infection

that just pops up at the worst time.

She's convincing them
to reject Eddie's resignation,

and they're listening, Pop.

We need to shore up our support

right now, or Eddie will
be back, he will be untouchable.

THIRSTY: If he sticks around,
he's gonna push

the Patel deal through, take Empire.

ANDRE: That's right.
Now, I did a quick tally,

and we should be safe, so long
as we have Shine's backing.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Now, that's gonna be a problem.

Shine has decided to take
a permanent vacation.

And I think you know why.

Do me a favor, son.

When you enter into my room,
please shut the door.

You didn't have to do that...

I made sure
he wasn't a thr*at anymore.

Really?

Look, Andre, you got one
of the best minds around,

and I know that Ivy League education

got you overconfident
about how you plan things out,

but the school
that me and Shine came from,

you don't start nothing
unless you plan to finish it...

otherwise it will come back
and it will finish you.

THIRSTY: So... ne's vote,

are we safe with him abstaining?

It's as good as a vote against us.

The board seat will stay
within Shine's Nice-T division.

His replacement
now controls the swing vote.

Well, in that case, we just have
to control that replacement.

We-we can't control anything

until Shine is declared dead, Pop.

THIRSTY: Kidding me.

Um...

Thirst, um...

about that movie... was there any way

that they were able to put

Humpty Dumpty back together again?

No, Ma, I haven't read that one.

Uh, "Black Women and Heart att*cks."

Okay, why don't you send it to me.

- Car's ready.
- Oh. Ma, we got to go.

Bye. I'll see you tomorrow. What?

Why does Candace and Carol
have to c...

Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch.

Okay, bye-bye.

- Which one?
- I already took

the ACE inhibitor...
give me the aspirin.

You know what I find really cute?

The fact that you and your mama
barely talked

in over a quarter of a century,
and now y'all are on the phone

- every five minutes.
- Mm.

You know,
you can call your mother, too.

They have phones in the crazy house.

- That ain't even funny.
- (CHUCKLES)

Come on, let's go.

Are we okay, Lucious?

The police still have Shine's body.

Look, we're headed to his memorial.

The police, they don't even know
where to start,

'cause he had so many doggone enemies.

I mean, I promise you
our hands, my hands,

are categorically... clean.

Hmm. Well, that last song

y'all did together makes you
seem like you're buddy-buddy.

That was genius, I'll give you that.

Thank you. Oh, don't forget,

you've got to buddy up
with, uh, Tiffany.

That's his baby mama,
the one that he married.

Um, that way, we will have
a vote against Eddie.

Right. Then we got
enough votes to bury

any kind of reinstatement of his ass,

- that's right?
- Yes, indeed.

Great. I know the plan, Lucious.

I helped make it.

Good. Well, come on.

Mm.

Come on, let's go.

NESSA: ♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

I'm so sorry.

Thank you.

He would have loved this.

♪

♪ Mm, mm, mm, mm ♪

♪ I'll keep my head up high ♪

♪ Dry off these weeping eyes ♪

- ♪ 'Cause I know ♪
- Nessa was Shine's favorite.

- ♪ You're way up high ♪
- He loved her voice.

♪ Perfection... ♪

- Hey, sweetheart.
- Hey.

This is Tiffany, the love of his life.

Oh, hi.

- I'm so sorry for your loss.
- Thank you.

Those are his baby mamas over there.

He took care of all of 'em.

- He was good like that.
- Hmm.

♪ Lord knows we need ♪

♪ Some shine ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ But you've got your ♪

♪ Freedom ♪

♪ Love was emergency ♪

♪ Now, love is eternity ♪

♪ But you've got your ♪

♪ Freedom... ♪

Poor Nessa.

♪ But you're just the first
to see... ♪

So how's it feel to be
the Lone Ranger?

What does that mean?

Anonymous my ass.

Becky, you better not snitch.

You know I'm not gonna snitch.
This is a vault, but...

it's just a matter of time until

Cookie and Lucious find out,
and you know that.

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

(VOCALIZING)

♪ Freedom ♪

♪ Ooh... ♪

I love you, Shine.

This was beautiful.

Uh, are we supposed to clap
at a memorial?

LUCIOUS: I mean, she was really good.

I don't know.

She better turn her
big-head ass around.

I can't stand that heifer.

You made that relatively clear
when you rearranged her face.

- Mm. She deserved it.
- Mm-hmm.

LUCIOUS: I don't know if y'all
knew this, but, um,

Shine was my oldest living friend.

He was my colleague,

a partner at Empire,

and a genius at spotting new talent.

- WOMAN: That's right.
- MAN: For real.

To everybody else, Blake...

was a crazy little white boy
with a bad haircut.

But he saw the diamond in the rough,

and he polished that diamond
with his last drop of blood.

He made his last record
with that diamond.

I was proud of his genius,
and I'm gonna miss my friend.

- WOMAN: Rest in peace.
- We love you.

ANIKA: And can you imagine
just how wonderful

Tiana's been doing? Honestly,

I was the one that did discover
and sign her, but Eddie...

Wow, he instinctively knew
what to do next.

♪ If I had to play God for a day ♪

♪ I would open up the gates,
let the world see my face... ♪

I really should've let Shine hit
it when I had the chance to.

I should've just let him have it.

♪ A safe place... ♪

Okay.

♪ I'd let their mamas know
that they okay ♪

♪ And when y'all pray,
I'll respond so that ♪

♪ You all can see a sign ♪

♪ And answer every prayer
one at a time ♪

♪ If I'm God, huh ♪

♪ All the stabbings, all the w*r
would come to cease... ♪

Dre, I can't imagine
how you feel, man. I...

I know you and Shine,
y'all worked together.

Y'all were friends.

It was something like that.

♪ Screams of people being smoked ♪

♪ No more dope, you don't need it... ♪

All death is bad news

to somebody, somewhere, man, you know?

I wondered if Rhonda's death
would ever get... easier.

♪ Laughed at the picture... ♪

It doesn't.

We weren't there for you, were we?

♪ Who pulls the strings of the
world as we struggle today... ♪

Dre, I miss you.

♪ I don't want to wait, wait,
wait till I die... ♪

Love you, Dre.

♪ Wait, wait, wait for my eyes... ♪

I love you, too, man.

♪ Smile on your child so he knows... ♪

I love you, too.

♪ God has a face ♪

♪ Just imagine if the devil
had a day ♪

♪ And God had took a break
and walked away... ♪

- Hey, Keem.
- Another one.

I know that this might be
a really hard time,

but I actually have some
good news for you.

What's up?

So, there's this movie, Down By Day,

it's sh**ting downtown.

And Big Fade... he had, like,

a small but really important
role in it.

And, as you know,
he got his ass locked up again.

So the producers reached out to me

so that I can reach out to you

to see if you want to take over
the role for him.

Mm'kay. Did I mention that

Haven Wynn is starring in it?

The chick from Star Worlds?

Yeah, and number three
on my girl-crush list.

Tell 'em hell yeah, I'm in.

All right, great.

Uh, just want to make sure,

because they need you this week,

and you have House Empire,
and so it's a lot.

I can do both.

You're in. All right.

Let me get another one.

Thank you for having Shine's
memorial here.

It means a lot.

I know the two of you
got into it sometimes, but...

Yeah, but we were brothers,
and like brothers,

sometimes we disagreed,
but there was nothing

I wouldn't do for him
or for you and your family.

- How are you all?
- We're doing all right.

You know Shine took care of me.

It's these other baby mamas
I'm worried about.

Now they all got their hands
out, looking to get paid.

I'm really sorry for your loss.

Oh, thank you.

I'm Eddie Barker.

I worked with your husband.

He was a real force of nature
around here at Empire.

I appreciate that.

And I think that there's
an emergency fund

that we can dip into to help
calm those ladies down

during their hours of grief.

Only one of us represents
Empire, and that's me.

I'll take care of that if need be.

I'm offering to help.

WOMAN: Tiffany, we need you.

Jade and Sierra are ramping up

about their kids, and it's,
it's about to get ugly.

- I'll be right back.
- Mm-hmm.

It's not too late to fix this thing.

Let's just say we take
the Kelly Patel deal,

and then we can all go off and
chill in Turks and Caicos.

My family and I trusted you,

and still you're trying
to sell our company

like it's a sl*ve at an auction.

There's no sl*ve at an auction
that's worth

hundreds of millions of dollars,
my man.

Stay away fr...
If I see you at House Empire...

Look, you mean the little show
to celebrate the For

that you wouldn't have
if it wasn't for me?

TIFFANY: I'm sorry about that.

Oh, no problem.
I'll talk to you later and see

if I can work
those things out for you.

Thank you.

Forgive me

for this moment,
I know it must seem rude,

but we got to talk about business.

We need to discuss you filling
Shine's seat at the board.

Me? Oh, no, uh,
business ain't my thing.

Shine always said that if
anything ever happened to him,

that his board seat
and all of his business

be taken over by Nessa.

Nessa?

Check it, I'm telling you.
They gave me my own P.A.

They treatin' me right.
I got my own trailer...

Uh, this is the director, Mr. Lyon.

- I got to go.
- Oh, keep it, sir.

It's my job.

Mr. Lyon, welcome. I'm Beekman Poser.

I'm the director of this picture,

and we're very glad
that you are in it.

Thanks so much for responding
on such short notice.

Of course, you know our star, Haven?

And, oh, listen, Hakeesh...

- It's Hakeem.
- You two get acquainted.

We're sh**ting
a love scene later today.

It's all about chemistry, right?

I seen your last movie. It was a'ight.

A'ight? Thanks a lot.

Look, I was just trying to...

Trying to be friendly?

(SCOFFS) You're here for one day.

We're not gonna be friends.

Cool.

Oh, and as for the love scene,

no tongue whatsoever,

and keep your hands in the PG zones.

I'm not one of your video hos. A'ight?

It was lovely to meet you.

(ANDRE SIGHS)

All my life, I've-I've had
to compartmentalize.

It was the only way to survive
the swings in my mind.

When I see Anika...
when I see her-her face,

everything goes out the window.

All I feel is pure hatred.

I want to be well.

I feel like my hate for her
is gonna destroy me.

The only thing I know
more powerful than hate

is the power to forgive.

She doesn't deserve it.

Forgiveness is about
the forgiver, Andre.

Your brother forgave you, didn't he?

Hmm?

Did you deserve it?

You have the power to forgive.

It's in you.

You know what, let's just
go ahead and run this

while the crew sets up.

Hakeem, you enter, g*n drawn,
to find Haven

tied up in the warehouse.

- All right.
- Okay? Start over there.

- Let's do it.
- POSER: Ready?

Brandi, we got to get out of here.

Thank God. There's a b*mb.

- Yeah, we got to go. Come on.
- Cut!

I had two more lines.

Yes, yes.

Um... Hey, Hakeem,
have you ever acted before?

Not really.

- Okay. Well, relax.
- (SCOFFS)

Make it sound natural. You know?

Like, say the lines like
you would in real life.

Let's try it again.

Damn. We got to get out of here.
Come on, Brandi. Let's go!

Cut!

What, Beekman? You want me
more scared or less scared?

That just wasn't natural.

The character is a rapper.

I need you to sound like
a rapper. Okay?

- I am a rapper.
- Mm, uh,

mess up some of the words.

Slur a few of them, like you're
probably high on something.

Also, the Glock.

Turn it on its side, pinkie up,

like a rapper does, you know?

Uh-huh.

Don't nobody do that.

Who cares? Just do what he says.

I don't want to be here all night.

Great. Let's try it again.

- Can we get this room, please?
- Mm-hmm.

Well, this ought to be good.

You know why we're here.

Yes, Anika reached out already.

And, apparently, everybody needs
a piece of my vote,

and she was very convincing.

And she didn't lay hands on me.

Well, that's because
she lacks follow-through,

and you should be concerned
about that.

Okay. What-what is it?

You need an apology?

No, I don't.

So you can save your breath

for your concession speech
to the board.

Look, N-Nessa, I'm the one

that should be apologizing, okay?

(WHISPERS INDISTINCTLY)

(ANDRE SIGHS)

I was a mess while we were together.

I wanted so badly to be ready
to move on after Rhonda's death

that I never took the time
to actually grieve it.

And you suffered for that.

You didn't deserve it.

I'm sorry.

Don't make my family suffer
for what I did. Please.

Because you need me now.

Don't you think you're a little
too late for this speech?

Huh, Dre?

All right, all right.

Nessa, listen.

We didn't do right by you,

none of us did.

But I can fix that, right now.

We'll extend your contract
for two more albums,

plus a huge signing bonus.

All you have to say is yes.

And how do I know you all are gonna

put anything behind me this time?

- Tell her.
- Because we're going to offer you

the final spot in our
House Empire showcase.

Wait, that's Jamal's spot.

Yeah, well, Jamal is not
here right now.

I mean, is that enough
of a commitment for you?

I-It's something that'll make
the entire industry

sit up and take notice.

Nessa, I've known Shine
my entire life.

But when I watched him walk
inside that booth,

and release all those years of emotion

and pent up anger,

it was like meeting him
for the very first time, and...

...it was beautiful.

And what devastated me was
the thought that maybe I'm...

I'm never gonna see that again.

But I know I can, with you.

Do you know who k*lled Shine, Lucious?

LUCIOUS: My brother had
a whole lot of enemies.

But I promise you,

I will use every resource I have

to find out who hurt him,

and I will make them pay,
the way Shine would.

I hope so.

All right, I will help you,

because I feel like that's
what Shine would want me to do.

Thank you.

We're gonna make this right,
I promise you.

I'm gonna make this right.

- Thanks, Regina.
- Mm-hmm.

May I help you?

Hi. Can I have moo shu
chicken fried rice?

They got the best egg rolls in town.

I can't believe
she listened to his lying ass.

We are screwed without Nessa.

A coup is not a coup
without a majority.

Why are we plotting a bloodless
coup under cover of darkness?

The key is to wage w*r
out in the daylight.

Yeah, but see, there's
so much dirt out in public

on the Lyons already,

that the press doesn't
get shocked anymore.

Not with the artists.

I want you to find me

the sins committed by every
single For artist.

The Lyons' House Empire?

I'm gonna destroy that.

(SIREN WAILING)

HAKEEM: Hey, yo.

I told you I'd be back.

- POSER: Cut! Cut.
- (BELL RINGS)

What I do wrong?

It's-it's not, uh, about doing,

it's about acting.

And being bold enough

to share that ugly essence
with the world.

Let's see your walk.
Can we see your walk?

Just back up, right there.

Let's see your walk.

Great. Mm-hmm.

And... yes, yeah. Right.

But more. More, more passion,

more rage.

Bring all your black into it.

Let your guard down, H.

Look, I know you've been taught
to keep the beast in check,

but on my set, Black Lives Matter.

- What?
- Do what I do, okay?

You know, hang a hand down low,

just slide right in there, knees bent,

and just bounce like you got
Snoop Dogg playing in your head.

- Snoop Dogg?
- Mm-hmm.

- Cut.
- You cut?

No. You don't cut. I'm the director.

I don't care who you are,
I'm not doing that.

Don't no black man act like that
except for inside your head.

Well, there's no need
to get hostile, Hakkum.

It's Hakeem. Get it right.

Um, would you please escort
Mr. Lyon to his trailer?

HAKEEM: I know where it is.

Uh, Hikkeem Lyon?

You are fired.

Let's see if we can get Jaden Smith.

(SCOFFS)

These rappers.

RENEE: I just want to make sure

that you girls know you got to be

in charge of your own money...

- Mm-hmm.
- ...and your own orgasms.

- Ooh! Oh!
- (LAUGHTER)

You bad, you bad.

- Mom, you are crazy.
- You are.

Ah, this is heaven.

This is heaven, being here
with... with my girls.

You pretty girls, together again.

- Amen.
- CAROL: Ah.

Amen, Mama.

- And this food is so delicious.
- Mmm!

And healthy.

Yeah, Juanita wasn't having it
when Lucious brought

all those chefs up in here,
cooking all these vegan meals

all up in her kitchen.

- (LAUGHTER)
- And you know it.

You know, this food reminds me
of that restaurant

that we went to, in Charleston?

- Lowcountry.
- When you had your photo exhibit.

Oh, those photos of
the Gullah islands, amazing.

- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

You-you had an exhibit?

- Mm-hmm.
- And y'all went?

- Yeah.
- CAROL: Yeah.

Next time, we'll all go,

- since we're all talking.
- Yes, we will.

However, now I am focused
mainly on my teaching.

Oh. But you'll still travel,
won't you, Mom?

I wouldn't give that part up.

Right. How many more countries
you got on your list, Mama?

I don't know, but I'm-I'm pretty
well into my second passport.

CANDACE (FADING):
Ooh, well, la-dee-da.

I tried to see you.
I tried to stay in your lives.

You tried? You tried really hard.

Your daddy, your daddy wouldn't

- let me see you.
- You tried?

You chose high yellow trash
over your boys.

Shut up!

So you think what you did was hard,

and you think this is easy?

- (LAUGHTER)
- I guess being away from us...

...gave you a lot of freedom, huh?

Being kept from the three of you

gave me a lot of alone time.

Mm-hmm.

I discovered life should be lived.

Apparently.

I remember when you were six...
I don't know if you do...

you had this big map
of the world on the wall,

above your bed,
and she used to stick pins in it

to all the places that she was
gonna go, when you got a bike.

- Oh.
- I remember that. (LAUGHS)

And I guess, the only places I went

was from cell block to cell block.

Huh? Is that your point?

No. That's not the point.

That's not what she meant, Loretha.

CAROL: Why don't you hush up, Cook?

Ease up a little bit.

- All right?
- Why do you have to...?

Hey.

You and Lucious should
take a grand tour.

- I could help you plan something.
- That's an excellent idea, Mom.

COOKIE: Excellent idea. And I think

you should come along as the
in-house photographer. Yeah?

I have real work to do.

Why don't y'all finish up?

Mom, I'm sorry.

That's okay. Don't worry.

- I'll be back, I'll be back.
- I'm sorry, Mom.

RENEE: Hey. Hey, hussy.

You getting hot for nothing, Lolo.

Stop calling me that.

And since when did you know or care

about what I get mad about?

Huh? All you care about
is Carol, Candace,

- taking pictures and traveling.
- (LAUGHS)

The hell is so funny?

You been on a tear since you
were five years old.

My dear, jealous heart.

You said, that day in prison,
that you wouldn't give up on me.

Well, you lied.

I did not.

That was your choice.

I was in prison. Okay?

Daddy was dead, Carol was on dr*gs

and Candace, well,
Candace is just a bitch!

A-And you, you just
took off globetrotting.

I came to you.

You said no.

You left a hole in my heart.

I found something to fill it.

You don't get to blame me for that.

(SIGHS)

I'm here.

I'm here right now, Loretha,

wanting to know you.

I-I'm willing to step

on a few landmines,
if that's what it takes.

But I need to know
that you are in this with me.

Maybe I'm tired
of stepping on landmines.

(KNOCKS)

I just told y'all to back off, man.

- I need some time.
- Can I come up?

Why?

So you can laugh at me up close?

Steal my snacks?

Here, take them.

You know, it was brave,
what you did back there.

- Yeah, whatever.
- No, seriously.

I meet directors like Poser
all of the time.

They're just whitesplaining this
and that, and after a point,

I just tune them out,
get the job done, get paid.

But you didn't sell out.

And I admire that.

I've been fired a lot lately.

Fired by Poser,

fired by my girl.

I wouldn't fire you.

Well, if you like
what you've seen today,

come see what I really do.

I might like that.

COOKIE: When I first
announced For ,

a lot people, uh,
doubted the possibility.

Yeah, it was a big risk, but I had to.

And, um, I did it without
Lucious standing beside me.

- To the Empire.
- ALL: To the Empire.

I believed then,
just like I believe now,

that Empire's legacy is-is worth
that kind of celebration.

- (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)
- You know, it's a legacy

that could have only been
built by the blood, sweat

and a hell of a lot of tears
of a strong family.

Hmm. So how did we do?

Well, you've got to keep in mind
that Empire has managed

to avoid all of the downward
industry trends.

- You know, over albums?
- Hmm.

And, uh, to celebrate it all
under one roof,

we are launching
one huge, spectacular event.

It's the culmination of our For ,

and it's a signature Lyon creation:

House Empire.

INTERVIEWER:
So you're tying this event

specifically to the Lyon family?

Well... well, I mean,

without the Lyon family,
there is no Empire.

INTERVIEWER: But Jamal's not
listed as having a room.

Where's his For album?

COOKIE: Well, Jamal had
one hell of a year...

- (g*nsh*t)
- ...so, he's, uh...

taking a break.

You know, at Empire,

the artist's... and certainly,
my child's... health comes first.

Yep. But in his absence
and with his blessing,

we are using this opportunity to, uh,

introduce the next generation
of talent

into the world.

- (CHEERING)
- Well,

at House Empire, you're going
to be able to experience that

in a way that no one's
ever experienced music before.

That's great. Give me a minute.

- We just need to change the battery.
- Okay.

(WHISPERS): This is gonna work, right?

Yeah. You're doing great, babe.

HAKEEM: ♪ Empire, we came
from the bottom on to the top! ♪

(ROARS)

♪ You can call me Mr. Great ♪

♪ It's on a whole 'nother level... ♪

Uh, no. Your entrance is that way.

b*at it. Bye.

Are you serious? We're
supposed to be on the list.

MAN: Look, it's Cookie and Lucious!

COOKIE: Hey, everybody. Don't worry.

You will get pictures on the inside.

- (LIVELY CHATTER)
- WOMAN: Love you, Lucious!

(LAUGHS)

Y'all, this is amazing.

- I'm so proud of you.
- What would be amazing is if you were

participating in this thing.

Look, we ain't got time
for that drama in here.

- It's all right.
- Hello. Welcome to House Empire.

(ROARING)

Uh, little advice: be
careful of those lions.

You know, they bite.

- Really hard.
- MAN: All right, y'all,

Tiana's room is about to go live.

(PERCUSSIVE b*at PLAYING)

(CHEERING)

♪ Ah, ah ♪

♪ Can't you look at me
and see that I love ya ♪

♪ Ah ♪

♪ And I'll do anything for ya ♪

♪ Jump into the mouth of a volcano ♪

♪ Race into the wind beside an eagle ♪

- MAN: You the man, Hakeem!
- Yeah! You already know!

WOMAN: We love you, Haven!

MAN: Hey, Haven Wynn! What's up, girl?

♪ Without a rope,
dive into the Bermuda ♪

- (ROARING)
- ♪ Without a boat ♪

Welcome to my world, baby.

It looks a lot like mine.

Is that the girlfriend who fired you?

♪ Can't you see that I love ya ♪

♪ Look at me and see that I love ya ♪

Maybe.

♪ And lightning ♪

♪ We were meant to be ♪

"Maybe" my ass.

Look at the way you're watching her.

♪ Where I belong ♪

You're hooked.

♪ Lightning ♪

♪ You're a part of me ♪

♪ Wrapped up inside your arms ♪

♪ That's right where I belong ♪

♪ And I ain't goin' nowhere ♪

♪ Said I ain't goin' nowhere ♪

- ♪ 'Cause I'm-a be right here ♪
- ♪ Right here ♪

♪ Right here, right here, right here ♪

♪ Right here, right
here, right here, hey ♪

♪ Can't you look at me
and see that I love ya ♪

- What is this?
- Oh!

♪ The king of the jungle ♪

♪ Anything for my baby,
that's how I roll ♪

♪ Can't you see that I need ya ♪

♪ Ooh, do anything to please ya ♪

Don't worry about them, boo.

Show him what he missing, girl.
Show him what he missing.

Yes, give me Janet, honey,
give me Janet.

♪ No, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ No joke, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Can't you see that I love ya ♪

♪ Look at me and see that I love ya ♪

♪ Like thunder and lightning ♪

♪ We were meant to be... ♪

RENEE: But what you're
wearing is better.

It's very Peter Max

- and kind of Pucci.
- Who is that?

- What's your name?
- Who? Porsha, I'm Porsha.

- (ROARING)
- (SCREAMS)

It's okay. It's fake.

Now, what you need to be worried
about is the people around here.

Speaking of, hey, girl,
here's Cookie now. Good luck.

COOKIE: I need you to go get
those papers for me. Okay.

You, with me.

RENEE: Hey.

Thanks for inviting me.

Well, I figured
if you wanted to get to know me,

this would be a good place to start.

Oh, that'd be wonderful.

Okay, follow me.

You see this?

You hear this? You feel this?

This is all me...
every note, every song

is Cookie Lyon.

You always had fire, Lolo.

Yeah, well,
Lolo put the pins in the map,

but it was Cookie's
blood, sweat and tears

that built this.

Yeah, me and Lucious.

♪ I just want you to... ♪

You know, I always thought
I was who I was

in spite of the fact
that you weren't there,

but now I think it's the opposite.

I'm strong...

smart, successful,

fierce.

I love hard, and I'm hungry.

And that hunger came
from not having a mother.

But that hunger...

kept me alive.

So I should thank you,

because this...

(SIGHS): this...

is how I fill the hole
you left in my heart.

♪ Why do I even bother ♪

Oh. Boys.

Come here and meet your G-ma.

♪ You call yourself... ♪

I am so proud of you...

Cookie.

Well, why y'all standing there
looking stupid?

Come over here, introduce yourselves.

(CHUCKLES) I got work to do.

(SOBBING): My name is Renee.

(STAMMERS, KISSES)

♪ You're so... ♪

Thank you for being here.

What you all need to understand is,

after the att*ck on my life,

I thought that I would
never be able to appreciate

or... no, no, no,
let them through, please...

appreciate music again.

Keem will be performing later.

And then we have Tiana.

LUCIOUS: It all disappeared,
and it was just a...

cornucopia of chaos to me.

- Oh, my gosh, this is really gorgeous.
- Yeah, it's kind of amazing.

I had no idea that synesthesia...

It's amazing, right?

...would open up an
opportunity for me to create

a world brand-new, and that's
what I want to show everybody.

I mean, for everyone,
for everything...

So, we've been trending
ever since we launched.

LEONARD:
This is very impressive, Cookie.

Okay, look, I know why you
were caught up with Eddie.

You know, he's a charmer,

and he can speechify
with the best of them, but, see,

the core of Empire comes
from the artists.

That's where the soul lies.

And that's what
we're gonna show you tonight.

That's the company I love.

♪

MAN: Oh, snap, look!

(PEOPLE JEERING)

- MAN : Blake a n*zi?! For real?
- Look!

- What's that?
- Uh, they must be piggybacking

off the hashtag.

It'll disappear soon.
Don't-don't worry.

(JEERING CONTINUES)

Do you know about this?

- (JEERING CONTINUES)
- Is that Blake?

I have no idea, that's who.

Is this some kind of sick joke?

That's the future of Empire?

Wait, wait. No, no.
I have never seen this before

- in my life.
- It's a computer glitch.

(BOOING, JEERING)

That photo is not what you think.

You telling me

that's not your face on the screen?

- Nah, man, it is me, but...
- Look, can you just...

- chill.
- Thank you.

- Thank you for hearing me out.
- I don't hear nothin'

but banjo music, colonizer.

I'm just trying to make sure

that you don't make
my A&R nightmare worse.

(SIGHS) Listen, man...

my father forced me
to take that photo.

And I hardly ever saw him
in my whole life,

so I just did what he asked, man.

I was, like, ten years old.

I didn't know what I was doing.

Trust me, bro,
you're like a brother to me.

HAKEEM: Don't "brother" me!

Get out.

- You serious?
- Get out!

Yeah, you should go.

♪

(GRUNTS)

- Look, this is Eddie's doing.
- There's always an excuse.

How could you allow this to happen?

You assured us that
everything in this event

- would go off without a hitch.
- "Always an excuse"?

Who do you think you're talking to?

Y'all need to calm down.

You think I meant
for that to happen over there?

Look, Blake is history for now.

I'm gonna talk to him
and work this thing out.

But the rest of this
glorious night can go on

without a hitch.

COOKIE: All we have to do
is get the rest of our artists

to distract the press,
and we can get through

- the rest of this opening.
- You're not gonna use this artist.

Excuse me?

I can't afford to get caught
up in all of this mess.

Word is out that Empire is making bank

off of a r*cist artist.

Listen, little lady,

I don't know what kind of big ideas

Eddie's been filling up
in your little-biddy head,

but ain't nobody here
that's not replaceable.

Well, you can't
replace us all, Lucious.

- (CHUCKLES)
- Your artists are united.

And we're not performing
until y'all fix this.

Can I help?

Help? You did this.

You know, I'm sure you
got it all under control.

Eddie, please don't go.

In my opinion...

We don't want your opinion.

Actually, Cookie, we do.

EDDIE: Everyone. Everyone,
we're about to get started.

WOMAN: Where's Lucious?

And what is he gonna do about Blake?

I'm gonna be speaking
for all of Empire.

The views captured in that image
are highly offensive,

in direct opposition to the...

principles of inclusion

and respect which Empire embraces.

So effective immediately,

I am banning Blake Sterling

from any association
with Empire Entertainment.

His contract...

is now null and void.

And I'm grateful

to Empire's board

for granting me the...

the... the power

to be able to make sure that...

that this never happens again.

(PEOPLE GASPING)

(GRUNTING)

(WHISPERS): This is who you are.

This is all you will ever be.

Lucious Lyon, everybody.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

REPORTER: Lucious,
did you approve this?

REPORTER : Lucious, is Blake
officially off the roster?

REPORTER : Comment over here!

Care to comment, sir?

Yo, what's going on at Empire?