(some spoilers ahead)
Like the song says, “ it ain’t about the money, it’s about the power”, and in the first half of Empire’s third season, truer words were never spoken. Throughout the run of this show, the primary narrative of Fox’s hit music drama has revolved around two themes: the Lyon clan standing as a unit against opposing forces, and the friction amongst the family stemming from their past misdeeds and their respective desire for success.
The latter especially has seen each of the Lyon sons briefly display the darker, more underhanded traits of their father at certain points. Some notable examples including Jamal physically confronting Beretti for their masters in Season 1, and Hakeem’s power play against Lucious last season. But it’s the non-musical, business-minded brother Andre who may be traveling down the most treacherous path yet, mentally and emotionally. Following what turned out for the Lyons to be the wedding from hell, a brutal, classic old-school soap opera brawl broke out between Anika and Rhonda on the rooftop of their compound- and to Andre’s horror, Rhonda winds up with the loser’s share of the purse.
It almost goes without saying this is a major blow to Dre’s already fragile state of being, and him being racially profiled by two police officers at one point basically sends him over the edge. As the season progresses, his actions on behalf of Empire gradually become more underhanded. In one memorable scene, he has a discussion with racist fashion designer Helen von Wyeth (who, among other things demands that all of her performers have their hair straightened) regarding recent comments from Tiana. In reality, it’s actually part of a larger plan to sabotage an upcoming performance by Tiana on behalf of Nessa, Andre’s love interest and a protégé of Shyne, and also humiliate Wyeth in the process.
The chemistry between Nessa and Andre is intense, confounded by Andre’s hallucinations of Rhonda- who whispers various suggestions in Andre’s ear, fueling his plans to gain more control over Empire. (If you ever wanted to see a threesome involving a ghost, Lee Daniels is a daring enough director to show you what that would look like.) Much like he did with Cookie and Laz’s relationship, Hakeem- yes, skirt chasing, cocky egomaniac Hakeem- gradually becomes the most reasonable brother in the room, refusing to let Andre get away with his actions (“You gon’ learn, bro.”)
Alongside Andre, Jamal isn’t without his own trials and tribulations as he largely spends this arc still not only physically, but emotionally recovering from Freda Gatz’s shooting. He tries numerous tactics to overcome his PTSD, including a virtual reality sequence intended to tap into his past memories, as well as a studio duet with prominent singer Kitty (played by Mariah Carey). For my money, their song “Infamous” is easily one of the better tracks from Season 3, a smooth and melodic quiet storm jam with some great harmonizing from Jussie Smollet. But it’s Cookie who seriously commits herself to her son’s recovery, notably in one scene where she refuses to let Jamal fall into a medicated stupor.
Following her fling with a member of the Longhorn gang, Cookie once again has a new flame in her life to distract her from Lucious’s scheming, in the form of mayoral candidate Angelo DuBois. The fiery pop producer quickly becomes a major asset to the aspiring politician’s campaign, dubbed the “Cookie Effect”, interestingly enough. As the series progresses, we’re shown more of her upbringing and the issues her father had with young Dwight Walker before he became Lucious. Overall she’s progressed into a more assertive character than ever before, and Taraji P. Henson has some funny scenes that include a fierce takedown of two debutants gossiping behind her back during a date with DuBois, and a nonchalant reaction to some personal information being leaked after Empire’s system is hacked in one episode.
However, the Lyon patriarch eventually begins to see Angelo as a problem. With the help of some plotting from his mother Leah (Leslie Uggams continues to be great in this role), it isn’t long before he’s dug up some significant dirt on him- including a revelation that’s literally taken from a real life incident involving a famous politician. I’m not kidding, it’s the EXACT same scenario. That bugged me a bit, but not to where I was legit mad or anything- how it affects Cookie and Lucious’s relationship going forward is the real question. Terrence Howard this season is particularly strong in his role, particularly in the closing moments of “The Unkindest Cut” when Jamal debuts a new song criticizing the Lyons’ ongoing strife, as Lucious is unapologetic over his morally skewed actions on behalf of his family.
To close out the first half, it almost seems as if Andre is finally willing to let Rhonda go….until the final scene where he meets up with Shyne at Leviticus, where the latter is celebrating securing a major seat at Empire’s table. I won’t give away what Andre wants to do, but going forward it’s perhaps one of the most chilling turns any of the Lyons have made so far. Fortunately, what we’ve been shown so far this season and the toll it’s taken on Dre’s health does provide a good motivation for him turning to the dark side, at the very least making sense.
It’s hard to tell at this point if Star, the new fox drama from Lee Daniels, will be the successful buffer to Empire Fox hopes it’ll be. But two calendar years in, their flagship series remains compelling with consistently strong performances each week of its run, and storylines that seriously call into question if the entire family will survive.