Last week on Empire, Lucious gets ready for the IPO, Olivia returns with Reg who threatens Cookie with a gun. We find out Lucious is actually Lola's father and Malcolm shoots Reg before he can do anything. Hakeem is angry with Lucious for sending away Camilla and Andre is trying to recover from his episode.
"Die But Once"
Lucious is playing the piano when his double vision starts acting up. Becky comes in but Lucious dismisses her, trying to finish his song. He asks for Cookie but finds out that she is gone for the weekend.
Lucious goes over the schedule with Snoop Dogg's performance.
Malcolm and Cookie are away for the weekend and sleep together after she admits that she's only been with Lucious.
A paramedic shows up to give Lucious his medicine. Lucious complains about the double vision and the paramedic reveals to Becky that double vision is not a symptom of ALS.
Ryan is with Jamal at his album signing party, ditching Lucious.
After the press conference with Snoop Dogg, Lucious gets an injunction from Beretti.
Snoop performs "Peaches and Cream" and has Hakeem join him on stage with Titan. Hakeem disses Lucious and walks off stage. Lucious catches up and punches Hakeem.
Looking for Cookie, Portia accidentally tells Lucious where she is and he realizes she was with Malcolm.
Andre goes to Michelle who is rehearsing for church service.
Cookie brings Carol to Empire and finds that Lucious will not let her in. She also finds out that she was never on the board of directors because it would have looked bad if a convict was on the board.
Andre and Michelle pray while in the church.
Malcolm was not fired, but asks Cookie to go with him to Washington where he was offered a new job, but Cookie declines, wanting to stay and get Empire back.
Andre gets back to work and tells Lucious that he needs to find a new CFO. He also tells him that he found God and Lucious laughs.
Lucious goes to Jamal and tells him to fix things with Beretti if he wants to be the "future of Empire."
Andre is spending more time with Michelle, setting up bibles for service.
Jamal takes Lucious to their old home to help him with the song. Jamal only agreed in the case that Cookie gets her position back. Jamal and Lucious bicker but eventually write the song. Lucious then tells Jamal to go and get his artists back from Beretti.
Cookie and Carol goes to Lucious' place and he tells her that he overreacted. She reveals to him that Hakeem is going to sign with Beretti and he leaves to go get him.
Jamal goes to Beretti and hangs him over the balcony, far from the ground. He tells Beretti to sign the contract, releasing his artists back to Empire. Lucious shows up and doesn't stop him, instead appearing proud. He goes inside to look for Hakeem and finds him making out with Anika.
The Doctor goes to Lucious and tells him that he was misdiagnosed. He doesn't have ALS, instead he has Myasthenia Gravis, a treatable condition.
Now a new man, Lucious goes to the church to get Andre back, who still refuses to return. Lucious goes to sign Michelle to get back at him. Andre scolds Michelle for accepting the deal, telling her that she just spread her legs for the devil.
Lucious gets his new medication and finds out his symptoms will stop in a couple of weeks.
Lucious is asleep when Cookie goes in to yell at him for almost getting Jamal in trouble. Lucious talks in his sleep and reveals that he killed Bunkie and doesn't have ALS anymore.
While Michelle is performing at her service, we see Jamal and Ryan sleeping together in Lucious' office and Anika regretting her actions with Hakeem.
Cookie grabs a pillow and holds it over Lucious' head.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
[new page=Who I Am]
"Who I Am"
The next morning, Hakeem, Jamal and Andre are around Lucious' dining table with gifts addressed to each of them. Hakeem got his own private jet, Andre got the position of head of the Lyon Foundation with money to do with as he pleases and Jamal got the Empire.
Cookie shows up and also has a gift. She opens it to find a mini pillow.
Hakeem and Andre express their frustration with Jamal getting the Empire. However, Jamal tries to tell them that he will not change anything but they have doubt.
Lucious tells Jamal that Cookie tried to kill him and showed him the video of Cookie holding the pillow over Lucious' head, but stops her before she gets too close. Cookie tells Jamal that Lucious killed Bunkie and is escorted out.
Outside, Agent Carter shows up and tells Cookie to get in the car.
Vernon gets out of rehab and Lucious picks him up. He tells Vernon to keep and eye on Cookie because she may do something to get back at him.
Carter tells Cookie that she is bringing up a case against Lucious. Shine Johnson has multiple suspicious accounts and asked for less time by revealing that Lucious killed Bunkie. They ask Cookie to testify but she refuses. Vernon sees Cookie leaving the building and getting into a taxi.
Anika approaches Hakeem about a hostile takeover of Empire. Hakeem tries to get Andre to join but he tells Hakeem to just accept the fact that Jamal won.
At another press conference, Lucious introduces Michelle to Titan after learning that Rita Ora dropped out of the tribute concert since Cookie is gone.
During the conference, one of Empire's signed rappers, Black Rambo, threatens to leave because Jamal is gay. He is escorted out after telling all the other rappers to leave too.
Lucious gets ready to stand by Jamal and let go of Black Rambo, but Andre convinces him that it wasn't a good idea with the upcoming IPO.
Cookie goes to Hakeem and tells him that they should create their own label, but he tells her that they will not have to start from scratch, letting her know about the takeover.
When Andre goes home, he sees Rhonda packing to leave. She is upset with the amount of time he has been spending with Michelle, though they didn't sleep together, and is also upset with the fact that he did not fight for Empire. When she leaves, he calls Hakeem and tells him that he changed his mind about the takeover.
Anika, Cookie, Hakeem and Andre meet up to discuss things when Cookie and Anika get into a fight. Andre pulls Cookie away and tells her that they need Anika because of her connections. Cookie agrees to work with her for now.
Jamal shows up at a rap battle and challenges Black Rambo. He demolishes him and leaves, getting pats on the back and roars from the audience.
The man who can help with the hostile takeover agrees to put down $250 million, only if they sign his son. They must come up with another $250 million in order to get Empire and agree that Lucious will have to be involved in a scandal which will cause stocks to drop.
Vernon goes to Andre with a gift. They get into a fight and Rhonda comes back, Seeing Vernon hitting Andre. She knocks out Vernon and Andre is in rough shape. They go to check on Vernon and see that he is dead. Andre goes to call the police but Rhonda stops him, telling him that it won't look good to the cops and also reveals that she is pregnant.
Empire is now officially a publicly traded company. The Lyon tribute concert is going well with everyone performing. Jamal goes to get Lucious who tells him that he does love him even though he didn't act like he did. Jamal accepts him but Agent Carter rushes in and places him under arrest for Bunkie's murder.
Lucious believes Cookie is the one who ratted him out. He tells Jamal to continue with the performance and Jamal is angry with Cookie too.
While Lucious is escorted out, He sees Andre and Hakeem staring at him, possibly the ones who really ratted him out.
Becky tells Lucious that she cannot find Vernon and that his arrest is already out and stocks are dropping. Agent Carter is also wondering where Vernon is since he's their key witness.
Jamal takes charge at Empire. Andre is getting ready for the new baby. Hakeem is recording with Anika. Cookie is in Lucious' mansion. Lucious is in jail, getting ready for his comeback. "Game time bitches."
image courtesy of INFphoto.com