Did Cookie come clean to Angelo about the way she lashed out at Lucious?
That was one of the more pressing questions as the matriarch of the Lyon family worried about her actions and what they would mean for her future.
Meanwhile, every other character appeared to be scheming, and Nia Long made her highly anticipated debut as Lucious’s ex-wife.
When Empire Season 3 Episode 11 got underway, Cookie showering to get rid of the blood that came from Lucious when she went all bat-shit with a baseball bat.
Confused, she went to visit Lucious to talk about her actions when it became apparent he was worried about the world finding out. In the process, he thought the best move was to say someone broke in.
Lucious was less than impressed with Cookie and seemed eager to play the victim, but Cookie was having none of it and left the situation while throwing some subtle shade at Anika.
Anika was worried about her future when Tariq showed up to get the details about who Lucious had killed. Anika reluctantly agreed to open her mouth if she and her daughter were placed in witness protection.
Anika — presumably knowing it would be a death sentence — left her daughter with Hakeem and sprinted out of the city on a bus, but does that mark Grace Gealey’s final appearance on the show?
Probably not. If the actress were really departing the series, there would have been more fireworks. As you probably know if you watch Empire online, Anika was the one who tormented Rhonda before killing her.
As for the baby, Tiana took a shine to her. She did not want to like the baby because Hakeem’s her man and he stepped out on her several times, but who could not smile at a baby?
Will Hakeem put the kid back in the care of Lucious, or will he and Tiana try to play happy families in Anika’s absence?
More to the point, will Becky finally get the A&R job now that Anika’s out of the picture? We have no idea, but we can’t wait to find out.
While all of this drama was going on, Shine and Andre went to meet another gangster. Shine is trying to emulate the career start Lucious had: Turning to a life of crime to get the money for a company.
The thing Shine is missing is someone as smart and quick-witted as Cookie Lyon, but will Nia Long’s new character who is the ex-wife of Lucious be that person?
It sure seems that way. Fans will no doubt be hoping for Cookie and the woman to have a fist fight, but that was apparently saved for behind the scenes.
We are left in a very interesting place with these characters. Previous episodes of Empire have struggled with pacing because most of the plot hinged on the guest stars, but the powers that be have managed to keep everything flowing better this time around.
What did you think of the drama? Are you digging Nia Long’s unnamed character?
