Empire may have had a rocky second season but that season finale more than made up for it dishing out a fair few cliffhangers.
If you haven’t seen the second season of Empire and want to avoid spoilers, we suggest you stop reading now. If you have seen it and want to know our thoughts on the next season, keep reading.
As the episode came to a close Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) FINALLY confronted Anika (Grace Gealey) about pushing her down the stairs. The two former friends then went at it next to a dangerously high balcony and it appears that one (or both) of them fell over it. It was also revealed prior to that moment that Lucious (Terrence Howard) knew that it was Anika who pushed Rhonda and caused her to lose her baby.
Elsewhere in the episode the bombs kept dropping with Leah’s (Leslie Uggams) announcement that Tariq (Morocco Omari) is Lucious’ half-brother, Laura (Jamila Velazquez) ditching Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) on their wedding day, and Lucious marrying Anika to prevent her from having to testify against him. Phew! That was quite a lot of action to squeeze into one episode wasn’t it?
It would appear that Jamal (Jussie Smollett) won’t be suffering any issues following his shooting and that Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) may be done with Lucious once and for all following his wedding to Anika. Surely we’re still going to get some great Cookie and Lucious moments though right?
Empire is set to return to our screens this autumn and I’ve already started thinking about what I want to see when the show comes back for a fourth season. Keep reading to find out my thoughts…
1. Rhonda to be the victim of the balcony fight. If they are going to kill off one of the characters I’d rather it was Rhonda than Anika. I have nothing against Rhonda and I actually think Kaitlin Doubleday is a great actress, but in terms of the story I can’t see the show runners killing off a pregnant woman; especially not one that has just married Lucious and could be the one person to bring him down at some point in the future.
2. Leah to continue causing problems for Lucious. I’m amazed that she didn’t tell the world the truth about her son when she got her moment in front of the media. Granted she was pulled away but I doubt for a second that Leah wasn’t about to spill the beans. She has a lot of hatred for Lucious and I can’t wait to see her make his life a living nightmare.
3. More Tiana (Serayah). Tiana is the most under-used character in the show, which is really frustrating as she’s one of the most interesting. She was side-lined during season 2 so that Hakeem could progress his relationship with Laura and the way she was painted as a petty, jealous star didn’t feel authentic to me. Tiana has always been strong and independent. She’s better than those storylines and to be honest she can do a lot better than Hakeem.
4. Andre (Trai Byers) to come out of his funk. Ever since Andre found the good Lord, he’s been tedious and boring. What happened to the scheming Andre of season 1? It feels like the character has completely changed and I don’t blame Rhonda for leaving him this season. Andre needs to get back to his old ways asap.
5. The writers to stop interfering with Jamal’s sexuality. While I like Alicia Keys as Skye in season 2, the hook-up and short-lived relationship with Jamal was completely unbelievable. The character’s whole season 1 arc was to do with coming to terms with his sexuality then all of a sudden he decides to sleep with a woman? I’m not buying it at all. I’m much more interested in exploring the burgeoning (and clearly toxic) relationship he’s started with D-Major (Tobias Truvillion).
6. No more Laura. Talk about a party pooper of a character. Laura went from an aspiring young singer with morals to a nagging wife to be that added nothing to the show but dead weight. I really don’t want to see her back in season 3 and I hope her departure returns Hakeem to his immature ways. Hakeem is much more entertaining when he’s cosying up to the likes of Camilla (may she rest in peace).
7. Cookie and Lucious moments. The way things were left at the end of season 2, it would appear that Cookie and Lucious won’t be getting too many moments together when the show returns for a third season. She’s wiped her hands of her ex-husband but I hope that doesn’t mean we won’t get to see plenty of them sparring in season 3. The love/hate relationship is the heart of the show and the scenes with the two characters are always the best.
8. Tariq to cause plenty of trouble. It’s unclear at this point what kind of person Tariq is going to be but considering he’s related to Lucious he’s likely not a good character. Things need to be stirred up and it’s time Lucious didn’t hold all the power. Maybe he’ll team up with his step-mother to make his half-brother’s life a misery.
9. Mariah Carey’s guest spot. We were promised that Mimi would have a small role in season 2 and it never came to fruition. Mariah is good friends with Lee Daniels, the show’s co-creator, and she could bring a whole lot of shade to the show. Cast her as Empire’s latest demanding diva and bring us a bit of fun!
10. Plenty of great music. Is it just me or did music take a backseat at times? The first season was dripping with great music but I’d struggle to remember any of the songs from season 2. Season 3 needs to refocus on what made the show so great in the first place and serve up memorable tunes that we can add to our iTunes.
Empire is set to return to FOX in the US and E4 in the UK this autumn.
