Empire (2015–…): Season 4, Episode 2 - Full Circle - full transcript
Lucious enlists the help of a music icon to find out what kind of person he was before the explosion.
Previously on Empire...
Lucious!
Did somebody do this
to me? I can't remember.
As y'all can see, I got lucky.
But I will never be the same.
We took Lucious out 'cause you said
- we'd be running things.
- It's gonna happen.
Anika Lyon? You're under arrest
for the murder of Tariq Cousins.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist
to figure out you're up to something.
He's redirecting his feelings
and his desires onto me.
Lucious.
You're gonna remember me.
I'm Cookie Lyon, baby.
I'm unforgettable.
Dwight?
We're all set.
Are you ready?
Okay, um...
Maybe I should...
try doing it by myself, for once.
That's good.
That's really good.
I mean, it's an important
first step.
Well, if you need me, I'll be close by.
♪ Mona Lisa ♪
♪ Mona Lisa ♪
♪ Mona Lisa, men have named you ♪
♪ You're so like the
lady with the mystic... ♪
No, no, no, no, what are you doing?
- This is your son!
- God told me Dwight needed my help!
No...
I know what I know, sister.
- Evilness is in him.
- Enough.
Evilness is in him!
Hello?
Excuse me.
Excu... what's going...
Can-can I help you?
That's right, fellas, take
it all to the west wing.
Cookie, what's going on?
- It's 11:00 at night.
- Oh, I know what time it is,
sweetie, I'm moving
in like I should've did
when he came home from the hospital.
- See, this is my house.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey!
You bust it, you buy it, and
I know you can't afford it.
Sorry about that, ma'am.
- That's fine.
- Look, I-I know that
you may not fully trust me,
- but I want to assure you...
- No, no, no, no, no.
Let me assure you.
I understand that you
got a job to do, okay?
I hired you to do it.
That man is everything to me and my boys.
And we need him back... I need him.
So I'm moving in to supervise.
Don't worry about it. Come on!
Right on around, you know where to go.
Be careful, those are very expensive.
Shh, shh, shh.
No, you shush.
You hurry up and fix my man,
or we gonna have a problem.
That's right, fellas, keep going.
Keep going... you drop my bag
again, baby, that's your ass.
♪ Know I'm okay ♪
♪ I just wan-Na... ♪
Y'all, this song is too good
to just be playing at the
end of the damn credits.
Everybody's gonna be
walking out of the theater.
The hell they will; they
gonna sit they asses down
- and listen till the song is over.
- Hmm.
Yeah, Jamal, forget the
ASAs. You could win an Oscar
for Best Original Song.
That's right.
Move over, Celine Dion.
Okay. I am so glad
that you finally buried
the hatchet with Tory.
I mean, did I really have a choice?
Calling me every second, talking about
"Come on, forgive Tory.
Forgive her, Jamal."
Okay, that kind of sounds like me.
But I'm about to start using
my powers of persuasion for a job,
since I'm only A&R on an interim basis
while Cookie looks for
someone to replace me.
I don't know why you
even stressing over that.
You know my mom.
You gonna get this A&R position,
you're gonna help me with my
new album... it's all love songs.
Love?
I wonder what inspired that decision.
You did.
Empire XStream is already on track
to surpass the competition.
And we have a list of
telecommunication companies
ready to partner with
our artists' releases.
If you're looking to sell
off parts of Empire XStream,
Commonpoint Capital wants in.
You can expect a formal offer tomorrow.
- Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.
- All right.
- All right, thank you.
- Absolutely.
♪ But I'm in love with it ♪
♪ I'm in love with you... ♪
How you doing, Sam?
- I'll have the usual.
- Sure.
Are you alone?
Not anymore.
What are you drinking?
Whatever you're buying.
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Give me a reason ♪
♪ 'Cause I ain't going home ♪
♪ You don't want to start ♪
♪ I ain't swinging low ♪
♪ I'm just leaning. ♪
Looks like it's not our night.
My doctor has me on new medication.
Well, tell him he just cost you
the best piece of ass
you would've ever had.
Okay. Tell me the first
thing that comes to your mind.
Philly.
Excellent.
How about this one?
Liberty Bell is near Rittenhouse Square.
Excellent.
- Hey, Lucious.
- Hey.
How about we get
some breakfast, huh?
I want to get your thoughts on, um,
us selling Empire XStream.
Andre got a great offer.
I don't have any thoughts
on anything like that.
Cookie, Dwight and I are right
in the middle of a session.
I can see that.
Uh...
Look. You got to remember this one.
This is us, in Philly, where we started.
Is that a gun right there?
Cookie, can you excuse us?
Well, ask your doctor.
She got all the damn answers.
All rise.
Be seated.
Good morning, Your Honor.
In light of the fact that my client
has already spent
five months in jail...
Counselor, is there
anything you're about to say
That'll make me forget
that Ms. Calhoun is accused of murdering
a federal agent?
Former agent, Your Honor.
Ms. Calhoun is not a flight risk.
She wants to clear her name.
I'll take that as a no.
The trial's in six months.
Ms. Calhoun will remain
in custody until then.
No, Your Honor, please! I am innocent!
With all due respect, Your Honor,
I don't think my client's circumstances
are being considered at all.
We would appreciate a chance to be heard.
Hakeem, go get Cookie.
- Tell her to see me now.
- What is she gonna do?
Tell her I remember January 7, 2015.
Tell her I remember.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ Without a destination ♪
♪ I'd die a thousand times
♪
♪ for you, yeah... ♪
Guys, I love it. It's amazing.
I'm on the red-eye to Paris
tonight, and I'm taking it with me.
Oh, we can get it to you immediately
- if you need...
- Yeah, no doubt.
Well, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.
I got a few tiny changes.
This is gonna be the main
title theme song to the movie.
Uh, it's a hero's journey.
It needs to be epic.
Add a string section.
A whole orchestral thing.
Uh, lose the falsetto altogether,
uh, and the piano in the middle;
add more strings there, too.
Whoa, wait, wait, wait, uh...
Um, the orchestral thing
sounds-sounds pretty cool, but if you...
if you take out the
falsetto and the piano,
y-you change the whole arrangement,
you really change the whole song.
Which we can do before
your flight tonight.
Perfect.
Can't wait.
Thanks.
Oh, my God.
Yo, man. What's up, man?
H-Have my back, Becky.
Have your b...
Boy, you know I got your back.
But we have a client, and we have to do
what he wants, right?
We in this together.
Can you make this deadline tonight?
All right, let's go get this Oscar.
Get it!
All right, where is she?
I have a company to run.
Rough.
- Yeah, well, jail ain't for the weak.
- Legit.
I see y'all got my message.
Yeah, I managed to crack
your code, James Bond.
January 7, 2015.
That's when Bunkie died.
I think you mean killed.
Okay. Okay.
Okay. Look, you got our
attention, we're here.
What do you want?
To get the hell up out of here.
Okay, slow your roll, bitch.
For all we know, you did kill Tariq.
You been a snake since day one.
You want this snake to bite?
We paid you $25 million to bounce
and keep your mouth shut.
But here you are,
still around,
- still running your mouth, still in the way.
- Okay, okay.
Let's loosen, let's loosen
the bra straps, all right?
Let's just get to a resolution.
I can get you in front
of the U.S. Attorney
as early as this afternoon.
But to get you out of here...
you're gonna have to play nice.
Shut up and do exactly what I say.
You okay with that?
Nah, it doesn't look familiar at all.
Let's just give it some time.
This is one of your...
favorite places.
Look, this is the exact booth
we're sitting in right now.
Just see if there's some
tastes or smells that
might trigger some memories.
How y'all doing? We got
a brick chicken special
so good, you'll smack your own mama.
Lucious? Lyon?
What's up, L?
Look at you,
coming into my joint all incog-negro.
Boy, you know this is your home.
You gonna feed this woman?
How you doing, lady?
I'm Clem.
Well, Clem, nice to
meet you. I'm Claudia.
Yeah, you must be some kind of special
to be up in here with L.
He only ever comes here with Eddie.
Eddie?
Um, I don't know Eddie.
Eddie Barker. Come on,
you trying to tell me
you don't know the great composer,
arranger and super producer?
You know,
there was this one time,
right after Lucious had won a Grammy,
he and Eddie came up in here.
Both of 'em had, on both arms,
two of the finest, big-boned sisters...
You know what, Clem,
I think that we should
move onto the menu, and we'll hold off
on the old stories for now.
Yeah, okay.
I'll get some waters over right away.
Uh...
It's good to see you up
and on your feet, Lucious.
We're all pulling for you.
Thank you, Clem.
Thank you.
I think you hurt his feelings.
I just need to guide the conversation
on these initial outings.
Is that what life is like, though?
I mean, is it all planned and scheduled?
No, of course not.
So, I'm just managing the pace.
Tell me that ain't a banger.
- It's too soft.
- Too soft?
I remember you saying
that about "Drip Drop,"
and that became your biggest hit.
My biggest pop hit.
The streets still go crazy for
"Drip Drop," and you know that.
I could do another
"Drip Drop" in my sleep.
But I need to go harder.
It ain't about hip-hop versus pop.
This is about you thinking
that you can't top yourself.
Mmm.
You know, when Anika was head of A&R,
she never tried to analyze me.
She just supported my vision.
Keem, I'm not trying to kill your vibe.
Okay?
I'm trying to let you know that
if you make a pop record and it blows up,
that's how you're gonna get the leverage
to do whatever you want around here.
That's how this works.
You want me to top "Drip Drop"?
I know your potential.
All right, whatever you want, Becky.
All right, then.
Let's show 'em we still got
Lyons roaring up in here.
- Let's get it.
- You're gonna make something
better than "Drip Drop," right?
Give me something to dance to.
♪ Drip, drop, drip. ♪ Right?
Let's do it. I trust you.
Hey, where you want to start, boss?
No, not yet.
Not till I get this beat out my head.
One for me, before I make one for them.
Well, I think I need to
go and find me a restroom.
You know where it is?
Just right... in the back.
Okay?
Come on, Willy, man, you got to pick up,
pick up the pace, man.
Yeah, yeah, sorry, boss. Hey.
Hey, Clem. Oh, what you need, L?
Do you have a way of
getting in touch with Eddie?
He probably won't answer his phone today.
His niece is getting married
over at his country club.
You been there, right?
The Vandeveer?
- Vandeveer.
- Yeah.
Thanks, Clem.
No problem.
Get the mic. Let's get it.
♪ Hey, hey, I don't want to
talk about your whereabouts ♪
♪ I don't want to ♪
♪ Hear the rumors that you hear about ♪
♪ No. So much paper, I take walks ♪
♪ Around my bank account ♪
♪ It's the only thing
that I think about ♪
♪ That paper route ♪
♪ Uh, everybody want to be a don now ♪
♪ But I'm the only one that
really get it done now ♪
♪ Tell my daddy take a
good look at his son now ♪
- ♪ If you praying on my downfall ♪
- Dwight?
♪ You should shut up, trick... ♪
Excuse me, can I get
a key to the bathroom?
I think there's something
wrong with Dwight.
- Dwight?
- Lucious. H-He won't answer.
He ain't in there. He left.
What do you mean he left? He can't leave.
He's a grown man, lady.
♪ Shut up, trick... ♪
Vandeveer.
♪ Shut up, shut up ♪
♪ Hoo! Shut up, trick. ♪
I can't believe I got you in my cab.
I am the biggest Lucious
Lyon fan there's ever been.
You don't even know,
man. You don't even know.
You might be right about that.
You and your music
got me so much trim over the years.
I had a whole system.
Called it the "Lucious
Lyon Triple Takedown."
You take a lady to the club,
get her out on the dance floor,
sweating to your joint, "On the Grind."
On the way home,
get her loose with that "Make You Mine."
And then, get her freaky in the bedroom
with that "Hot Little Thing."
Whoo!
"Hot Little Thing."
And now, um,
let's hear from our host, huh?
And my little brother, Eddie Barker.
David, Claire,
there's plenty of people in this room
who'd like to offer you some
sage advice about how to
have a successful marriage.
But my advice to you is...
don't listen to any of them.
Don't even listen to me.
'Cause everyone
has, uh, some idea about
how you should live your life
and what you should be.
But this is your time,
this is your path.
And if, on your journey, you
experience struggle or pain,
...into lasting love.
So let's do a toast to...
to lasting love.
To lasting love.
- You lost him?
- I know. It's very bad.
And I want you to know
nothing like this has
ever happened to me before.
It's... uh, he was giving me signs
Shh!
Shh. Sit your nervous ass down.
You're making me nervous.
Porsha, get in here!
- Cookie, all the media outlets on hold...
- Bump 'em.
We bumped 'em twice already.
Bump them again, Porsha.
Lucious...
ran off, we can't find him.
- You want me to call the cops?
- Yes.
No! Do not! We don't need
that kind of attention
from the police, all right?
Porsha, please get out. Thank you.
Okay. All right.
What triggered him, huh?
What did he see, what did you say?
And Clem was... I don't know,
he was talking about
a music producer that
he was there with all the time, uh...
- Eddie! Eddie Barker!
- Yes!
Porsha, get in here! Get in here, Porsha!
Who you need me to bump?
No, don't bump. I just need you to get
Eddie Barker on the phone. I
think that's where Lucious is.
I'm sure of it.
Uh, you know what?
Looks like I'm doing
everybody's job today.
If there's an address, I
can just go over and get him.
No. See, Lucious is with Eddie.
That's what's gonna get him back.
Don't know why I hired you.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ For you with no destination ♪
♪ With no hesitation ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been looking for ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ You, you, you... ♪
What the hell is this?
♪ Yeah.
What's good?
Hey, Jamal.
Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
we were feeling something
different, so we just
stripped it all away
and started from scratch.
All right. Boy, get out here
so we can talk about this.
Why you barking at me like
you're my mama or something?
Jamal, why would you construct
an entirely different song?
Why would I construct
an entirely better song?
And Warren loves it, I love it.
The contracts are already
signed on the other song.
What is this?
Becky, if you just listen to the song,
you'll understand why Jamal is...
because this is about
our business, all right?
Whoa, Becky.
No disrespect, but you're forgetting
So I don't need to explain my
music to you or anyone else.
You're really tripping right now.
♪ You were the girl that
changed my world... ♪
How that rehab going?
♪ You lit the fuse...
Taking it one step at a time.
Let me tell you.
There was no shortage of
shorties back in the day
with Lucious Lyon.
Even when you was broke as a joke.
You know, you get 'em
hot and working with, um,
"On the Grind," and
then-then you get them,
- ♪ Baby, I could make you mine ♪
- ♪ You mine. ♪
♪ Come on. ♪
That was my cut, man.
But then the killer was
I get them freaky with...
- ..."Pretty Little Thing."
- "Hot Little Thing."
Why don't you tell these gentlemen
the story of the trunk?
No, you tell them.
You tell it better than I do.
Before I was writing and producing hits,
I was spinning records.
That's how I met Lucious.
I was the first one in
New York to play his songs.
And there was this...
program director,
yeah, with the high-top fade;
it was turned the wrong way.
So, I'm telling Lu, "See, look, Lu,
"You know, don't be cheap.
Just get his attention.
This is your career."
And so Lucious,
he goes down to the station,
and he waits for the
program director to come out
and as soon as the program
director comes out, bam.
- Whoa.
- Hits him in the nose.
He messed up his whole face. Ah, man.
And then, he grabbed this clown
by his Kid 'n Play hairdo...
And he throws him
into the trunk,
closes the trunk.
He starts driving around the town,
slamming on the brakes.
You can hear the guy
Whoa, whoa, man.
You all right?
Sorry, I don't know what happened.
Mrs. Calhoun has been
afraid to come forward
with the particular details
pertaining to her defense.
Why?
Because she fears for her life.
From who?
From who? Who?
From the FBI, that's who.
Because no action was ever
taken against Agent Cousins
after he became obsessed
with Lucious Lyon
repeatedly stalked and
assaulted his former wife.
Oh, have a gander.
I was caught in a nightmare
and they did nothing to stop it.
Mr. Rawlings, these photos
have no bearing in the murder
- of Agent Cousins.
- "No bearings."
Okay.
come from the grave" to speak on this.
Are you scared of me?
I been waiting all night for this.
Tariq, no. Let me go!
How do they say over at the FBI?
"Lordy, I hope there's tapes."
Well, there are and I have them.
He forced himself onto me.
He wanted me to run away
with him, but I refused.
No, no, it's okay. Shh, shh, shh.
It's okay.
That's self-defense.
Self-defense.
Now, you do me a favor.
You take this to trial.
There'll be no conviction.
There's not a jury in the
world that will find her guilty.
As a professional courtesy,
attorney to attorney, I got to say,
I would hate to be in
your shoes right now,
Well, you know.
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If being right means
being without you ♪
♪ I'd rather live a wrongdoing life ♪
♪ Your mama and daddy
say it's a shame ♪
♪ By my side ♪
♪ Your friends tell
you it's no future ♪
♪ In loving a married man ♪
♪ I'll see you when I can... ♪
Come on, Cookie.
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If it means being without you ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If it means being without you. ♪
Amazing. You still got it.
Hey.
- Good to see you.
- It's good to see you.
Excuse me.
Dwight.
We have dinner by the pool.
Eddie.
Thank you for everything today.
You're a really good friend.
I'll call you later, all right?
Mm-hmm.
He doesn't remember me, Cook.
Doesn't remember anything.
Oh, no. It's just Lucious.
He-he forgets stuff, but
it d-doesn't mean anything.
You know what, I-I've known
him for half of his life.
but you don't have to do that with me.
He has a traumatic brain injury.
He can't remember anything.
Only the family knows, so, please, Eddie,
can you keep this between us?
Of course.
How you holding up?
You all right?
Hey, we're good. We're grinding.
Empire is making money, but
Andre tells me not for long.
I mean, soon we're gonna have
to start liquidating our assets
and I don't know how long we can keep
Don't liquidate nothing.
This is just a rough patch.
What do our families do when, uh,
a loved one is sick or dying?
We step up. Bring a cake.
You need to... need to get those artists
and they need to hold you up.
They need to support this.
Uh, with what? Food?
With music.
That's what Lucious would want.
Music.
Thank you, Eddie.
Child, if it's gonna rain,
move the event inside.
Okay? Don't be so slow.
Hey, let me call you back, Porsha.
Hello.
The hell are you doing
going through my drawers?
You ain't even supposed to
be on this side of the house.
- I need your gun.
- For what?
We have to put an end to that witch
poisoning my Dwight with her spells.
Spells. Woman...
Look, you gonna meet a real witch
you go through my drawers again.
- Get yourself out of here.
- No one comes between us
and our family.
If they do, we cut them down
like I did that bastard Tariq.
What did you say?
I put that bastard in the dirt
I wouldn't think twice
about bleeding that new witch to death.
Good night, Cookie.
♪ Wan-Na ♪
♪ Feel ♪
♪ Ap-prec-i-ated ♪
♪ Oh, oh ♪
♪ Am I asking too much? ♪
♪ I wanna feel... ♪
Jamal, Jamal.
You are a genius. The changes you made
to give Tory the vocals.
It's-it's perfect.
Thank you so much.
I love it.
I really hope that you like it.
Tory, let's go eat, talk music videos.
Look, I understand the way
you must feel right now.
So, you've had your best friend
backstab you like that before?
And take away something
that's not theirs to take?
Jamal, this is the song that he wanted.
I don't know what you want me to do.
- This is my job.
- Oh, your job?
Pull some foolishness like this again,
you won't have a job at my label.
This way, Ms. Walker.
Who are these people?
Leah.
We think you should get some rest.
- Okay?
- We found a...
a lovely facility for you.
Uh, it's considered the best
in the state and Dr. Givens
is gonna be handling
your care from now on.
Did this witch put a hex on your tongue?
Or are you going to sit there
and let them lock me up?
Answer me!
We have an involuntary
commitment contract.
It's okay.
I know there'll be an evaluation period.
I'm sorry, I know that this must be...
You go back to hell, bitch!
Bitch!
No, no, get her off.
I know you're in there.
I know what you are. You're a monster!
From the day you were born,
I tried to exorcise that evil in you,
but it just got bigger and stronger.
Hey. I'm Detective Mitchell.
Las Vegas Metro. This
is Detective Lumley.
How you doing?
Detective Pamela Rose.
I'm the NYPD liaison. I'm
just here to facilitate.
We'll keep this short, Mr. Lyon.
We've been unable to
locate Giuliana Green.
We're wondering if you
have any ideas as to
where she might have fled.
Does she own any properties abroad?
Mr. Lyon?
No. I don't, um, I don't know.
Any associates who might be hiding her?
outside of her dealings
with the casino operations.
I wish I could help you.
Look, uh, this investigation
to the Lyon's family, so,
any way we can be
helpful, give us a call.
- 24-7.
- All right.
Thank you for your time, Mr. Lyon.
I thought you had an eye on Giuliana.
The other night...
what was that?
Are you trying to set me up?
No, I didn't even know who you were.
I was just briefed on the
investigation this morning.
So, it was a coincidence?
May I ask you a question, Detective?
Do you often have sex
with strangers in bars?
We didn't have sex
because you couldn't get it up.
Huh.
How did things go with the boys?
I'd like to think we're still
making music up in this bitch.
So, Hakeem just delivered
a really dope track,
and I'll start the campaign around it
- as soon as you sign off.
- Mm-hmm.
And Jamal is a different story.
What?
So, we had very specific instructions
and notes, and a deadline
from the producer,
but Jamal refused to make any changes,
so I replaced his vocals
with Tory's.
I know. I feel like dirt.
- Well, what did the producer think?
- He loved it.
He threw in half a million for marketing,
Look, Becky, I know you love Jamal,
and I know that was very hard to do.
But don't let your heart
step on your ambition.
I need strong people around
me now more than ever.
Porsha, get legal on the phone.
Have them remove "interim"
from Becky's title.
Uh, thank you, thank you. Look,
I will not let you down.
You better not.
Hello. Thank you.
Thank you.
20 years ago, an Empire was born.
It may not have had
thousands of employees
or gold records or high-rises
on both sides of the country,
but there was always
music and family and love.
Here comes our announcement.
While Lucious continues his sabbatical,
we will honor his legacy
with a bold new project
that has his blessing.
Starting immediately, we
will produce and release
a new album for every year
we have been in operation.
So, you do the math.
That's 20 new albums to be completed
- by the end of the year... we can do it.
- What?
The Empire 20 For 20.
It's who we are, it's what we do,
and it's worth fighting for.
Thank you.
Cookie, how do you expect
to pull this feat off?
Who's gonna be the first
artist on the album?
Can you tell us that?
embarrass me in front of the board,
and you lied.
You lied to me and
everybody else in there.
Calm down, Andre, I did not lie.
You're gonna sit there and tell me
that Pop gave you his blessing
on this crazy-ass plan?
The man doesn't even
know his own damn name.
Andre, your father would
want Empire to grow,
to make more music, not be chopped up
like a hoopty and sold for parts.
The success of one album
pays for the creation
and campaign of the next.
Now, how do you expect
us to produce 20 albums
with nothing coming in, Ma?
We will make it happen.
You mean me!
I'm the one that always
has to find the money,
always has to make the deal,
always has to make it work.
Me, not you! Not Jamal,
not Hakeem, not Pop... me!
Okay, I need you to calm down.
You see, I birthed and breastfed your ass
into this world, so I
deserve some respect.
Not only that, Andre,
I'm your boss, okay?
So the next time you want
to barge in here and pop off,
dust your résumé off, okay,
because I know your father did not accept
- that kind of insubordination.
- Insubordination...
And I won't either!
Go home, Andre.
I see where this is going.
Go home. I will talk
to you in the morning
about the 20 For 20 budget.
- Uh, can I get you anything, boss?
- No! No.
Thank you, Porsha.
You know, you over there
looking like a queen.
- How's that, Porsha?
- Sitting on the throne all by yourself.
It's hard to trust people, you know?
Kind of get used to being alone, and...
...you feel like you're
strong enough to do it
all by yourself, but that's not true.
'Cause I do want somebody
to believe in me, you know?
I want to believe in someone else.
Jamal, I believe in you.
And I believe in this.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ No destination ♪
♪ But it don't mean
nothin' if I don't got you ♪
♪ Beside me ♪
♪ You got me singin' love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you
been all my life... ♪
Come on, baby.
♪ 'Cause I been lookin' for ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ Eh ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I been lookin' for you ♪
♪ Mm-hmm ♪
♪ If you call my phone ♪
♪ I'll always answer ♪
♪ People come and go ♪
♪ I'll be there forever ♪
♪ If I don't got you beside me ♪
♪ Now, said it don't mean nothin' ♪
♪ If I don't got you to guide me ♪
♪ Love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you been all my life ♪
♪ Where you been all my life ♪
♪ You got me sayin' love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you been all my life ♪
♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ You ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I been lookin' for ♪
♪ Hey, you, you, you ♪
♪ I been looking' for you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ No, no ♪
- ♪ Hey ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ For you, you, you, you, you, you, you ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ You ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
Dwight, what are you
doing up? Are you okay?
What are you doing?
Are you g-going? You leaving?
It's... it's time for me to go.
I've made arrangements for
someone else to come in.
Is this because I ran off the other day?
- That had nothing to do with you.
- No, no.
- I was trying to figure out who I am.
- Dwight, Dwight.
This only works if there's trust.
And I can't do what I do best
without complete trust.
And I don't think you trust me.
You're the only one that I do trust.
I'm sorry, Dwight.
You know, when I woke
up in that hospital...
...I didn't remember who I was.
But I looked up and I saw your face,
and I felt safe.
Maybe for the first time in my life.
And I know if you leave...
I won't be safe again.
I'll be stuck in a world full of demons,
and they're gonna turn me into a monster
that I never wanted to
be in the first place.
Please, please don't leave me.
Please.
It's okay.
I'm not gonna go.
Lucious!
Did somebody do this
to me? I can't remember.
As y'all can see, I got lucky.
But I will never be the same.
We took Lucious out 'cause you said
- we'd be running things.
- It's gonna happen.
Anika Lyon? You're under arrest
for the murder of Tariq Cousins.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist
to figure out you're up to something.
He's redirecting his feelings
and his desires onto me.
Lucious.
You're gonna remember me.
I'm Cookie Lyon, baby.
I'm unforgettable.
Dwight?
We're all set.
Are you ready?
Okay, um...
Maybe I should...
try doing it by myself, for once.
That's good.
That's really good.
I mean, it's an important
first step.
Well, if you need me, I'll be close by.
♪ Mona Lisa ♪
♪ Mona Lisa ♪
♪ Mona Lisa, men have named you ♪
♪ You're so like the
lady with the mystic... ♪
No, no, no, no, what are you doing?
- This is your son!
- God told me Dwight needed my help!
No...
I know what I know, sister.
- Evilness is in him.
- Enough.
Evilness is in him!
Hello?
Excuse me.
Excu... what's going...
Can-can I help you?
That's right, fellas, take
it all to the west wing.
Cookie, what's going on?
- It's 11:00 at night.
- Oh, I know what time it is,
sweetie, I'm moving
in like I should've did
when he came home from the hospital.
- See, this is my house.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey!
You bust it, you buy it, and
I know you can't afford it.
Sorry about that, ma'am.
- That's fine.
- Look, I-I know that
you may not fully trust me,
- but I want to assure you...
- No, no, no, no, no.
Let me assure you.
I understand that you
got a job to do, okay?
I hired you to do it.
That man is everything to me and my boys.
And we need him back... I need him.
So I'm moving in to supervise.
Don't worry about it. Come on!
Right on around, you know where to go.
Be careful, those are very expensive.
Shh, shh, shh.
No, you shush.
You hurry up and fix my man,
or we gonna have a problem.
That's right, fellas, keep going.
Keep going... you drop my bag
again, baby, that's your ass.
♪ Know I'm okay ♪
♪ I just wan-Na... ♪
Y'all, this song is too good
to just be playing at the
end of the damn credits.
Everybody's gonna be
walking out of the theater.
The hell they will; they
gonna sit they asses down
- and listen till the song is over.
- Hmm.
Yeah, Jamal, forget the
ASAs. You could win an Oscar
for Best Original Song.
That's right.
Move over, Celine Dion.
Okay. I am so glad
that you finally buried
the hatchet with Tory.
I mean, did I really have a choice?
Calling me every second, talking about
"Come on, forgive Tory.
Forgive her, Jamal."
Okay, that kind of sounds like me.
But I'm about to start using
my powers of persuasion for a job,
since I'm only A&R on an interim basis
while Cookie looks for
someone to replace me.
I don't know why you
even stressing over that.
You know my mom.
You gonna get this A&R position,
you're gonna help me with my
new album... it's all love songs.
Love?
I wonder what inspired that decision.
You did.
Empire XStream is already on track
to surpass the competition.
And we have a list of
telecommunication companies
ready to partner with
our artists' releases.
If you're looking to sell
off parts of Empire XStream,
Commonpoint Capital wants in.
You can expect a formal offer tomorrow.
- Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.
- All right.
- All right, thank you.
- Absolutely.
♪ But I'm in love with it ♪
♪ I'm in love with you... ♪
How you doing, Sam?
- I'll have the usual.
- Sure.
Are you alone?
Not anymore.
What are you drinking?
Whatever you're buying.
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Give me a reason ♪
♪ 'Cause I ain't going home ♪
♪ You don't want to start ♪
♪ I ain't swinging low ♪
♪ I'm just leaning. ♪
Looks like it's not our night.
My doctor has me on new medication.
Well, tell him he just cost you
the best piece of ass
you would've ever had.
Okay. Tell me the first
thing that comes to your mind.
Philly.
Excellent.
How about this one?
Liberty Bell is near Rittenhouse Square.
Excellent.
- Hey, Lucious.
- Hey.
How about we get
some breakfast, huh?
I want to get your thoughts on, um,
us selling Empire XStream.
Andre got a great offer.
I don't have any thoughts
on anything like that.
Cookie, Dwight and I are right
in the middle of a session.
I can see that.
Uh...
Look. You got to remember this one.
This is us, in Philly, where we started.
Is that a gun right there?
Cookie, can you excuse us?
Well, ask your doctor.
She got all the damn answers.
All rise.
Be seated.
Good morning, Your Honor.
In light of the fact that my client
has already spent
five months in jail...
Counselor, is there
anything you're about to say
That'll make me forget
that Ms. Calhoun is accused of murdering
a federal agent?
Former agent, Your Honor.
Ms. Calhoun is not a flight risk.
She wants to clear her name.
I'll take that as a no.
The trial's in six months.
Ms. Calhoun will remain
in custody until then.
No, Your Honor, please! I am innocent!
With all due respect, Your Honor,
I don't think my client's circumstances
are being considered at all.
We would appreciate a chance to be heard.
Hakeem, go get Cookie.
- Tell her to see me now.
- What is she gonna do?
Tell her I remember January 7, 2015.
Tell her I remember.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ Without a destination ♪
♪ I'd die a thousand times
♪
♪ for you, yeah... ♪
Guys, I love it. It's amazing.
I'm on the red-eye to Paris
tonight, and I'm taking it with me.
Oh, we can get it to you immediately
- if you need...
- Yeah, no doubt.
Well, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.
I got a few tiny changes.
This is gonna be the main
title theme song to the movie.
Uh, it's a hero's journey.
It needs to be epic.
Add a string section.
A whole orchestral thing.
Uh, lose the falsetto altogether,
uh, and the piano in the middle;
add more strings there, too.
Whoa, wait, wait, wait, uh...
Um, the orchestral thing
sounds-sounds pretty cool, but if you...
if you take out the
falsetto and the piano,
y-you change the whole arrangement,
you really change the whole song.
Which we can do before
your flight tonight.
Perfect.
Can't wait.
Thanks.
Oh, my God.
Yo, man. What's up, man?
H-Have my back, Becky.
Have your b...
Boy, you know I got your back.
But we have a client, and we have to do
what he wants, right?
We in this together.
Can you make this deadline tonight?
All right, let's go get this Oscar.
Get it!
All right, where is she?
I have a company to run.
Rough.
- Yeah, well, jail ain't for the weak.
- Legit.
I see y'all got my message.
Yeah, I managed to crack
your code, James Bond.
January 7, 2015.
That's when Bunkie died.
I think you mean killed.
Okay. Okay.
Okay. Look, you got our
attention, we're here.
What do you want?
To get the hell up out of here.
Okay, slow your roll, bitch.
For all we know, you did kill Tariq.
You been a snake since day one.
You want this snake to bite?
We paid you $25 million to bounce
and keep your mouth shut.
But here you are,
still around,
- still running your mouth, still in the way.
- Okay, okay.
Let's loosen, let's loosen
the bra straps, all right?
Let's just get to a resolution.
I can get you in front
of the U.S. Attorney
as early as this afternoon.
But to get you out of here...
you're gonna have to play nice.
Shut up and do exactly what I say.
You okay with that?
Nah, it doesn't look familiar at all.
Let's just give it some time.
This is one of your...
favorite places.
Look, this is the exact booth
we're sitting in right now.
Just see if there's some
tastes or smells that
might trigger some memories.
How y'all doing? We got
a brick chicken special
so good, you'll smack your own mama.
Lucious? Lyon?
What's up, L?
Look at you,
coming into my joint all incog-negro.
Boy, you know this is your home.
You gonna feed this woman?
How you doing, lady?
I'm Clem.
Well, Clem, nice to
meet you. I'm Claudia.
Yeah, you must be some kind of special
to be up in here with L.
He only ever comes here with Eddie.
Eddie?
Um, I don't know Eddie.
Eddie Barker. Come on,
you trying to tell me
you don't know the great composer,
arranger and super producer?
You know,
there was this one time,
right after Lucious had won a Grammy,
he and Eddie came up in here.
Both of 'em had, on both arms,
two of the finest, big-boned sisters...
You know what, Clem,
I think that we should
move onto the menu, and we'll hold off
on the old stories for now.
Yeah, okay.
I'll get some waters over right away.
Uh...
It's good to see you up
and on your feet, Lucious.
We're all pulling for you.
Thank you, Clem.
Thank you.
I think you hurt his feelings.
I just need to guide the conversation
on these initial outings.
Is that what life is like, though?
I mean, is it all planned and scheduled?
No, of course not.
So, I'm just managing the pace.
Tell me that ain't a banger.
- It's too soft.
- Too soft?
I remember you saying
that about "Drip Drop,"
and that became your biggest hit.
My biggest pop hit.
The streets still go crazy for
"Drip Drop," and you know that.
I could do another
"Drip Drop" in my sleep.
But I need to go harder.
It ain't about hip-hop versus pop.
This is about you thinking
that you can't top yourself.
Mmm.
You know, when Anika was head of A&R,
she never tried to analyze me.
She just supported my vision.
Keem, I'm not trying to kill your vibe.
Okay?
I'm trying to let you know that
if you make a pop record and it blows up,
that's how you're gonna get the leverage
to do whatever you want around here.
That's how this works.
You want me to top "Drip Drop"?
I know your potential.
All right, whatever you want, Becky.
All right, then.
Let's show 'em we still got
Lyons roaring up in here.
- Let's get it.
- You're gonna make something
better than "Drip Drop," right?
Give me something to dance to.
♪ Drip, drop, drip. ♪ Right?
Let's do it. I trust you.
Hey, where you want to start, boss?
No, not yet.
Not till I get this beat out my head.
One for me, before I make one for them.
Well, I think I need to
go and find me a restroom.
You know where it is?
Just right... in the back.
Okay?
Come on, Willy, man, you got to pick up,
pick up the pace, man.
Yeah, yeah, sorry, boss. Hey.
Hey, Clem. Oh, what you need, L?
Do you have a way of
getting in touch with Eddie?
He probably won't answer his phone today.
His niece is getting married
over at his country club.
You been there, right?
The Vandeveer?
- Vandeveer.
- Yeah.
Thanks, Clem.
No problem.
Get the mic. Let's get it.
♪ Hey, hey, I don't want to
talk about your whereabouts ♪
♪ I don't want to ♪
♪ Hear the rumors that you hear about ♪
♪ No. So much paper, I take walks ♪
♪ Around my bank account ♪
♪ It's the only thing
that I think about ♪
♪ That paper route ♪
♪ Uh, everybody want to be a don now ♪
♪ But I'm the only one that
really get it done now ♪
♪ Tell my daddy take a
good look at his son now ♪
- ♪ If you praying on my downfall ♪
- Dwight?
♪ You should shut up, trick... ♪
Excuse me, can I get
a key to the bathroom?
I think there's something
wrong with Dwight.
- Dwight?
- Lucious. H-He won't answer.
He ain't in there. He left.
What do you mean he left? He can't leave.
He's a grown man, lady.
♪ Shut up, trick... ♪
Vandeveer.
♪ Shut up, shut up ♪
♪ Hoo! Shut up, trick. ♪
I can't believe I got you in my cab.
I am the biggest Lucious
Lyon fan there's ever been.
You don't even know,
man. You don't even know.
You might be right about that.
You and your music
got me so much trim over the years.
I had a whole system.
Called it the "Lucious
Lyon Triple Takedown."
You take a lady to the club,
get her out on the dance floor,
sweating to your joint, "On the Grind."
On the way home,
get her loose with that "Make You Mine."
And then, get her freaky in the bedroom
with that "Hot Little Thing."
Whoo!
"Hot Little Thing."
And now, um,
let's hear from our host, huh?
And my little brother, Eddie Barker.
David, Claire,
there's plenty of people in this room
who'd like to offer you some
sage advice about how to
have a successful marriage.
But my advice to you is...
don't listen to any of them.
Don't even listen to me.
'Cause everyone
has, uh, some idea about
how you should live your life
and what you should be.
But this is your time,
this is your path.
And if, on your journey, you
experience struggle or pain,
...into lasting love.
So let's do a toast to...
to lasting love.
To lasting love.
- You lost him?
- I know. It's very bad.
And I want you to know
nothing like this has
ever happened to me before.
It's... uh, he was giving me signs
Shh!
Shh. Sit your nervous ass down.
You're making me nervous.
Porsha, get in here!
- Cookie, all the media outlets on hold...
- Bump 'em.
We bumped 'em twice already.
Bump them again, Porsha.
Lucious...
ran off, we can't find him.
- You want me to call the cops?
- Yes.
No! Do not! We don't need
that kind of attention
from the police, all right?
Porsha, please get out. Thank you.
Okay. All right.
What triggered him, huh?
What did he see, what did you say?
And Clem was... I don't know,
he was talking about
a music producer that
he was there with all the time, uh...
- Eddie! Eddie Barker!
- Yes!
Porsha, get in here! Get in here, Porsha!
Who you need me to bump?
No, don't bump. I just need you to get
Eddie Barker on the phone. I
think that's where Lucious is.
I'm sure of it.
Uh, you know what?
Looks like I'm doing
everybody's job today.
If there's an address, I
can just go over and get him.
No. See, Lucious is with Eddie.
That's what's gonna get him back.
Don't know why I hired you.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ For you with no destination ♪
♪ With no hesitation ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been looking for ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ You, you, you... ♪
What the hell is this?
♪ Yeah.
What's good?
Hey, Jamal.
Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
we were feeling something
different, so we just
stripped it all away
and started from scratch.
All right. Boy, get out here
so we can talk about this.
Why you barking at me like
you're my mama or something?
Jamal, why would you construct
an entirely different song?
Why would I construct
an entirely better song?
And Warren loves it, I love it.
The contracts are already
signed on the other song.
What is this?
Becky, if you just listen to the song,
you'll understand why Jamal is...
because this is about
our business, all right?
Whoa, Becky.
No disrespect, but you're forgetting
So I don't need to explain my
music to you or anyone else.
You're really tripping right now.
♪ You were the girl that
changed my world... ♪
How that rehab going?
♪ You lit the fuse...
Taking it one step at a time.
Let me tell you.
There was no shortage of
shorties back in the day
with Lucious Lyon.
Even when you was broke as a joke.
You know, you get 'em
hot and working with, um,
"On the Grind," and
then-then you get them,
- ♪ Baby, I could make you mine ♪
- ♪ You mine. ♪
♪ Come on. ♪
That was my cut, man.
But then the killer was
I get them freaky with...
- ..."Pretty Little Thing."
- "Hot Little Thing."
Why don't you tell these gentlemen
the story of the trunk?
No, you tell them.
You tell it better than I do.
Before I was writing and producing hits,
I was spinning records.
That's how I met Lucious.
I was the first one in
New York to play his songs.
And there was this...
program director,
yeah, with the high-top fade;
it was turned the wrong way.
So, I'm telling Lu, "See, look, Lu,
"You know, don't be cheap.
Just get his attention.
This is your career."
And so Lucious,
he goes down to the station,
and he waits for the
program director to come out
and as soon as the program
director comes out, bam.
- Whoa.
- Hits him in the nose.
He messed up his whole face. Ah, man.
And then, he grabbed this clown
by his Kid 'n Play hairdo...
And he throws him
into the trunk,
closes the trunk.
He starts driving around the town,
slamming on the brakes.
You can hear the guy
Whoa, whoa, man.
You all right?
Sorry, I don't know what happened.
Mrs. Calhoun has been
afraid to come forward
with the particular details
pertaining to her defense.
Why?
Because she fears for her life.
From who?
From who? Who?
From the FBI, that's who.
Because no action was ever
taken against Agent Cousins
after he became obsessed
with Lucious Lyon
repeatedly stalked and
assaulted his former wife.
Oh, have a gander.
I was caught in a nightmare
and they did nothing to stop it.
Mr. Rawlings, these photos
have no bearing in the murder
- of Agent Cousins.
- "No bearings."
Okay.
come from the grave" to speak on this.
Are you scared of me?
I been waiting all night for this.
Tariq, no. Let me go!
How do they say over at the FBI?
"Lordy, I hope there's tapes."
Well, there are and I have them.
He forced himself onto me.
He wanted me to run away
with him, but I refused.
No, no, it's okay. Shh, shh, shh.
It's okay.
That's self-defense.
Self-defense.
Now, you do me a favor.
You take this to trial.
There'll be no conviction.
There's not a jury in the
world that will find her guilty.
As a professional courtesy,
attorney to attorney, I got to say,
I would hate to be in
your shoes right now,
Well, you know.
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If being right means
being without you ♪
♪ I'd rather live a wrongdoing life ♪
♪ Your mama and daddy
say it's a shame ♪
♪ By my side ♪
♪ Your friends tell
you it's no future ♪
♪ In loving a married man ♪
♪ I'll see you when I can... ♪
Come on, Cookie.
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If loving you is wrong ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If it means being without you ♪
♪ I don't want to be right ♪
♪ If it means being without you. ♪
Amazing. You still got it.
Hey.
- Good to see you.
- It's good to see you.
Excuse me.
Dwight.
We have dinner by the pool.
Eddie.
Thank you for everything today.
You're a really good friend.
I'll call you later, all right?
Mm-hmm.
He doesn't remember me, Cook.
Doesn't remember anything.
Oh, no. It's just Lucious.
He-he forgets stuff, but
it d-doesn't mean anything.
You know what, I-I've known
him for half of his life.
but you don't have to do that with me.
He has a traumatic brain injury.
He can't remember anything.
Only the family knows, so, please, Eddie,
can you keep this between us?
Of course.
How you holding up?
You all right?
Hey, we're good. We're grinding.
Empire is making money, but
Andre tells me not for long.
I mean, soon we're gonna have
to start liquidating our assets
and I don't know how long we can keep
Don't liquidate nothing.
This is just a rough patch.
What do our families do when, uh,
a loved one is sick or dying?
We step up. Bring a cake.
You need to... need to get those artists
and they need to hold you up.
They need to support this.
Uh, with what? Food?
With music.
That's what Lucious would want.
Music.
Thank you, Eddie.
Child, if it's gonna rain,
move the event inside.
Okay? Don't be so slow.
Hey, let me call you back, Porsha.
Hello.
The hell are you doing
going through my drawers?
You ain't even supposed to
be on this side of the house.
- I need your gun.
- For what?
We have to put an end to that witch
poisoning my Dwight with her spells.
Spells. Woman...
Look, you gonna meet a real witch
you go through my drawers again.
- Get yourself out of here.
- No one comes between us
and our family.
If they do, we cut them down
like I did that bastard Tariq.
What did you say?
I put that bastard in the dirt
I wouldn't think twice
about bleeding that new witch to death.
Good night, Cookie.
♪ Wan-Na ♪
♪ Feel ♪
♪ Ap-prec-i-ated ♪
♪ Oh, oh ♪
♪ Am I asking too much? ♪
♪ I wanna feel... ♪
Jamal, Jamal.
You are a genius. The changes you made
to give Tory the vocals.
It's-it's perfect.
Thank you so much.
I love it.
I really hope that you like it.
Tory, let's go eat, talk music videos.
Look, I understand the way
you must feel right now.
So, you've had your best friend
backstab you like that before?
And take away something
that's not theirs to take?
Jamal, this is the song that he wanted.
I don't know what you want me to do.
- This is my job.
- Oh, your job?
Pull some foolishness like this again,
you won't have a job at my label.
This way, Ms. Walker.
Who are these people?
Leah.
We think you should get some rest.
- Okay?
- We found a...
a lovely facility for you.
Uh, it's considered the best
in the state and Dr. Givens
is gonna be handling
your care from now on.
Did this witch put a hex on your tongue?
Or are you going to sit there
and let them lock me up?
Answer me!
We have an involuntary
commitment contract.
It's okay.
I know there'll be an evaluation period.
I'm sorry, I know that this must be...
You go back to hell, bitch!
Bitch!
No, no, get her off.
I know you're in there.
I know what you are. You're a monster!
From the day you were born,
I tried to exorcise that evil in you,
but it just got bigger and stronger.
Hey. I'm Detective Mitchell.
Las Vegas Metro. This
is Detective Lumley.
How you doing?
Detective Pamela Rose.
I'm the NYPD liaison. I'm
just here to facilitate.
We'll keep this short, Mr. Lyon.
We've been unable to
locate Giuliana Green.
We're wondering if you
have any ideas as to
where she might have fled.
Does she own any properties abroad?
Mr. Lyon?
No. I don't, um, I don't know.
Any associates who might be hiding her?
outside of her dealings
with the casino operations.
I wish I could help you.
Look, uh, this investigation
to the Lyon's family, so,
any way we can be
helpful, give us a call.
- 24-7.
- All right.
Thank you for your time, Mr. Lyon.
I thought you had an eye on Giuliana.
The other night...
what was that?
Are you trying to set me up?
No, I didn't even know who you were.
I was just briefed on the
investigation this morning.
So, it was a coincidence?
May I ask you a question, Detective?
Do you often have sex
with strangers in bars?
We didn't have sex
because you couldn't get it up.
Huh.
How did things go with the boys?
I'd like to think we're still
making music up in this bitch.
So, Hakeem just delivered
a really dope track,
and I'll start the campaign around it
- as soon as you sign off.
- Mm-hmm.
And Jamal is a different story.
What?
So, we had very specific instructions
and notes, and a deadline
from the producer,
but Jamal refused to make any changes,
so I replaced his vocals
with Tory's.
I know. I feel like dirt.
- Well, what did the producer think?
- He loved it.
He threw in half a million for marketing,
Look, Becky, I know you love Jamal,
and I know that was very hard to do.
But don't let your heart
step on your ambition.
I need strong people around
me now more than ever.
Porsha, get legal on the phone.
Have them remove "interim"
from Becky's title.
Uh, thank you, thank you. Look,
I will not let you down.
You better not.
Hello. Thank you.
Thank you.
20 years ago, an Empire was born.
It may not have had
thousands of employees
or gold records or high-rises
on both sides of the country,
but there was always
music and family and love.
Here comes our announcement.
While Lucious continues his sabbatical,
we will honor his legacy
with a bold new project
that has his blessing.
Starting immediately, we
will produce and release
a new album for every year
we have been in operation.
So, you do the math.
That's 20 new albums to be completed
- by the end of the year... we can do it.
- What?
The Empire 20 For 20.
It's who we are, it's what we do,
and it's worth fighting for.
Thank you.
Cookie, how do you expect
to pull this feat off?
Who's gonna be the first
artist on the album?
Can you tell us that?
embarrass me in front of the board,
and you lied.
You lied to me and
everybody else in there.
Calm down, Andre, I did not lie.
You're gonna sit there and tell me
that Pop gave you his blessing
on this crazy-ass plan?
The man doesn't even
know his own damn name.
Andre, your father would
want Empire to grow,
to make more music, not be chopped up
like a hoopty and sold for parts.
The success of one album
pays for the creation
and campaign of the next.
Now, how do you expect
us to produce 20 albums
with nothing coming in, Ma?
We will make it happen.
You mean me!
I'm the one that always
has to find the money,
always has to make the deal,
always has to make it work.
Me, not you! Not Jamal,
not Hakeem, not Pop... me!
Okay, I need you to calm down.
You see, I birthed and breastfed your ass
into this world, so I
deserve some respect.
Not only that, Andre,
I'm your boss, okay?
So the next time you want
to barge in here and pop off,
dust your résumé off, okay,
because I know your father did not accept
- that kind of insubordination.
- Insubordination...
And I won't either!
Go home, Andre.
I see where this is going.
Go home. I will talk
to you in the morning
about the 20 For 20 budget.
- Uh, can I get you anything, boss?
- No! No.
Thank you, Porsha.
You know, you over there
looking like a queen.
- How's that, Porsha?
- Sitting on the throne all by yourself.
It's hard to trust people, you know?
Kind of get used to being alone, and...
...you feel like you're
strong enough to do it
all by yourself, but that's not true.
'Cause I do want somebody
to believe in me, you know?
I want to believe in someone else.
Jamal, I believe in you.
And I believe in this.
♪ I will ride for you ♪
♪ No destination ♪
♪ But it don't mean
nothin' if I don't got you ♪
♪ Beside me ♪
♪ You got me singin' love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you
been all my life... ♪
Come on, baby.
♪ 'Cause I been lookin' for ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ Eh ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ I been lookin' for you ♪
♪ Mm-hmm ♪
♪ If you call my phone ♪
♪ I'll always answer ♪
♪ People come and go ♪
♪ I'll be there forever ♪
♪ If I don't got you beside me ♪
♪ Now, said it don't mean nothin' ♪
♪ If I don't got you to guide me ♪
♪ Love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you been all my life ♪
♪ Where you been all my life ♪
♪ You got me sayin' love, love, love ♪
♪ Tell me where you been all my life ♪
♪ Oh ♪
- ♪ You ♪
- ♪ 'Cause I been lookin' for ♪
♪ Hey, you, you, you ♪
♪ I been looking' for you ♪
♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ No, no ♪
- ♪ Hey ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ For you, you, you, you, you, you, you ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
- ♪ You ♪
- ♪ You, you, you ♪
♪ I been lookin' for ♪
Dwight, what are you
doing up? Are you okay?
What are you doing?
Are you g-going? You leaving?
It's... it's time for me to go.
I've made arrangements for
someone else to come in.
Is this because I ran off the other day?
- That had nothing to do with you.
- No, no.
- I was trying to figure out who I am.
- Dwight, Dwight.
This only works if there's trust.
And I can't do what I do best
without complete trust.
And I don't think you trust me.
You're the only one that I do trust.
I'm sorry, Dwight.
You know, when I woke
up in that hospital...
...I didn't remember who I was.
But I looked up and I saw your face,
and I felt safe.
Maybe for the first time in my life.
And I know if you leave...
I won't be safe again.
I'll be stuck in a world full of demons,
and they're gonna turn me into a monster
that I never wanted to
be in the first place.
Please, please don't leave me.
Please.
It's okay.
I'm not gonna go.