Empire (2015–…): Season 6, Episode 4 - Tell the Truth - full transcript

Previously on Empire...

I wanna play Lucious
in the Empire movie.

I'm playing my father, Lucious Lyon.

You have signed us
a silent singer.

Why is she not better? Oh, my God!

Fans are heated
about me being pro-life,

so I'm not apologizing.

Why are you doing this?

It's Damon Cross.

You got two hours
to bring me my damn laptop!

Is this what you want?



- Fetch!
Hey, hey, oh!

Ah!

Meet your grandson Walker Lyon.

Oh, my God,
I wonder what that is,

a spoon or a rattle?

Anything's better than that
sterling silver bubble blower.

Well, can you pawn baby gifts,
or is that rude?

- Oh, my...
- It's sterling silver.

It means so much to us,
Lucious, that you're here.

Well, it's nice to be here

and have the Feds off
my back for a minute.

And Damon Cross is still underground?

I wish he was six feet underground.

- Oh, not in the church.
- Okay.



Godfather is here.

Godfather's late, as usual.

Well, there was problems
with the rehearsal, so...

we need to talk.

Hey, hello, handsome, over here.

Can you conduct movie business
somewhere else?

You fake-ass Denzel.
Where's your gift?

- Um...
"Um..."

Go sit your ass down.

It's probably gonna show up via Venmo.

- Later, disrespectful ass.

I gotta take this. Excuse me.

You know, you and Lucious
been looking awful cozy.

I even saw you giggle.

You know how uncomfortable
that makes me, right?

You know we are here to focus

on my beautiful, perfect
little grandbaby, right?

And not your drama, Wendy.

I'm just saying...

Look, we gotta get started.
Where is Lucious?

I'm sure you will, 'cause you petty.

It's just starting.

Yeah, that won't be a problem.

Okay, meet me there. I'm on my way.

Where you going? You can't leave.

Babies ain't committed no sins
that need to be forgiven.

It's us.

Mm.

To concretize this rite
of admission into Christianity,

we have a special performance.

It's not as intimate as I would like.

What, Lucious Lyon scared
to catch a charge?

We're all headed to hell anyway,

but I don't like people paying
visits on my grandchildren.

How's your family?

My family? My family's fine.

How 'bout some diplomacy?

You stay away from my family,

and yours will keep breathing.

That's a deal.

What's up with Cookie?

She walking better?

You couldn't pull her
on your best day, Damon.

Eh, that's just me realizing

you two share
the same misunderstanding.

That's all that is.

And I realize you don't
throw pearls before swine.

I didn't see this
on Teri's laminated schedule.

I didn't mean to wake him.
I just wanted to check on him.

See if he's still breathing?

Yeah, I been doing that
since he came home.

Yeah, I been doing it since 'Keem.

He was so little
when they drug you off, uh...

I was terrified of messing up,

thinking he wasn't gonna
get something you gave

Andre or Jamal and...

So instead, you gave him mommy issues?

Yeah.

Andre did so good, didn't he?

Yes, he did.

I'm just so glad
he's around to see it...

Enjoy this little bundle.

Yeah, in spite of me.

That's not what I meant, Lucious.

It just feels good
to have a full house again.

How long before
you're done getting ready?

I wanna get some stuff
for the guest room.

Just come on through.

It's not like you haven't
seen it all before.

Lucious, we can still talk.

I wanna give you your space.

Your granddaddy is crazy.

Let's just hope
you ain't get them genes.

Pop?

I'm sorry I had to skip out
on that baptism.

Um, I had a little business
I had to take care of.

Well, I hope you're staying off
the Feds' radar.

You know, Conway dropped your charges,

but she's not gonna take
that loss lying down.

Tell me about it.

On a good note,
I hear congrats are in order.

You closed that deal with Fox.

They got short little arms
and deep pockets.

Well done.

Thank you, Pop. I appreciate it.

Now, am I reading this correctly,

that you have appointed yourself

as the permanent CEO of Empire?

Yes, sir.

Empire needed to be cleaner
than the Board of Health

to get that deal through, Pop, so...

No, Empire needed a king,

and you rose to the occasion.

So now, in order for us
keep up appearances...

we gonna need you
to stay in the throne.

You sure?

Very sure.

Okay.

It fits you, but remember,

you know I'm back, man.

Yes, sir.

Uh, Pop, can you come to the rehearsal

for the Empire film?

No, we have to renegotiate
Tiana's contract first.

That's handled, Pop,
but the film needs you.

And I'm thinking,
who better to spearhead it

than the man who took the company

from pavement to penthouse?

That film represents
Empire's legacy, Pop.

You need to protect it.

Damn right I do.

Done.

Send me over the writer
and the director's info.

I wanna have a word with them.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Pop.

No, thank you, son.

I can't tell if I'm sweating
or crying.

That's how you know it's working.

If you have time to gossip,

you don't have enough resistance on.

No, it wasn't me. It was her.

She new here.

All together now.

Did you smoke some crack
before you came in?

Shut up. This is Lala's song playing.

Good spin is like good sex.

You need to keep your partner's beat.

Right, left, right, left,
right, left, right, left.

Right, left, right, left.

Get in sync. Right, left...

I am in sync.

You're not in sync!
Right, left, right...

- Shut up!
- Don't be mad.

Be mad at them calories.

Be mad at that pound cake
you had for breakfast.

I'm done, and it was brunch.

Ooh, I feel good.

You going
to Zumba with me next?

What? No.

You're not gonna come to Zumba?

Why, Becky?

Wow. Okay.

Hey.

You're still taking
too many water breaks.

I be thirsty, okay?

Also, thank you so much
for playing Lala's song.

It was a hit in here.

The beat is catchy, and it builds.

And whoever produced it was
hitting the same clubs as me

in the '90s.

Okay, so that means
that you're gonna add it

to your public playlist

and then play it in every class,

especially the ones
with the influencers?

I can test it out
in our afternoon classes

and see how it catches on organically.

Okay? That's how I made Lizzo, so...

Yeah, sure, you did.

Uh, here's the thing, though.

I really don't have time for organic.

I need some hormones.

So what if I got, like,
a bigger feature artist

to go on the track?

Somebody like maybe Tiana?

If you can get Tiana on a track
as a cosign,

I can have her playing
across all of our studios...

- Oh!
- In every class.

Okay, good to know,
because I can get Tiana.

- All right.
- Watch me get Tiana.

- Go get Tiana.
- Remember you said that.

Perfect. Cue Cookie.

Wrong! Wrong!

Who in the hell put this
dumb-ass chain on my son?

I would never wear something
that damn corny.

And you in the glasses,
you look like a damn fool.

Take 'em off.

And, baby girl,
I don't know who taught you

how to do the wop or the Roger Rabbit,

but you look like
a damn wounded animal.

Lucious, we are so honored
to have you here.

Why don't I have you go talk to an AD

about some of these suggestions?

Man, don't be trying to placate me,

having me talk to your assistant.

I invented that move.

We can make these
superficial changes later

after rehearsal.

No, what's superficial is your vision.

Apparently, you don't
understand that Empire

was built on specificity, on details.

It's the details that made it sing,

and this is not details.

From here on out,

this is now a Lucious Lyon joint,

and it will be shot like that.

And we will do it right.

Come here.

He's just tripping right now.

I don't know who the hell hired
that girl to be Cookie,

but that's a stand-in.

I wanna get a real Cookie.

You know, in fact,
I wanna... I wanna talk

to the writer!

- Actually...
- Where's the damn writer?

Actually, I wrote it.

You wrote this?
Yeah.

Where's the script?

You okay?
- Yeah.

All right, don't be nervous, okay?

There's no need for all of that.

Empire's thrilled to offer you
the richest deal

for a female artist
in the label's history.

Cheers.

Andre, it feels amazing

to still have your support, really.

We'll sign those contracts
right after your show tonight

for the cosmetic executives.

But we need you to make
a public statement

clarifying what you said
about abortion.

You know, publicity's already
taken that thing wild,

and we don't need the problem...

I was pretty clear.

You were caught up
in a moment of crisis...

- Hmm.
- My crisis.

And emotion caused you
to say something

you didn't fully understand.

The last time someone assumed

I didn't know
what I was talking about...

I lost a baby,

your brother's baby.

I understand that.

We've all suffered because of things

outside of our control, okay?

This is something you can control

before it derails your career.

Wow.

Andre, I thought you out
of all people would understand.

I mean, your wife
has a Bible verse ready

for every occasion.

My wife is an ER nurse

for a low-income hospital
for a decade.

She's actually witnessed the horrors

of women being denied
reproductive health care.

There's nothing Christian about that.

I need you to make this right, Tiana.

You've earned this.

Okay?

It's good to have you back.

It was
my grandson's baptism, child.

The producers saw photos
of you and Lucious

looking awfully close at the ceremony.

The optics concerned them.

Well, your producers
need to be concerned

about the paparazzi taking pictures

of my family's private service.

Okay, this is still over, right?

I don't have to worry
about "Coocious" 4.0?

Okay, look, I'm not some
infectious disease,

and Lucious has been cleared.

So what's your point?

Okay, that's not a no.

Is playing coy
really worth jeopardizing

everything we've built?

Lucious and I are complicated.

Don't try and figure us out.

- Teeth.
- All clear.

Bye, child. I got a show to do.

Getting caught cheating
with a Playboy model

at a drive-through?

Nobody told 'em about Postmates?

Now, Cookie, didn't you and Lucious

vacation with Jackson
and his wife in Greece?

Now, was he cheating,
or are they swingers?

You know, we're just all
trying to make it.

Well, you have an opinion

on Skye Summers
selling her nudes to TMI.

Oh, yeah, well, I think she's smart

for leaking her own photos
instead of being blackmailed.

Oh, well, you'd know
all about that, wouldn't you?

I mean, who here hasn't seen
Cookie's cookies?

Well, at least my dough
still gets something rising.

Who was that nude for?

Was it for Lucious or one
of your other boyfriends?

It's just so hard to keep track
of when you two crazy felons

are trying to make it work.

Is it smart for any celebrity

to be taking naked photos
of themselves?

She had to know
they were gonna get out.

I bet she wanted to get hacked.

Okay, you know absolutely nothing

about her circumstances.

This is someone's real life here,

not a chance for you to make
yourself feel superior.

I have a question for you, Lizzie.

When's the last time
your musty-ass husband

asked for nudes of you?

Huh? What's that?

Oh, oh.

Oh, cat got your tongue?

Well, there you have it, folks.

You know what that means

when your husband doesn't want
to see pictures

of your lumpy ass anymore, right?

Yes, I do.

My husband left me
for the nanny six months ago.

Bingo.

- And that's the tea!

Go to commercial.

Why do you gotta be so mean?

Why? That bitch came for me!

That was too far.
- I take it too far?

Bitch, see me outside.

And there she goes.

Look, kiss my ass.

Why don't you just shoot a puppy

live on air next time?

She gets under my skin.

I'll just get her
an apology gift or something.

Okay, that sounds like an impulse

that's fertile territory
for your new therapist.

Um, no, therapy's
for white people, girl.

Okay, the producers are gonna

have a problem with you
if you don't go.

Well, I'm not going.

Cookie, I don't know what happened

with you and Lucious,
but you need to deal with it.

I see you trying to hide this limp,

and everybody here thinks
you've been an irritable...

Ah, ah! I wish you would.

I was about to say "bitter."
See how you overreacted?

Go handle this before you get fired

and move from Tea Talk panelist
to punch line.

Oh, and cold cocktails
whenever you need it,

and I know you need it
every now and then.

Bespoke furniture,
and the thermostat never dips

below 72 degrees.

It's so cute in here, y'all.

Like, I just wanna touch everything.

Well, it's not just accoutrement.

Bossy is run by women, for women.

Which is why it would be so wonderful

to have you...
an empowered, brilliant,

beautiful, strong woman...
help us introduce

our new artist, Lala, to the world.

Absolutely.

We were thinking, hoping,
wishing, and...

Praying...

That you would record a verse
on her debut single.

I'd help, but Andre has me on lockdown

until this abortion mess is resolved.

Apparently, what I think
can't be trusted

until a man clears it, so...

Yeah, that actually sounds
like more of Lucious thing

than an Andre thing.

Hmm, tell me about it. Oh, shoot.

Sorry to disappoint and run,
but I have to go get onstage

and apologize for having an opinion.

Mm-hmm. An ignorant,
backwoods opinion.

Let me talk to you for a minute.

Those Empire men, they can
make you get on that stage,

but they can't make you say anything

that you don't believe.

You understand?

Yeah, thank you.

Bye, guys.

Bye.
- See you later.

Bye.
Thanks for coming.

Page 17, that has to be cut.

The stuff on 19... I don't know
what you were thinking.

You cannot be giving Cookie
credit for my idea.

No, this is out.

What was that?

You can't say any of that

without somebody losing their life.

And as a matter of fact,

how the hell did you hear
about Philly Street?

He's one of the game's
biggest what-ifs.

I can't take him out.

There ain't nobody coming
to hear about no Philly Street.

They wanna hear
about the Empire story.

I mean, they wanna hear
the flesh and blood

intone from me.

I started selling drugs
when I was nine years old

because I needed to eat.

But it was the music that saved you.

Now you're onto something.

I'll give you the new notes next.

Back in the flesh.

You are looking good, Lucious.

That script making you
nostalgic for the old days?

You know, I have a couple
of notes of my own.

Like, where the hell am I
in the damn script?

Well, unfortunately,
we are all filled up

with Philly crackheads.

You can't treat me like that

now that I have a stake
in the company.

How did it go when Cookie
told you the price

of a heart these days?

Hmm?

I bet you two been fighting for months

over her cutting me in.

As a matter of fact,

we haven't even mentioned you, Tracy.

Oh.

And something you should keep in mind,

if Eddie Barker or Shine Johnson

couldn't frighten me,
what do you think

a little bottle blonde is gonna do?

Oh, sweetie, I'm just
a little five-foot white girl

who thrived on the streets
of North Philly.

Eddie and Shine ain't got
nothing on me.

Oh, and guess what.

Our son left me more money than God.

I'm here to stay.
Can't erase me, Lucious.

How do I know those are legit

and you didn't Full House your way in?

Last time I looked in a mirror,
I was still black.

What brings you here today?

A town car.

What are the challenges
you'd like to discuss?

I don't have any chall...

I don't even know why I'm here, okay?

I came 'cause of my stupid agent.

Oh, you really fast
with your little fingers

in that search bar, right?

Oh, I can search, too,
with my fingers.

Let me see.

Let me see what we have here, Doctor.

Mm-hmm.

Well, who is this tall,
dark drink of chocolate?

That's my brother.

Oh, is he single, girl?

My wife is in the next picture.

Jamal's version
of "You're So Beautiful"

was actually our first dance.

Our two-year-old twins
have put a little strain

on our sex life,
but we are five years strong.

Hmm.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

How's your marriage going?

I made some big changes
in the last six months.

Big, big ones, honey.

And do you stand by them?

I'm on TV every morning, aren't I?

Yes, Lucious being back
has been a test.

And yes, today it's a possibility

that I may have gone a little too far,

but it's for a reason.

I don't like that simple bitch, okay?

Look, girl, can we just
call this 20 minutes an hour

so we can both go home
and watch Real Housewives

in some soft pants?

It's your time.

I get paid the same either way.

Okay, well, great,
'cause I'm rich, honey.

You have a good day.

Before you go, though, I did notice

those Birkin-sized bags
under your eyes.

How are you sleeping?

Better than my makeup
artist is about to.

Bitch.

Cheers.

Thanks for giving our girl
another shot.

Hey, we were happy
to hear that Tiana's comments

were taken out of context.

Well, cancel culture leaves no room

for nuance or forgiveness.

I want to thank
Technique New York

for having me.

Tonight was supposed to be
a celebration

of high cheekbones,

of full lips, of broad noses,

of beauty in all forms, of inclusion.

We love you!

But apparently,
inclusion only gets celebrated

when it's convenient

or when it doesn't overshadow

a multimillion-dollar product drop.

Listen, a bunch of men wanted
me to come up here tonight

and tell you that I misspoke

when I said
that all life was precious.

But I believe in you,

my fans,

to hear an uncomfortable truth,

because I said what I said,
and I meant it.

I am pro-life.

There's been some type of mistake.

Yeah, you wasting my time twice.

Guys, come on. Let's go.

You put her up to this?

Tiana's her own woman.

That's what she's trying to tell you.

Gladys, Hey.

Don't say hi to Gladys.

We don't work at Empire anymore.

We run Bossy Media, remember?

Excuse you, I was well-loved here.

But she's not your coworker anymore.

I know, we are the competition.

This is a negotiation,

so when Andre tries
to pat our heads...

- No one's patting my head.
- Shut that condescension down.

That's right.
Shut it down, shut it down.

Hi.
- This meeting and deal are off.

Okay, not what I was expecting.

What's going on, Andre?

Your fingerprints are all over
that stunt Tiana pulled.

You met with her unsanctioned
and put a battery in her back.

Because that was our
bright idea to get you to agree

to a collab with our artist?

Exactly, and you know
this collab is gonna

rehab Tiana's career.

You've seen me do this
with artists for years.

I'll get Tiana back on track

without the help of your little label.

- Oh...
Little label.

Which won't be working with Tiana

or any Empire artist ever.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Of course I am.

Let's get a brick and bust
all these windows.

Or we just sign Tiana
right from under him.

I'm actually not thinking that at all.

Giselle. Hey, sis!

Looking good.

Back at ya.

Oh, it has to happen.

Tiana will be reeled in by Andre

or my... or me my damn self.

I spend half a year gone,

and everybody here forgets
how to do their damn job.

You need to calm down.
Andre's doing just fine.

Yeah, he's doing terrific.

You know what?
I got a really great idea.

Why don't we get White Tracy
to be the next CEO of Empire?

- Thank you very much.
- You're welcome.

Dad, who the hell is Philly Street?

Oh, Philly Street used to be
hot back in the day

until your father came along
and stole his thunder.

- He's a nobody.
What?

Dad, the writer said he's special.

Why you kick him out the movie?

Who are you going to trust
to know more about Empire,

me or some has-been?

We just got the baby down.

Ah, and you didn't
forget the monitor.

Great, and I'm sure you didn't
forget to put little Walker

down on his back?

Of course not, Cookie.

You know this isn't
my first baby, right?

I know it's not,

but they're so far apart in years,

I just wanna make sure
you didn't forget anything.

Andre, can you bless the table?

Yes, ma'am.

Father God, please bless this meal.

Our family has endured
its share of lows,

but we gather together, stand united,

and are rewarded
with moments like this.

Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Amen, and God bless my baby, Jamal.

You know what?
I like the sound of that,

"united," like family.

Come to think of it,
isn't Tiana family?

God.

No, I mean... I mean,
she's the mother

of my grandchildren.

Hakeem made her family.
We made her a star.

Why is that no one seems to be able

to get her to control her damn mouth?

- Damn, Pop.
Okay.

So trying to control Tiana
or any woman, for that matter,

is the wrong strategy.

Why don't you try to respect her?

No, her mouth is about to cost us

a multimillion-dollar contract.

Okay, so what?
She can't speak?

She can't have her own opinion?

She gotta be told what to do
by some man?

You know what? Let's just eat.

I'm handling it, Pop.

No, more like mishandling it, son.

The way I see it,

we're at the bottom
of the ninth right now,

and you done struck out twice.

And I'm gonna have
to sweep on in there

so that you don't strike us out
as a family.

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh.

Sit down, Andre. Ignore your father.

Ignore me?

- Yes.
- You gonna ignore me, Cookie?

I sure am. Watch me.

Y'all spend a whole lot of time
trying to prove

that y'all can do this without me.

Well, you can't.

Now you know what it feels like.

Well, at least I got food
on my plate still.

And I thought Cookie
was a lot to contend with,

but your dad, he takes the cake.

Lucious is a drama king.

I mean, couldn't he have waited
till after we ate

to dump everything on the floor?

He said I mishandled the company.

You don't believe that, do you?

You think he wants me
to succeed, right?

He sure doesn't want you to eat.

Andre, I'm hungry.

I'm sorry, Teri, all right?
I don't have any food.

I can run this company
better than he ever did.

I can. I can.

- Don't wait up for me.
- What?

Where are you going?

I have to get on the phone with Tiana.

I have to make this right.

The thing is... no, no, no.

Start-up life is not glamorous...

No.

But the one advantage we have
over Empire is not having

to deal with Tiana's ignorant ass.

Oh, that's the ignorant ass?

You wanted to launch a singer
who doesn't know how to sing.

Lala can sing, okay?
We're done with that argument.

The argument at hand
is about signing Tiana,

and we shouldn't!

We'd get her at a bargain.

That's like getting LeBron
at a discount.

- LeBron?
- Yeah.

For real, LeBron?

Maybe if LeBron thought
that Uncle Sam should have

a say-so in what goes on
in your vagina.

- Okay?

Twitter is dragging Tiana
to hell and back.

Her fans are about to cancel her

like she's MAGA Kanye.

Everybody likes a comeback, though.

I just see this for what it is.

It's a business opportunity.

It's not just...

Listen, it is personal for me.

Why?

Because... I had an abortion.

I'm sorry, Becky.

It was a hard decision,

but it was still my decision to make.

Okay.

If we sign Tiana,

I'm gonna feel like a hypocrite.

Okay, full disclosure.

I had an abortion too, okay?

It was during
a very rough patch with Eddie.

I thought my marriage was over
and it would be...

Well, then you should get it.

What I get is, Tiana is lucky,

privileged, and entitled,

but she's not sitting
on anybody's Congress.

She's definitely not on
anybody's Supreme Court bench,

and she damn sure not making any laws.

She simply has an opinion
that's different than yours,

and we don't have
to agree on everything.

This is not about a difference
of opinion, okay?

This is about losing control
over our bodies.

This company was built
to empower women,

and Tiana is the exact
opposite of that.

If this company was built
on empowering women,

all women,

then she has a right to be heard.

- Mm, no, no, no.
- Right?

You don't get it. That's clear.

Becky.

Why do I have a feeling

that your little performance at dinner

has more to do about me than Andre?

'Cause you think too much of yourself.

We need to talk, Lucious.

What do we have to talk about?

Look, I don't have time...

What don't we have time to talk about?

Look, Lucious, I forgive you, okay?

Wait. You forgive me?

- Yes.
- For what?

For trying to help Andre kill himself.

Look...

I spent these last six months
without you,

and it wasn't easy.

And I thought about you and...

thought about what you must
have been going through.

And I know you have
your Lucious Lyon way

of showing love,
but you should have told me

what was going on with Andre.

You should have. I'm his mother.

But for the sake of us moving on,

I'm willing to put it behind us.

Yeah, well, I don't forgive you.

Because you should have got on
that damn helicopter with me.

But instead, you let me think

you were sleeping with that man.

Why?

I don't know, Lu...

No, you said you wanted to talk,

so let's talk right now.

- Why?
- Because I was tired.

Because I was hurt and angry.

Because I needed to get off of
your emotional roller coaster

and catch my breath.

And now you can't sleep,

because that guilt is eating you up.

No, not guilt.

I'm not feeling guilty about nothing.

You know, when I asked you
to marry me again, Cookie,

I took our vows to heart.

I did everything within my power

to become the man that you said
you needed me to be.

I got you the community center.
I was being good.

I did everything right!

You didn't do everything...

you didn't do everything right,
Lucious.

You went behind my back.

Like you did with Damon.

I did not sleep with...

You let me think you did
for six damn months!

Haven't I been punished enough
for this?

What I'm trying to say is,
I don't wanna give up on us.

I mean, we still
love each other, right?

You know, I've had a lot
of time to think too.

I thought about what you said

concerning love in that hangar.

Maybe we broke it.

Tell marketing that contrary to
these blogs

Empire's not a sinking ship
under my control.

It is an ocean liner changing course.

I wanna see that in print,

and tell the other departments
to gather

in the conference room.

Oh, they've been in there
the last 30 minutes.

Who called the meeting?

That's really incredible news.

I'm gonna go tell my partner
right now.

Thank you. Okay, bye.

- Ooh.

Okay.
- Oh, my God!

Okay, okay, I'm okay. Okay, so...

Even without a featured artist,

Lala's bop is the number one
requested song

in Joseph's class, which means
that by this time next week,

we're gonna be on every single
new playlist possible,

'cause we did it.

Yes!
We did it.

We did it.
We did it.

Hey, can I get paid now, though?

Yeah, we did it.

When I was your age,
I got paid in experience.

Humble thyself.

Okay.

Mm. There she is.

Girl, get a glass, 'cause guess what.

I'm a Bossy lady now.

Becky, I was just
trying to text you, girl.

Tiana came in...

I... I barged in.

I mean, look, because who else

is gonna have my back for real
besides a female-led label?

- Yeah, who?
Right?

Grab a glass, girl.
This champagne is good.

I just need the entire bottle.

- Can I talk to you outside...
- No.

Can I talk to you outside
for a minute?

- Take it easy.
May I add?

I own all my own masters,
so Bossy Bosses.

We'll be right back.

Just a second, Bossy Boss.

Bossy, eh!

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. You...

- See...
- No.

You signed her behind my back.

I seized an opportunity the same way

you signed Lala behind my back.

You seized an opportunity
to make it crystal clear to me

that you own more
of this company than I do.

This was not a power move, Becky.

We can have our five-year plan
happen in one year

if we rehab Tiana's image.

Come on.

I promise you, Becky, we're partners.

- I know.
- Okay.

Congratulations, partner.

I got you.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Did all the notes to the letter.

This is your vision
fade in to fade out.

Wow, this is like watching
Empire being built

all over again.

Unfortunately, we still gotta
find a replacement

for that Cookie.

Casting's putting together
a session tomorrow.

I wanna be there.

Well, I missed all this
the first time around.

Now I have a front-row seat.

Oh, my God.

Tracy, you're like the herpes virus.

You just keep coming back.

Oh, Lucious, I know
that's your convoluted way

towards a compliment.

We really should stop
getting off on the wrong foot.

I do have value, Lucious.

Please.

I heard you ripped
Philly Street from the script

like you did me.

I remember hearing about him.

I had some friends
who knew his friends.

As always, Tracy, you know
what you're talking about,

but nobody else on this planet does.

For the sake of the film

and the authenticity you wanted,

I asked around and I found him.

Philly Street.

Lucious Lyon,

I heard you been talking about me.

The universe is poisoning men
against me, and I just...

Oh, girl, I'll buy you a Chanel bag

and open up a Raya account for you.

I need to talk to the doc.

This is uncalled for, even for you.

- I'm sorry.
- I'm sold.

Can I also get tickets
to Tea Talk?

Love you on that.

And I love you for it.

Here, look, why don't you call
my office,

and I will hook that up.

Hey, sister, keep your head up
and forget about them men.

They ain't worth it, child. Huh.

Why are you here?

Well, I was thinking
about something you said...

You can think from home.

Why are you here?

I... well, I... uh...

I want the... I want... I want to try.

I wanna try therapy.

And I wanna dip a toe in, you know,

see if it's for me, you know.

But I got some guidelines,

'cause I ain't no snitch, bitch.

So I'm not snitching,

and... and I'm not in
for all that chanting

and the "om, om."

I don't want that.

And I'm not signing up
for one of those

weird-ass space religions
in Hollywood, okay?

You must have mistaken me for a fan.

I'm not here to gush over you, Cookie.

You don't set the terms.
You do the work.

And these early impressions
suggest lengthy work.

I knew this was a mistake.

Well, you know where the door is.

Eh. Mm-mm.

I can't do this. I can't...

Been through a lot.

Lord knows I've been through way more

than what I've been going through

these last couple of weeks, but...

I can't sleep.

Why can't I sleep?

Let's find out why.

You ready?

Some people tell you

to close your eyes and sleep...

I say keep your damn eyes open.

'Cause when they caught me napping,

that was the day I died.