Lots of shows aren’t filmed in the city in which they are set. Vancouver and Georgia are popular substitutes. It may not always be convincing, but Empire, which films in Chicago, may be the most egregious when it comes to not even trying to look like it’s in New York, but that’s not the only giveaway. In the latest episode, “True Love Never,” there were four glaring moments that made me wonder if the crew has ever stepped foot in Gotham.
Watching the Thriller video. The long version runs a little over 13 minutes. The greatest music video of all time runs longer than Hakeem’s kidnapping and the zombies were more interesting.
Cookie Lyon took the rap for Lucious and spent 17 years in prison while he used the money from their drug operation to become a music mogul. He didn’t visit her, didn’t give her any credit for Empire’s success and didn’t even put some money in her commissary account so she could afford a Kit-Kat bar or some shea butter. Nobody wants to be peckish and ashy.
Empire’s Andre Lyon renounced his sinful ways and got baptized on last night’s episode, Be True.” Since Andre says he has conversations with God, we thought we’d give him a few talking points for their next chat.
Why is Anika so insistent about partnering with Cookie? Anika has a lot of experience, she could probably do better than the start-up Lyon Dynasty label. She keeps crawling back for more pain.
Lucious Lyon is having some mood swings. Three episodes ago he kind of loved Cookie, two episodes ago he hated Cookie and was in the prison broom closet pumping his fist to his new rap about a “snitch bitch,” now he is out to stomp all over Cookie’s little record company.
Last week Miss Lawrence warned Jamal not to be shady. Is Jamal trying to get his soul back? He was sweet to Rhonda and okayish with Hakeem. Is he just messing with us, so we start to feel secure? Stop toying with our hearts, Jamal!
To make a point about the justice system, Cookie Lyon dressed in a gorilla costume and hovered above the rapt crowd in a cage. You would think that would be the most deliciously absurd moment of a deliciously absurd series, you would be wrong. What was absurd was casting the talented Chris Rock as a terrifying drug kingpin, Frank Gathers, who winds up in the hoosegow.