Bryshere Gray and guest stars Yani Marin, Jamila Velazquez and Raquel Castro in the “A High Hope For A Low Heaven”  Cr: Chuck Hodes/FOX.

The title describes this show probably a little better than the creator would like. Empire has fluctuated between being inspired and disappointing so much that I was ready to give my Wednesdays to another show two weeks ago. But this episode actually lived up to my expectations enough to make me give it another shot next week.

His kidnapping ordeal leaves Hakeem with mild PTSD and deepens the animosity between him and his parents. Lucious can’t stand to see Hakeem succeed without him because he thinks his son has to be at Empire in order to become a man, but his stint at Lyon Dynasty is making him grow up more than saying “Drip, Drop” while fake jet skiing ever could.

Andre is settling into his new role at Empire as President of Gutter Life Records, which he thinks means firing everyone who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Thankfully, his newfound judgy-wudgy behavior won’t impact the career of Freda Gatz. Lucious likes her too much because unlike his sons, she is actually from the streets and isn’t afraid to show it.

Speaking of kicks to the face, Boo Boo Kitty is there for Hakeem when he needs her the most, even though she is a lonely, crying mess. When she pretties up and goes to visit him at his post-performance party with Mirage à Trois, he’s grateful but is still all like, “you can’t sit with us” and closes the door. They have finally made me feel sorry for Anika, which I thought was impossible.

I also thought it was impossible to be angry with Cookie, but I most certainly am. I KNEW she should have been more cautious with her new out-of-thin-air security guard and I was right. I still think her checking him out just because he’s Hispanic would have been in character for her, but know we’ll have to wait and see what disaster Lucious has to save her from now.

In spite of the plot holes you can drive a kidnapper’s van through, Empire still manages to be a quality show. The audio-visual representation of Hakeem’s PTSD through his music has me thinking he is ready for an Emmy nomination. Despite his petulance, he has true talent and seeing his gift literally distorted after his trauma was heartbreaking. I also enjoyed seeing Jamal pour his heart out during “You Broke Love” with the approving reflection of his father’s face. The acting and production are top quality, even when the writing isn’t, and that is what will keep this show alive.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

One Tough Cookie: UP. Whether it be a high heel to the throat or a gun to the forehead, Cookie is not to be trifled with!

Andre’s Ministry: And let the church say, Down. Getting baptized does not make you automatically know Bible verses or justify showing favoritism to a fornicator just because he has a Biblical name.

Freda Gatz: She’s up, and you know it! I could listen to her rap/kick people all day.

Lucious & Freda Gatz: Boom boom bang bang down down. I cannot get over the fact that she wouldn’t be an orphan if it weren’t for him. He doesn’t deserve to work with her.

WTF Moment of the Night
Hakeem can just decide to get out of the van before the driver gets the $40,000? Didn’t he get snatched in broad daylight before?

Final Grade: B

About The Author

Stephanie Taylor

Co-Editor/Entertainment Reporter

She may be a traffic engineer by day (hence the ‘stopsigngirl’ alias), but do not let her technical skills or multiple calculators fool you. Stephanie Taylor has a way with words. She will destroy any opponent in Scrabble, and get 50 points for using all 7 of her letters in the word “destroy.” She can a-n-n-i-h-i-l-a-t-e you in a spelling bee, having competed in no less than ten as a child. She uses correct punctuation in her text messages. It’s no wonder that copy editing comes naturally to her, and she is happy to fine tune the work of other writers before it reaches TRR readers.

Proofreading is not all that Stephanie loves to do. Regular reading without the proof is just fine, and she also loves to write. In fact, Steph has been writing since the tender age of 6 when she penned her would-be bestseller Mouse in Jail. It “would be” if all literary critics were in Kindergarten. Since elementary school, Stephanie has helped publish newsletters, yearbooks, and the Arts & Entertainment section of The Rice Thresher, Rice University’s student newspaper.

Stephanie’s other gigs have included singing her heart out in the chorus of My Fair Lady in Houston, doing improv comedy in front of hundreds of people in Atlanta, and teaching A.P. English in Los Angeles. She loves to travel and have cultural adventures like tubing down a river in Ecuador, dancing in a South Asian festival, or riding a ferry from Italy for 19 hours just to get real Greek food. Cooking and Yoga are also among Stephanie’s list of favorite things to do, but she cannot do them at the same time.

This native Texan genuinely adores reporting on entertainment as much as she loves to entertain, and is looking forward to learning more about what the D.C. area has to offer and sharing that news with you.

Stephanie Taylor also likes to write about herself in the third person.

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