0 4 min 8 yrs

With “The Tameness of a Wolf,” Empire has unfortunately taken a break from respecting the audience’s intelligence to hitting us over the head with the simple points they want to make.

The first cranial walloping comes at Camilla’s memorial service, when Cookie calls her death a “carpet-munching Romeo & Juliet.” We didn’t need her crude jokes to get the Shakespeare reference.

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Guest star Jamila Velazquez, Bryshere Gray and Seraph McNeil in the "The Tameness Of A Wolf" episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, April 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Chuck Hodes/FOX
Guest star Jamila Velazquez, Bryshere Gray and Seraph McNeil in the “The Tameness Of A Wolf” episode of EMPIRE. CR: Chuck Hodes/FOX

We then get to witness a very contrived and drawn out Battle of the Weaves between Hakeem’s ladies, as if Ti-yawn-a didn’t mentor Laura a few months ago.

Lucious and Cookie then bond while making a video about his horrible childhood. I’ll never understand how Cookie could have fallen so hard for someone she didn’t really know, or why they had to take Freda’s verse out of the song. Her childhood was pretty hard, too! But back to Cookie and Lucious. He is a giant, violent child and does not deserve Cookie, but the writers make her melt into a pool of pity for the man who never visited her in jail and then killed her cousin. Oh, I’m sorry, those were just “a few misunderstandings.” We get it – they love each other. Ugh.

Lastly, we get more confirmation that Lucious’ sons are nothing but moneymaking props here to carry on his fake last name. He completely dismisses Andre’s pain and anger over how he pretended not to know what Andre was going through. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating that not only did Lucious do everything he could to psychologically damage his children, the writers are going to invent more reasons for us to hate him as if we don’t have enough already.

The best thing about this episode was that it’s obvious that Rhonda will soon find out Cuckoo Kitty has the hands that both rock the cradle and pushed her down the stairs.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

UP: Jamal and Freda should do an entire album together, and then do a Daddy Issues Tour or something.

DOWN: Becky’s role is so dull. What is her job? Why is she here?

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in the " The Tameness Of A Wolf" episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, April 13 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Chuck Hodes/FOX
Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson in the ” The Tameness Of A Wolf” episode of EMPIRE. CR: Chuck Hodes/FOX

UP: Cookie’s outfits are becoming more and more fabulous. I need a measuring tape scarf and a shirt with chain links over gold chains. That will complete me.

DOWN: Lucious’ aversion to everything he isn’t. If you’re female, Christian, White, gay or mentally ill, he has nothing but disdain for you and I’m sick of his hateful ways.

WTF Moment of the Night

Cuckoo Kitty is Rhonda’s confidant? Since when does a woman in distress immediately go to her father-in-law’s ex? She needs to call one of her old sorority sisters or check Facebook or something.

Final Grade: C+

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