So I waited after week 2 to post a review on the new show Empire starring Terrance Howard & Taraji Henson. Why? Because I wasn’t sold on the pilot alone! But after the second episode… Here’s my take on the musical drama!
Mainly because I hate judging a show by the pilot. At first I was on the wire with this one. I mean I was expecting with the music that it would be a hip hop Glee without the heart (especially since Glee is in its last season). But to my surprise the show seems to have a little more depth than just being a copy cat. But I was honestly surprised. I am totally digging this show. Not to mention Danny Strong (Jonathan from my teen old tv Buffy) has written, produced & directed this. For it to be a network tv show, it really pushes things to the edge. It’s witty, it’s dramatic & the characters, despite their hidden agendas/goings-ons, the characters really have a full range of emotions.
- You have Cookie, Ex-drug dealer, ex-con who not only missed out on raising her sons but took the fall for what I am assuming was a drug bust gone bad. She is tough & smart but beneath all of that is a sensitive woman. One could assume that she is a “hoodrat” but honestly she is keen and her instincts rarely let her down.
- Then there’s Lucious who was the ex drug dealer, turned rapper turned exec/media mogul! He has a sorted past that we see revealed later throughout the season. Not to mention he’s trying to pick one of his sons to take over the company & quick (oh yeah he’s dying…like terminally)! WHAT??!! Honestly you could assume he sold out for $$ & a little bit weak but he is a shark who with let NOTHING or NO ONE stand in his way.
- The sons: Andre, eldest brother who despite helping dad run the company as CFO, doesn’t have the musical talent but schemes and plans to take over. Is he his wife’s puppet or just in it for himself? Jamal, the middle son who can sing sing sing & play music! He’s vies for his dad acceptance (oh he’s gay) & despite being talented, he lets off that he doesn’t care about the lime light or the company. I think he is every bit of ambitious but lets his sexuality get in the way. He also is the only one who has a relationship with his mother who wants to take his career off. Hakeem, the youngest wants the bling, the girls and to live it up. He raps (well I might add) and despite lacking discipline seems to kind of have a grasp on things. He knows that his dad wants to launch him but he wants to do things his way. He also has a close relationship with the middle brother.
All this plus a host of amazing supporting characters make this show a melting pot of talent! The chemistry between the actors & the roles they are playing is more than 2-dimensional as one could assume. I am going to keep my eye on this one for sure.
Lastly, what makes this show kick even more ass is that it fits nicely between Arrow & American Horror Story! 🙂 PS. The performance at the end of episode 2: STELLAR! Oh and I finally see why it’s smart to keep a bib handy! 😉
MY VOTE:
IT’S AWESOME
Until next time kiddies… stay tuned!
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