This episode was so nice (read: so shocking and things happened so quickly) I had to watch it twice. Which isn't really saying much because I watch every episode twice but you get my point, a lot happens. Moving on ...
The episode opens with Lucious rehearsing "Chasing the Sky" with his band for the ASAs. His attempts to perfect the song show that he may be many things (a singer, songwriter and arranger) but Lucious Lyon is most certainly not a conductor.
Stabbing at the air, directing a band.
Also why does he have that baton? Lucious is so extra ...
Cookie comes in and asks about Lucious' mother and encourages him to get some rest. Cookie suspects that Lucious is using ASA preparations as an excuse to avoid his mother. Lucious once again tells Cookie that Leah is dangerous.
Leah Walker sits at home alone watching television, which is nothing but pre-ASA coverage. After insulting Juanita (the maid)'s cooking. Leah flips to a feature on Lucious talking about his video for "Boom Boom Boom Boom," which of course depicts her as being bipolar and, more importantly, deceased. Leah angrily says that Lucious has always been a liar.
Cookie is doing last minute ASA preparations when Carol walks in to model a dress that Rhonda has picked for her for the ASAs. Cookie says the dress makes Carol look like a cheap prostitute and goes back to work. Carol tells Cookie about running into Tariq and that he just asked her to dinner. Before Cookie has a chance to respond, Carol leaves in excitement.
Jamal is singing a new song he and Freda are working on for D Major. D Major approves of the song but after Freda leaves D Major tells Jamal that it is time to stop letting his parents produce him. D Major offers to produce Jamal's next album.
Andre visits Leah again and she says she doesn't like being left out of the ASAs. Andre tells her that he might not be able to get her a ticket and that he'd have to ask Lucious. Leah assures Andre that she won't tell anyone about Lucious' lie and that she only wants to see her grandchildren perform. She promises that no one will notice her there (cue the suspenseful "something's up" music).
Anika tracks Rhonda down at Empire headquarters. Rhonda hasn't been coming to yoga class or returning Anika's texts and she's beginning to worry. Rhonda brushes it off as her being busy preparing for the ASAS. Anika suspects that it is because she is beginning to show and seeing her visibly pregnant is too much for Rhonda. Rhonda asks Anika about her red-bottomed shoes and if she was wearing them the night she came to visit the nursery. Anika says she doesn't remember visiting Rhonda that night.
Either Anika genuinely doesn't know, or old Boo Boo Kitty should have given up her career as a debutante moonlighting as an A&R exec to be an actress, because she does look genuinely confused.
Laura and Hakeem are planning their wedding. Laura is hoping to get paparazzi and magazines to snap a few photos of their wedding but Hakeem says he doesn't want the press there. Laura says that having the press at their wedding might help get her music promoted (because that's EXACTLY what's on every bride's mind when they're getting married). Hakeem has to break the news to Laura that despite their hard work, her career isn't going to take off the way she had hoped. Laura is disappointed but assures Hakeem that she is marrying him because she loves him, not for what he can do for her career.
Cookie has Lucious run some intel on Tariq but he is unable to find anything (even Thirsty couldn't find anything). Cookie is still sure that something isn't right and goes to Leviticus to meet with Tariq before his date with Carol. Cookie tells Tariq not to try to use Carol to get dirt on her or her family. Tariq assures Cookie that he and Carol are simply on an innocent date. He claims that he values the Philly street code and reminds Cookie that Lucious broke that code by killing her cousin Bunky.
Cookie asks Carol what she told Tariq on their date but Carol insists that they just had a nice time. Cookie realizes that Carol has fallen off the wagon and started drinking again and tells her she'll have to leave. Carol then accuses Cookie of trying to steal another one of her boyfriends and says that Cookie never cared about her. Angered and hurt Cookie throws Carol out of Empire's headquarters and her apartment.
Jamal is in the studio with D Major. D Major tells Jamal not to let it bother him that he will be attending the ASAs with a female supermodel. Jamal says that using a model as his beard is wack but agrees. They begin flirting but as Lucious enters the room D Major becomes aggressive and pushes Jamal off of him. However, after D Major leaves, Lucious reveals that he, and a lot of other music industry bigwigs know D Major's secret. Lucious however is still furious for what he sees as Jamal pushing his lifestyle onto Lucious. Jamal says that Lucious is the one who isn't a real man for letting his mother instill so much fear in him that he can't look her in the eye without crying. Lucious narrowly avoids coming to blows with Jamal and tells him that he is a disappointment to him and that when he dies of AIDS he will celebrate--no, I didn't just make that up.
Jamal goes to Cookie to tell her about the fight he just had with Lucious and lets it slip that he's still working with Freda. Cookie finally tells Jamal that the reason why she got out of prison early is because she informed on Freda's father Frank Gathers and that she and Lucious were also responsible for his murder. Cookie maintains that Frank was dangerous but still tells Jamal to drop Freda because she is also dangerous.
Andre prepares to take Leah to the ASAs but is intercepted by Thirsty who confiscates Andre's phone and locks Andre in Lucious' panic room. Fortunately, they do have a television to watch the awards show.
Cookie and Lucious decide to go to the ASAs together and the two reminisce about their past on the streets of Philadelphia as the award show begins. The ASAs red carpet is a whirlwind as Cookie sings the praises of Lucious and her family while Jamal announces to the press that he will be shelving his Black and White album and that the ASAs performance will be his last performance with his family. Jamal then warns Freda to stay away from Empire and to join another label, promising that they can still work together. Meanwhile Laura continues to be pushed back into Hakeem's shadow as he gets photographed by himself on the red carpet.
Leah and Andre are still locked in the panic room as Lucious continues to tell the press that his mother is deceased. Leah angrily calls Lucious a liar as the awards show plays on.
Carol shows up to the red carpet drunk and Cookie angrily tells her to leave. An embittered Carol runs into Freda and tells her that the only reason for her success is Lucious' guilt over what he did to her father. Through a series of flashbacks, Freda pieces together what really happened to her father and in a rage steals a security officer's gun and aims it at Lucious. Jamal steps in the way and is shot in the abdomen. Jamal is rushed to the hospital and taken in for surgery. Meanwhile, Andre begs Thirsty to let him out of the panic room as the story of Jamal's shooting unfolds on television. Thirsty, who was sleeping, finally wakes up, lets Andre and Leah out and gets them to the hospital.
Meanwhile it turns out that Cookie was right (what a surprise) Tariq is a fed and is working to build a case against Lucious. He decides against putting Carol on the stand because she is too fragile but does have another witness who he plans to persuade, one Anika Calhoun.
The Lyons wait at the hospital. Andre finally arrives but there are still no updates on Jamal's condition (that's for next week). As they wait, the news interrupts coverage of the shooting to give an ASAs update on the winner of the "Best song of the Year Award," which turns out to be---"Dreamin'" by POC. That's right, both Lucious and Jamal are left empty handed and once again, all of Lucious' backbiting and betrayal was in vain. Lucious attempts to tell Cookie about what he said to Jamal before, presumably out of guilt. As Cookie and Lucious talk, Leah goes outside and talks to the press (what she said is also TBD next week), claiming to be a part of the family.
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