This episode was a ridiculous tearjerker, if such a thing even exists.

 Cookie rekindles her relationship with Angelo

Angelo invites Cookie to meet his mother (Phylicia Rashad) at a fundraiser she is hosting, but Cookie's grief over her father causes her to stand them up. Angelo is angry but Cookie promises to make it up to them by taking them out to dinner with Hakeem, Jamal and Andre also attending. However, when Cookie learns that Lucious plans to also have dinner at the same restaurant, at the same time, she moves the dinner to her home. Hilarity ensues when Jamal shows up high on painkillers, more on that in a minute.

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Andre is a no-show (more on that in a minute as well) and Hakeem arrives with his daughter, Bella, whom he was asked to babysit, sucking on her pacifier--like you do. Despite the mishaps with her family, Mrs. Dubois approves of Cookie and her fire--as long as it doesn't burn Angelo.

Nessa invites Andre to a party commemorating the sixth anniversary of her brother Stone's death as a way to have Andre spend time around her family and also so that Andre can make nice with Shyne who is once again angry after being refused by Freda Gatz. Andre initially agrees to be at the party but nearly backs out when he realizes that the gathering conflicts with Cookie's dinner. Andre brings Freda and decides to stay when Nessa reminds him how much the night means to her. Freda finally raps at the party, while Shyne secretly films it--possibly as more evidence for Tariq.

Just say "No" Jamal

D-Major continues to feed Jamal painkillers after his blackout, much to Phillip's disapproval. Jamal is still being roasted in the media for presumably going soft after getting shot. You know I really would like to see all of these people who are on Jamal's case try to get back to being their old selves after having a near death experience and see how well they do. Lucious pressures Jamal for new music, saying that the extended period of time he has taken to produce his new album is sucking up Empire's money. Jamal creates a visual to go along with a song he's made about Cookie called "Mama." The visual component includes home movies from Cookie's past with her sisters in her old neighborhood. While Cookie is initially thrilled, images of her father trigger her and cause her to fly into a rage at Jamal, telling him he had no right to find the videos and use them.

Confused, Jamal goes to Carol to find out the truth about why Cookie is so sensitive and secretive about her father. Carol reveals that after Cookie got involved with Lucious and began breaking curfew and stashing guns and drug money at home, her father felt he had no choice but to put her out of the house. Three days after kicking her out, Cookie's father died of a heart attack. Her father's death devastated her and drove her closer to Lucious and further away from her sisters, who continue to feel that she has chosen Lucious over them. Although he shows up to Cookie's dinner with Angelo's mother high as a kite, Jamal is able to perform "Mama" for Cookie and her guests, which also includes Lucious, who has crashed the dinner party to retrieve Bella. The song drives Lucious away as he sees Cookie moving on with her new lover. Also, it can't have felt too good for Lucious to hear the song Jamal wrote for Cookie after the ode his son penned for him last season.

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My Thoughts

The storyline with Cookie has become my favorite part of the season. I think it is perfectly timed and interesting without being too much (which Empire has a tendency to be, just saying). I got misty eyed watching Cookie watch the videos as Jamal's song (which is gorgeous) played in the background and understood when she finally told the truth about her father. I also like that she still let Jamal use the videos even though she admitted that she still wouldn't be able to watch them. To be very honest, this episode is probably the most grounded in reality episode that I've seen in a while. Nothing excessively outlandish happened, it was really a chance for us to slow down and get to know some of the characters in a way that isn't always easy. Also, does anyone else adore sassy drugged out Jamal? I know that's a terrible thing to say and I want Jamal to get sober just as much as the next person but his lines have been my favorites this entire season!

Other things we learned this episode:

• Hakeem still doesn't know how to hold a baby
• Andre doesn't own a pair of jeans
• All rich "classy" people wear beige (no, really watch the fundraiser scene again)
• When in doubt about how to sound cultured, making up eloquent quotes and attaching a well-known name to them is a quick fix (but anyone who's ever had to write a college paper probably already knew that)