Empire; More Twists than a Snake

Empire is one of those shows which is hard to categorise.  I’m not exactly certain what it is about, although I’ve viewed every episode.

The ‘Empire’ is a music Empire which was begun by Lucious and Cookie Lyon.

They were ghetto people, but she had a chance.  She was doing well in school, then she met Lucious who was a street boy.   He was a rapper and she got involved with him, and they married.  During the early years they  were a team.  Such a team that she went to prison for eighteen years for a drug situation which was more the fault of Lucious than herself.   She left behind three children.

The eldest, Andre, the middle boy, Jamal, and the baby, Hakeem.

Andre grew up to become the archetypical middle class University educated professional.  Bi-polar he married a white woman, and Lucious never accepted it.  Never accepted him.

Jamal was gay and Lucious tried everything to ‘ungay’ him, even forcing him to marry a girl who he, Lucious had gotten pregnant.

Hakeem was the spoiled baby, following in his father’s footsteps to be a rapper.

Cookie gets out of prison after Lucious has divorced her and is engaged to a very brown upper class woman.

Andre and Jamal accept her, Hakeem takes a bit more time.

By now, Empire is multi-million dollars and Cookie demands half of it.  She gets it.

Okay.

There are a lot of murders, sex, and violence all through each episode.

The most striking character is Jamal, for he isn’t just Gay.   Unlike most shows which have a one dimensional gay character, Jamal has talent, humour, interest, and is the most likable one on the show.

The episodes are uneven.  Some are good, some are why did I bother to watch, some are interesting, and the twists and turns of the involvements of the characters with others, rises and falls.

What seems a foundation is that Lucious and Cookie do love each other, although most times they don’t show it, in fact they show the opposite.  Until it reaches the edge, then, the love takes over.

I don’t know if I should recommend this program or not.  There’s something about it that keeps me following the episodes.

Unlike shows like Scandal which I just can’t be bothered, (along with Homeland, Quantico, Twin Peaks, Vikings and others I have forgotten) there is something in that show which keeps me tuning in.