Empire Round Table: Lucious Is Free!

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Another week, another fun time in the land of Empire. 

With Lucious still behind bars, Cookie and Hakeem were looking to make their mark on the music scene by starting their own company on Empire Season 2 Episode 2. Could Lyon Dynasty be a real threat to Lucious? And the arrival of tricky lawyer Thirsty Rawlings proved to be a great thing for Lucious, who is now free on bail.

Join TV Fanatic panelists Paul Dailly, Carissa Pavlica and Whitney Evans as we get to the bottom of this crazy episode...

What was your favorite quote or scene?

Paul: My favorite scene was Cookie ambushing Jamal's interview and then telling him about her company. He had it coming.

Carissa: When Lucious was put into the hole. It's a nice reminder for him (because prison itself surely was not enough), that he is not all powerful all the time. The man needs a time out every now and again.

Whitney: Any scene between Cookie and Boo Boo Kitty is going to make my best list. I'm really hopeful she finds her way to Lyon's Dynasty so we can see them interact even more.

What was your first impression of Thirsty Rawlings?

Paul: He seemed like he was all talk, but in the end, it was obvious he would play just as dirty as Lucious. I'm intrigued to see where his story takes him.

Carissa: Pretty similar to Paul's, actually. He was like a windbag at first, but appeared to be damned competent overall. I have a feeling we've seen nothing yet when it comes to playing dirty, either.

Whitney: He had that air of a used car salesman, so I wasn't all that surprised that he was willing to go to any lengths necessary to secure a win for Lucious.

On a scale of 1-10, how successful do you think Lyon Dynasty will be?

Paul: 3. The show is called Empire after all. I wouldn't count Cookie out, but she isn't off to the best start.

Carissa: Over time, it could be very successful. But Cookie is strapped with children who grew up entitled. They don't know what it is to work hard and to fight for their success. If the story would play out, it would be a 10. As it will most likely not play out, it will fizzle out with a lesser number, probably.

Whitney: I kind of want to see it be a formidable opponent to Empire, so I'm going with a 9. Lucious truly thinks he walks on water, and I would love for Cookie to really hit him where it would hurt him the most.

What's the first thing Lucious is going to do now that he's out of prison?

Paul: Go after Lyon Dynasty, and take it down. He'll probably find himself a new bae along the way. It's all scheming from the King.

Carissa: Protect Empire. And I have a feeling he's going to want to get Cookie back. But first thing? Crush the Lyon Dynasty, and take whatever they have, and make it his. But as she says in the promo for Empire Season 2 Episode 3, nobody keeps Cookie down.

Whitney: I agree with Carissa. He's going right back to Empire to make sure that everything is okay. Empire comes before his family, health and everything else.

Is there hope for the relationship between Andre and Lucious?

Paul: I'm not sure at this stage. Lucious did say some hurtful things to him. Dre spoke fact, but Lucious was just evil.

Carissa: I don't think there is hope for Andre at all, to be honest. I do not expect him to make it out of Empire Season 2 alive. He has nothing going for him. He has to find something internal to live for and stop trying to live for others, or he's out.

Whitney: I think Andre has a lot of potential as a character, but he really hasn't had room to shine. I mentioned in my review that he ends up blending into the background so much that there doesn't really seem like there's a place for him on the show at times.

Was there anything about "Without A Country" that disappointed you?

Paul: Not really. I'd have liked Lucious to remain inside for another few weeks, but I get that it makes sense for him to go after Cookie.

Carissa: Nope. I can't think of a thing.

Whitney: I, too, would have liked to see Lucious behind bars for a little while longer. I was liking him away from the core characters.

Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.

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Empire Season 2 Episode 2 Quotes

Oh and Jamal, one last thing, I wanted to tell you first before you hear it out here in these streets. Me, Andre and Hakeem, we're starting our own company.

Cookie

Cookie: I need you to give Hakeem his album back.
Jamal: Why would I do that?
Cookie: Jamal you already won. You run the Empire. All Hakeem's got is his music.