Is Lucious as crazy as his mother?

We finally got some insight into their crazy relationship on Empire Season 2 Episode 16, and I'll never look at cake the same way again. 

Every time I try to write off Lucious, something happens that makes me question why he ended up the twisted man he is today. Now we have a definite answer. 

His mother. 

I knew going into this hour she was going to come face-to-face with her son for the first time in 21 years, but I didn't expect her to actually be crazy. 

She obviously took a tough love approach with him that's rubbed off on him as a parent. 

I get that she would be a little pissed off for getting sent away, but she admitted herself that she wasn't all there, so what's her beef with Lucious?

It sure seems like it has something to do with his father because she was far from impressed when he mentioned him, so there's that. 

She has Andre fooled into thinking that she's an innocent, frail old lady. It'll suck to see him disappointed once again. 

If only Andre had let her return to the home she was in because she is going to unleash a world of trouble for the family. 

She's calculating, manipulative and just bat shit crazy. 

She's the original Lucious. I want her gone already. 

Even though we know that there's a method to Lucious' madness, it's still time for him to go. 

There's literally no way any of this makes up for the horrible things he's done to people. 

He knew what he was letting himself in for with Harper, so what was the point in having her whacked? 

There's going to be a missing person case about her and it's obvious that Andre and Cookie will put two and two together, realizing what Lucious has done. 

It's all pretty silly. 

It's like Lucious is just bringing more heat to the family for no reason. Is he testing them to see how far they can go before breaking, or is he just wanting to play God?

You all sound like a rack of bitches.

Cookie

• Permalink: You all sound like a rack of bitches.

Either way, I'm over Lucious. I hope to God that he's the one to bite the bullet on Empire Season 2 Episode 17. 

The obvious choice would be Andre because he's had nothing to do on the show for too long, but there's a chance it could be his wife, Rhonda. 

She finally remembered who it was that pushed her down the stairs. 

It was one of the least satisfying developments on a show in quite some time. It was so obvious that it was going to be Anika, so I thought they would have at least had a last second curve ball to throw our way. 

There's still time, but don't bet on it. 

Empire has suffered from some questionable writing this season. It's a shame to see this once promising show circle the drain. 

Considering we have two episodes left in Empire Season 2, don't expect there to be much of an uptick in the quality until the show comes back in the fall. 

The powers that be need to work out what worked best during Empire Season 1 to try and replicate that again. It's going to be a tough, uphill battle for them, but I hope they find a way to bring the show back with a roar. 

This whole ASA storyline feels like it's been going on for ages. The pace seems slower than earlier episodes, and that's probably another reason the show isn't feeling as fresh. 

I can't say I'm a fan of Jamal's storyline with the ASA dude. His relationships never seem to turn into something good, so I don't see them lasting long at all. 

Empire has a habit of characters disappearing after an episode or two, so forgive me if I don't feel attached to some of the newer additions to the cast. 

Other tidbits from the episode:

• Are the cracks already beginning to show in Hakeem and Lauren's relationship? If Hakeem and her split up, I'd be okay with it if meant that we got to see more of Tiana. She has been so underused this season. 
• The scene with Thirsty and Harper had me shocked to the core. I knew she was getting killed, but I didn't expect that group of men to grab her like that. 
• The show featured really great music this week. The music this half season has been so much better than the first half. 
• Porsha got a promotion? She doesn't even know what she's doing half the time.
• Why is Carol so scared about Cookie finding out she got Lucious to whack some people? Cookie has his number on speed dial to get people whacked every other week. 

What did you think of this week's episode? Are you over Lucious? Hit the comments below!

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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.