Empire was a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting to like it, but I really did.
Premiering January 7th at 9pm, Empire is set within a world of glamour, danger, sex and power. Where a dysfunctional family battle it out for power over a dying mans company.
Empire follows the Lyons family as they battle for power to try to take control of the throne; the head of Empire Entertainment. Terrance Howard portrays Lucious Lyon the current head of Empire Entertainment, and the father of three sons Jamal, André and Hakeem. He has very complex relationship with his sons especially Jamal which gets explored a lot during the pilot. Lucious has a disease where he is given 3 years to live, and must groom one of his three sons to takeover his crowning achievement, the only trouble is he doesn't know which one deserves it most. Terrance Howard was outstanding in the episode, and really brought a powerful performance with him. His scenes where he was expressing his need for his sons to become stars, and to release an album were very well scripted, and I could really feel Lucious's urgency. It was also was very heartfelt, and genuine.
Howard's performance was slightly outperformed though by Taraji P. Henson, who completely nailed every scene she was in. I absolutely loved her on Person Of Interest, so it was going to be interesting seeing her in this role, but she really delivered one of the best performances I have seen from her.
From the minute she stepped onto the screen she blew me away, she was exceptional. Her scenes with Terrance Howard's character were the standout parts of the episode. They were powerful, yet emotional. Her character Cookie, is the one I am rooting for to take control of the company. After what she has been through, accompanied by her strong personality makes her the easiest one on the show to like. Cookie just got released from prison after spending 17 years there, she sees herself as the sacrificial lamb who built an empire with Lucious and then took the fall for running the drugs that financed Lucious's early career. You see all this through a series of timely flashbacks.
Aside from Terrance Howard and Taraji P. Henson we get introduced early on to Lucious and Cookies three quite different sons. Hakeem Lyons played by Bryshere Gray is the youngest of the three brothers, he is a musician. Most of the episode he spends listening to heavy rap music or flirting with girls instead of focusing on music like his father wants. He values fame over music. Surprisingly though he is Lucious’s favorite. Bryshere doesn't get much to do in the pilot; he got a few lines here, and there, but was mainly a background character for the most part.
The eldest brother is called André played by Trai Byere. He is well educated with a brilliant business mind which he does remind Lucious many times this episode. Out of the three brothers André is the one he would prefer not to give it to, as he lacks charisma. André is the most cunning brother, and hatches a plan to pit his two brothers against each other leaving the throne open for the taking. We see the first steps of his plan to become head of the company take effect, by manipulating Cookie into becoming Jamal’s agent so she can make him a star. Cookie plans to help Jamal release an album, only problem is Hakeem plans to release one too. If they both go head to head which they will, then André effectively becomes the last brother standing as Lucious wouldn't be able to choose between Hakeem, and Jamal if they both became stars. So he would give it to Andre, as its the easiest choice. The last brother is Jamal played by Jussie Smollett, who is easily my favorite brother due to his personality, and his caring nature. He is seen as an embarrassment though by his father, as he is gay. His mother is open to it, and supports her son. Taraji and Jussie share some excellent scenes, and have great chemistry as mother, and son. There is nothing stronger than a mothers love for her child, which gets shown in the pilot.
Throughout the episode, you will see the first moves made for control of the company; just about everyone on the show is teaming up with someone. It will be very interesting to see who Lucious actually gives it to. The dialogue between characters is very easy to digest, although some of the supporting cast really need to work on their delivery, as some of them showed no emotion during scenes that required it. The episode was heavily focused on introducing us to each character, and provided multiple flashbacks to events that were being told. The flashbacks were very effective, and were used at the appropriate time. They were also interesting, and made the back-story even more intriguing.
I hope the show continues to use flashbacks throughout its run, as they worked well. The episode also gave us a taste at the music element of the show, by having some characters sing or rap a song. I have never been a fan of shows that involve singing, but with Empire the mix of drama, and music worked very well. The music I should add in the episode was by prolific producer Timberland. The show was made to show us what it’s like for a black family trying to work their way into the music industry, and what power can do to a person. This is exactly what it does. Gabourey Sidibe and Malik Yoba made very brief appearances in the pilot, which is a shame as they are great actors. I hope we will see more of them in the future, especially Gabourey as her character looked like a lot of fun. Overall it was a thrilling, and exciting take on the music industry, this was a great start for the series. I am excited to see where it's all going, and how everything unfolds.
Summary
It was an excellent pilot, filled with drama, and music. The actors on the show were excellent Terrance Howard, and Taraji P. Henson in particular were incredible, they brought their best to the show and the quality of the acting reflected that. The flashbacks throughout were excellently used, and they helped me understand how these characters are where they are now. It is definitely a show to check out. It was thoroughly enjoyable. It is the only show related to music I have actually enjoyed, so it makes it one of the best new shows of the season. The actors alone make the show worth while.
8/10
As always , thank you for reading! Be sure to tune in January 7th!
About the Author - Robert Fruin
Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are The Walking Dead, Arrow and The 100. Some other interests include cycling, photography and kayaking. Robert will be reviewing Z Nation,The Librarians, Sons Of Anarchy, Intruders, The Fosters and Aquarius. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.
