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Empire returns this week and its second season premiere is quite something. The show’s first season was phenomenal to watch and I was somewhat concerned that the second season would see a sharp decline in quality. Fortunately, that wasn’t to be and although there were some issues with this episode, I was left extremely impressed.
The big issue that The Devils Are Here has is that there is one particularly important storyline that feels extremely rushed. There’s a fair amount of build-up and things are resolved with minimal fuss. The scene reveals quite a bit about one particular character in more ways than one, which sets up the remainder of the season quite nicely, but its hasty resolution bothered me.
Aside from that, however, this premiere is quite excellent. The opening ten minutes are mostly a non-stop ride of music from various characters in amongst some business and show-stealing moments from Cookie, all while taking place at a ‘Free Lucious’ rally. The spectacle of the scene is extremely fun to watch and it really sets the tone for the second season. Empire is utterly bonkers - it knows it and takes full advantage.
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Season two picks up three months after Lucious was arrested, and with him still in prison, a lot of this episode follows Cookie and her plan to take over Empire and remove her ex-husband from the company. She’s working with Hakeem and Andre, whom she plans to give the company to along with Jamal, who is running things while Lucious is locked away.
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Empire was the biggest hit of last year and it was easy to see why. Based on this premiere, I’m willing to bet it’ll continue its streak. This is one of the best episodes of the show and I am desperate to see more.
Empire’s season two premiere, The Devils Are Here, airs on Wednesday 23rd September at 9pm on FOX. Make sure to tune in live - you’ll regret it if you don’t!