Empire

- Previously on Empire... - Empire XStream...

We are taking over the world!

I do the music, you handle the business,

and we stay out of each other's way.

I know you're working on the Black & White album.

I'm shelving it.

African-American men,

the primary victims in gun violence.

If anybody's a victim, it's Freda Gatz.

I'm Zeah, Mr. Lyon.

I'm gonna be an MC, just like you.

Cookie, you should come down to the center sometime.

I can't get onstage.

I can't do it no more.

You got one job in this house and that's a mother.

Tariq, he may be your half brother,

but he is not your friend.

- Step away from the car. - Sir, I live right there.

Hey, Lucious.

Can we talk?

Door is open. Come on in.

Hey.

You still, uh, obsessing over these streaming numbers?

Well, the board has determined

that if I don't get to ten million subscribers

by Thursday, they want to pull the plug

which means I lose $50 million.

What's on your mind?

I'm like a prisoner in this house.

Come on, with nothing to look forward to.

You call looking after my granddaughter nothing?

You ain't gonna get much sympathy

from anybody about this shack you calling a prison.

No, that's not what I mean, Lucious.

Look, I know that we have had our differences,

but, I know that Cookie's looking for a new head of A&R.

And you know that that is never going to happen,

so you need to just...

Lucious?

Are you okay?

Oh, my God, do you need me to call a doctor?

Mm.

No, I looked everywhere

and I couldn't find my earring under there.

Damn.

Maybe you can look for it later.

Oh, Pia, you remember your old boss,

Anika.

I like your assistant.

Pia, will you be a doll

and get Cho in here?

I need to see the new Empire XStream artwork.

Keep putting your back into that work of yours.

Ooh.

Look what I found.

I mean, Empire XStream is bleeding out.

Our main asset is exclusive content

and I don't have it.

I need five new songs

- by the end of this week. - Man,

I cannot get you five new songs by the end of this...

What is that?

Incentive.

You are gonna give a car to whoever

can deliver a new song that's ready to drop by this Friday.

And while you're at it, tell your son

that I'm releasing his Black & White album.

Jamal does not want that album released, Lucious.

He done told you that a million times.

Well, I don't care. He can tell me a million more.

Look, Cookie, if you with me

with this business, 50/50,

then you're gonna get me those songs.

Okay. Sure.

I'll get on it tomorrow, after my lunch with Angelo.

What are you seeing in that Oreo, anyway?

I'm being proactive in the community.

I'm going to meet some of the WOKE kids from his foundation.

So he can warm your heart with how good he is with these kids.

He might warm something else later.

Everything's under control, Mom.

He's coming out!

Yeah, I-I got... I got Max with me.

Max Perkins.

- Andre! - Can we get a comment, please?

Over here, please!

- Over here! - Andre Lyon!

Mr. Lyon, can you tell us what happened?

Okay, okay.

Do exactly what we discussed a few minutes ago.

Don't go all "Black Lives Matter" on me here, okay?

We're good. Let's go.

This was all a simple misunderstanding.

My client has fully cooperated with law enforcement,

it will all be cleared up

- in a matter of days. Thank you. - Your mother and father

have a checkered history with law enforcement.

Are you just following in their criminal footsteps?

That's all for now. My client won't be making any statements. Thank you.

So, are you a gangster now, too, Andre?

What happened to me is what's happening

all across America, right now.

And what's that?

Hey, babe.

Answer her. Come on, she's waiting.

We both know that none of this would have happened

if I was still here.

I went back to the bar where it went down,

like you all told me to.

I took my new lady with me.

As soon as we hit the door, I start shaking.

But you did the breathing?

- Yeah. - And?

I'm still here.

You all noticed, we have someone new in group today.

This is Jamal...

Jamal Lyon.

Jamal...

we ask new people to

tell the group what caused their PTSD.

Everybody knows what happened to Jamal.

They played it over and over again on the news.

That doesn't matter.

Your fame just creates another barrier for your recovery

because you have to face your trauma

in front of the world.

It's still PTSD.

Yeah, I'm good.

Um, it's my first time,

so I'm probably just gonna, you know,

lay low and listen.

But thank you.

Okay.

Hey, Jamal. Hey! Hey.

Look, what happened inside, that wasn't cool.

That's not how we do things.

They all know what happened,

so it's no sense in frontin' like they don't.

Let me ask you something, man.

Are you still taking any pain meds?

Yeah.

I was hoping to be off of them by now, but, um,

I'm not, so...

It's nothing to be ashamed about.

When a soldier gets shot...

I'm not a soldier.

You were in the military, right?

- Um, Major Philip Barrett? - You got shot.

Your PTSD is no less significant than mine.

If you need treatment, man...

Um, I came here, you know, just to...

kind of, test the waters.

And, uh, it actually worked.

A lot, you know? All right.

And at this point, I kind of feel like

I know how to manage this. Which is, it's great.

And that's... that's 'cause of y'all, so thank you.

Andre!

Hey. Oh.

Let me guess: it was a white cop.

I should've been smarter about it, okay?

I know this whole thing could've turned out

a whole lot differently.

I wouldn't be standing here with you today, I know.

Nothing you could have done different.

You were born black.

What happened, Andre?

I was clearing out me and Rhonda's apartment,

- a cop shows up and... - Mm-hmm.

Look, I gave him attitude.

- No, I don't want to hear that! - That's some B.S.!

Look,

I'm-a make Thirsty

- take care of these cops. - Yeah.

- Thirsty? - Let him look into these charges!

Pop, I-I don't need Thirsty, okay?

I got my own lawyer.

With the FBI watching our every move,

the last thing we need

is Thirsty taking care of anything.

I-I just want to do this the right way.

Andre, the right...

You do realize you're a black man, right, Andre?

And that was a dirty cop that did that to your face.

And since this was not caught on video, it is your word

against theirs, all right?

No, see, the police messed up this time.

They done messed with the wrong ones.

So, we gonna fight fire with fire!

Enough!

I'm a Wharton graduate, Mama.

I'm a CFO of a publically traded corporation.

I'm not gonna fight fire with fire.

- Andre... - I'm not doing it!

That boy is headed for a world of trouble.

Raymond Lewis, aka Gram.

Tiana Brown's new boyfriend... Ran with the Uptown Mafia

for a minute, now he's a rapper.

Can I get a selfie?

When you get inside, see if he's still affiliated.