Empire

Previously on Empire...

Loretha.

- Barry... - Come to get my girl.

Just so we're clear, she's mine.

I decided to hold off on the release of When Cookie Met Lucious.

I'm gonna join Dad's show in Vegas.

Giuliana is a cancer,

and if we don't root that bitch out, we all die.

Charlotte is deadly serious about

keeping the thug element out of Vegas.

We'll just have to give her.

Biggie and 'Pac times ten.

- Mama, what did you do? - They ruined one of mine,

so I took one of theirs.

Wait till you find out where I found Bella.

Welcome to Vegas, big-daddy style.

Welcome to Vegas, baby!

Hey, put my mama on the phone.

Yes, sir. (clears throat)

It's Mr. Lyon.

Dwight? How long do you plan on

keeping me cooped up in here?

You're gonna stay in there until you're no longer

having this episode you're having.

I'm not having an episode.

I put steel in the skull of your enemy.

You know what, I don't know what you're talking about,

and I'm sure you don't either.

Take your medication.

Juanita will tell me when you're under control.

Thank you.

You know, it's not sanitary to keep that in here.

Oh, my goodness, Ma, you just need to, like, cut it.

You know what I'm saying? You know why I'm doing it.

Mm-mm, I can't.

Shoot, maybe because your devilish father

tricked you into pulling When Cookie Met Lucious

so Inferno could get ahead.

Ma, it's not some sort of conspiracy.

If I do Inferno, then that'll get the fans excited

for When Cookie Met Lucious actually drops.

Dad knows that, I know that, you should know that, too.

What does Giuliana have to say, huh?

Who... Did she put her two cents in?

You know this is all her idea.

Once she gets rid of me,

she coming after you and your brothers.

- Trust me on that. - Oh, my Lord.

Ma, first of all I don't deal with that woman.

Second of all, she has no sort of power

to get rid of you.

You Cookie Lyon, Ma. Like, come on.

Just come to the show.

I can't, the bitch had me black-booked.

Yeah, If I go anywhere near Laviticus Vegas... (chuckles)

the cameras will recognize my face

and set off the alarms... ain't that some bull?

Yeah, that is some bull.

Look, you ain't got to worry about that, all right?

I'll talk to Dad. Just come to the show.

Yeah, you do that.

I'm only coming to see you perform, anyway.

That's the only reason you should be coming.

You think you could also

get Hakeem to come, you know what I'm saying?

He don't need to be by himself here and...

I mean, we tried to convince him to be in the show, but...

His head ain't been in the game since Bella went missing.

Don't you worry about that, though, I will take care of him.

I'm not gonna leave him by hisself, you know that.

I know.

Nothing worked, so I'm gonna try it my way.

Get off the phone!

You're not gonna find Bella by

releasing a bunch of idiots on the street.

Whoa. Who you calling an idiot?

Right. We the new wave, mama. This is how we do.

This is reckless.

Okay, Hakeem, you guys have already completely

- vandalized the DuBois... - I don't care!

Give me a second.

Let's go, people.

Hello?

Oh, hello, dear.

It's your soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law.

What do you want?

I want you to come

and get rid of your things, Boo Boo.

I don't want to be reminded you ever existed.

Besides,

you have a whole pile of mail.

Unless you want me to start opening it.

Don't touch it.

I will be back as soon as I can.

All righty. I'll be expecting you.

Turn it around.

Look, Hakeem, listen.

I know that you're worried, I'm worried, too.

But don't be crazy, like your grandmother, all right?

I know that Bella's all right.

I can...

I can feel it.

Trust me.

Wow, the venue is amazing.

I can't wait to see Inferno light up this space.

Now, there is one thing I'd like to share

with both of you.

September 7, 1996.

Yes. That would be the day that Tupac was shot.

You know your Vegas history.

Well, actually, Charlotte,

she knows her hip-hop history.

Well, that's semantics.

In any case, earlier that evening,

Mr. Shakur and Mr. Suge Knight

and a gang of their gangster friends

stomped out their rival in the lobby

of the MGM Grand.

My father was gaming commissioner back then,

and he lost his job because of those vile thugs.

If there's any ruckus

on the opening night of Inferno,

it'll be the last time Empire sets foot on the Strip.

She told you.

She told you.

I ran the plan by Cookie, she's on board.

When the show starts, ten of our people

will be positioned inside the theater.

We count down, another ten or 12 will bust through the door,

and all hell breaks loose.

Cookie said no fireworks,

just boots and bats.

She's just worried about Jamal and his PTSD.

Whatever. If I can live through bipolar,

he can live through this.

When it's all said and done, we'll be positioned

to take over the lease and start our own

independent venture in Vegas.

You tell Cookie about the final piece of the plan?

Hell no. No matter what he does to her,

she'll always be in love with him.

You really hate him, huh?

What'd he do to you?

Everything.

More than you could ever imagine.

I'm the only one that knows what he truly is.

That's why I got to kill him.

You sure?

Positive.

Andre, this is Franco.

He's the best there is

- at blowing stuff up. - Really?

How come I never heard of him?

You aren't supposed to hear

about guys like me, if we do our jobs right.

All right, here's the deal.

While the pre-show's getting started.

Franco gets everything ready outside.

Soon as we start brawling,

Lucious' security will rush him out the back entrance,

trying to protect his ass.

That's when we get him.

It's remotely triggered by this phone app,

so, at the push of a button...

boom.

Just like that. Boom.

I'm not going to Vegas until I find Bella.

Listen, son, I've got it

on great authority that Bella's all right.

What authority?

I can't go into details right now,

but I was this close to finding her,

and then something...

came up.

But I haven't given up

my search for her, son.

Well, Grandma thinks you...

No, no, don't even ever

listen to anything that your grandmother says.

She is out of her freakin' mind.

Look, baby, I'm not gonna go to Vegas

if you don't go, okay?

I would never leave you alone.