Empire

[Atreides]

Where does one buy a tiny pillow? It was too big for a dollhouse bed. Was it custom made? Did he get one of his maids to sew it? Or Becky (you know, her mom's white!)? Inquiring minds want to know!

[save lilo!]

OK I know now why I don't like Jamal. He is too inconsistent. He is the sweet guy, the badass, the sensual lover, gullible, thug, the independent one, etc, etc. I'm listening to the playlist for the show on Spotify and he incorporates so many different types of musical styles. I kind of like the Ne-Yo vibe for him. I hate that money song he made up because he spent like 1 evening in the ghetto walking around trashcans. What. That song with Estelle (Conqueror) is great though.

Also, if security guard dude still had his job, why couldn't they just stay together? Cookie was out of the company anyway, so why not just stick with this guy? Why do they even need Anika? That guy makes his living doing corporate takeovers, why do they need her? So he doesn't buy into the other company?

I kept wishing they let Luscious do his concert before arresting him. I was really excited for it!!

ETA: The above comment, OMG I laughed out loud. I loved the pillow gift scene!

Oh and why is the oldest son mad. I thought he found God. Why is he so angry? Can't he just run that foundation.

Vernon

[Atreides]

Anika had the established business relationship with Gordon Gekko 2.0 (and he presumably trusts her more than the others) so that's why they need her.

Andre lost God as soon as Jennifer Hudson spread her legs open for the Devil. He's back to being regular old Ambitious and Power-Hungry Andre now, but well-medicated.

[biondetta]

I have been waiting all week to watch the finale until I had the time to really enjoy it. It was worth the wait! So many great moments! The pillow gift made me cackle. She should have stuffed it in his mouth right then and there and maybe had more luck! I also loved Jamal's final "bitch!" in the rap battle, though I wish he'd actually rapped.

Poor Vernon! I was actually sad that Rhonda was gone, but not happy that she came back just in time to kill Vernon and announce she's pregnant. Baby story lines are of the devil. Loved the reveal that Vernon was the star witness. I don't know why I didn't realize that earlier! I'm glad André isn't quite so god/Jennifer Hudson enamoured now, because he's much more fun when he's scheming with Rhonda. Which is why the pregnancy story line bothers me even more.

With Vernon gone, it does look like Luscious will walk (Oh! Loved him telling Jamal his real name! That almost seemed like a real moment between the two, although I still wouldn't put it past Luscious to lie/scheme, even though he did seem oddly more benevolent after he found out he wasn't dying.) I can't wait for next season!

[sardonictart]

Oh man...this show. I finally binged on it over the last week, and I've got people in my office hooked on it now. It is easily the most entertaining thing I've seen in a long while. I've always loved nighttime soaps and this hit the sweet spot for sure. The cast is so freaking talented I can't stand it.

First, there's Taraji P. Henson. Oh, Cookie - such a badass with heart. I love the way she delivers a line and packs an emotional punch. She's been good in everything I've seen her in so her being great in this comes as no surprise.

Jussie Smollett is just utterly fabulous. I feel like I gush when I talk about him, but seriously. He can act, writes music, plays instruments and has a gorgeous voice. Oh, and he's easy on the eyes to boot. He should be in every Broadway musical that needs a leading man in his 20s.

The older brother is fiiiiiiiiiine. And so that I don't look totally shallow, the actor that plays Andre is pretty good too.

Hakeem annoys me, but I think he's supposed to since he's basically a teenage boy...which makes Naomi Campbell hooking up with him really gross. His character has shown growth though, and I definitely appreciate that.

Rhonda and her bib - oh man. That woman is probably the most shocking character on this show.

Vernon - Malik Yoba, so nice to see your fine ass again. So sad that it's gone now though. I love that man's voice. It's like buttah.

Anika - I don't have a lot to say except for that her revenge surprised me a bit. I thought she'd take the high road. But then that would not be entertaining.

And finally, Luscious, or however he spells it. I keep seeing it and not reading it as Lucius as a result of the different spelling. I've read all sorts of pretty darn awful things about Terrence Howard, but man he is good in this, and I have to give him the accolades he deserves for it. He is alternately sympathetic, menacing, sexy, talented, smart, manipulative...I could go on. He definitely fits the role of a king just like the person basically playing King Lear should. I was alternating between like and dislike of the character while watching it, and then he picked up the guitar, and it was over for me. I'm such a guitar ho. Damn, and he can play too! Now, I totally see what Cookie adored about him. He very much reminds me of my ex, the very talented musician, who unfortunately shared Lucius worse traits.

I can't believe that we don't get more of this until the fall. Boo! By the way, I actually bought this season pass on iTunes. I rarely do this since we can stream everything without penalty here, but it is worth it. I will thoroughly enjoy re-watching it.

ETA: I downloaded the soundtrack. Love it.

[save lilo!]

I love all the different versions of "You're So Beautiful". The songs are all on Spotify if anyone else is so inclined to listen to the music now that the show is off.

[Neurochick]

I downloaded "Conqueror" Yay.

Why I can't and won't support Empire despite the hype.

I don't agree with this, but hey, everybody's got a right to their opinion.

[sardonictart]

Hmmm...she does have an interesting perspective on the show, but I also don't agree with it. I don't think that putting Empire up against Black-ish was done as part of some grand scheme to "put black people in their place" (even though Rupert Murdoch is an ass.) That kind of decision is one of the many supposedly strategic/crafty decisions of the networks to take market share (and thus ad revenue) from other networks. I think it's usually a dumb strategy that often makes new shows fail, but I don't have the data at hand to back up my theory.

Also, it feels like she's assuming that no white people (or any other kind of people besides African Americans) watched A Different World, Living Single, Martin or NY Undercover. I watched all of those shows, and I'm so white I'm practically transparent. I particularly loved A Different World when I was in high school and college because it showed college life for kids that actually STUDIED and didn't just party. And I don't "quietly" watch Empire either. It's a nighttime soap - it's made for chatting about it the next day with coworkers and friends.

I understand her frustration with not seeing more positive images of African Americans in movies and TV though. As we all know, minority representation on movies and TV is still lacking. I just wouldn't go as far as to say that any show that doesn't represent wholly positive images of minorities should be boycotted.

ETA: Conqueror is probably my favorite song off the soundtrack. I also love the TV version of Nothing to Lose.

[Neurochick]

I wrote this in "previously tv," Empire is a modern day, hip hop Game of Thrones, with a side of Dynasty thrown in.

[Atreides]

I don't agree with that blog post at all, and the writer has never even seen a single episode so I don't know where she's coming from. And her central argument that Rupert Murdoch wants to put black people in their place is howlingly wrong. From all accounts, Murdoch is very hands off when it comes to Fox TV and even if he did, black-ish's ratings have remained very steady since Empire premiered, as have Modern Family's. In other words, Empire isn't taking viewers away from its competition. It's getting new viewers who weren't watching anything!