Empire Season 6 Episode 3 Review: You Broke Love
Paul Dailly
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Lucious Lyon has a heart!
Empire Season 6 Episode 3 confirmed that Lucious would give up his freedom for the life of the woman he loves, and it all felt a little familiar.
Maybe it's the sheer number of times they've broken up, but there's been so much needless drama between them over the years that it's time for them to make a final decision.
Empire Season 6 is the show's last, so we should know these characters like the back of our hand.
It's just a shame the characters are doing things that don't fit with everything that came before.
In no way would Lucious deliberate when he knew Cookie's life was on the line.
Their love story doesn't hold that much water when you consider his train of thought during the earlier moments of "You Broke Love."
Heck, it all seemed purely constructed to keep us on the edge of our seat throughout, but it fell very flat instead.
The only surprise was that Damon was willing to harm Cookie.
He was enthralled by her on Empire Season 5 to the point that he pursued her for much of that season.
Kingsley: Congratulations, little bro. A new Lyon cub in the den, I am so proud. What, no hug? I missed you, man.
Andre: Yeah, this isn't happening. This is my anti-rejection meds causing hallucinations.
Kingsley: Don't do that, Andre. We're brothers. We got a lot to do. You're going to need me if we're going to keep Empire.
Andre: Keep?
Kingsley: We both know the old man's coming back. He killed me when I took the throne. You want that to happen to you?
Andre: You shot yourself, Kingsley.
Kingsley: He drove me to that. You, with your mental health challenges, you're vulnerable to his attacks. We have to secure the legacy for our little prince in there. Let's talk.
It's clear now that Cookie is not exactly the top priority in his life -- not when he's living a life of crime and trying to get Lucious arrested.
Cookie has blood ties to Lucious, and that's something Cookie would never jeopardize for someone like Damon.
Make no mistake, Damon will rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
Now that he knows that Cookie was willing to give up her life for her grandchildren, he's going to turn his attention to hurting them.
It's the only natural progression for this plot.
Related: Empire: Coming to an End!
He's going to hit back at Cookie and Lucious right where it hurts, and there's a good chance he will be the one ending the life of Lucious Lyon in the flash-forwards.
What we don't know whether Damon knows the truth about Lucious shacking up with his daughter, and Yana is surely going to reveal the juicy goodies when she learns that Lucious is back with Cookie.
For some reason, there's still a disconnect between both Lucious and Cookie, but they know they work well together when they're trying to save the family name.
Going forward, it looks like they're going to have a long road to recovery, and that's not a storyline that should be taking center stage in the final episodes.
Cookie: Damon! You're cutting off my circulation.
Damon: Shut up!
Cookie: Why are you doing this, please?
Damon: Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? You serious, or are you playing dumb on me? Look! You, right there, you see you? You playing dumb. You like to play dumb. You need to know, you need to know why I'm doing it. You got my information in your phone, right? And I'm stupid enough to want to give your ass the world. Hell no, I swear to god, I'm gonna blow your damn brains out.
Like I already said, this back and forth is negatively impacting the show, and it's getting to the point that the show should have just called it quits following the Jussie Smollett scandal.
If there's a lack of good storylines, then what's the point of tuning in for different spins on ones from the past?
Much like his father, Andre can't resist making the same mistakes. He'll do anything to keep the Lyons from danger, and that's partly why Kingsley is haunting his subconscious.
Related: Empire: Jussie Smollett Officially Fired
Andre hasn't had the best life, but he's also not done that many good things. He has an impulsive side that will make him kill people without so much as a second thought.
That's not to say the dude threatening Teri and his unborn child on Empire Season 6 Episode 1 didn't deserve something bad to happen to him.
It's difficult, especially when you consider that we're being led to believe this family is still relevant -- even after all the outlandish things they've been accused of.
Andre's back was against the wall, and going to the cops would have resulted in something else from the past coming to the forefront.
Donna: Is that why you haven't sent mom or dad money, for the last three months? They depend on it.
Becky: Okay, this is over, I know that Donna. I spoke to mom and dad, and told them that when I get the money, that I would be giving it to them, okay?
Donna: Well, I've been picking up your slack. You're welcome.
Andre is firmly under the assumption that God is punishing him for his actions, and that should be the nudge he needs to turn his life around.
He's welcomed a son into the world and should be trying to move on without the drama, but that's not part of his DNA.
The pro-life storyline had the potential to be an informative storyline, but it was so deeply rooted in stupidity that it was difficult to take seriously.
In an Instagram-influenced world, it's not uncommon for fans to take things out of context, and I appreciated that Tiana had her own views on the matter, and didn't change them because of the backlash.
Related: All American: CW Orders More Episodes
The show wanted to give us three different views on the matter, and that's okay. But we could have done without it becoming a full-blown shouting match.
It felt forced and disjointed as a result of everything else that was playing out at the same time.
It fell flat, and it's a real shame that a show that was once the most-watched on TV is languishing as it limps to the finish line.
We still have around 15 episodes, and unless Empire starts the process of getting it together, we're in for one of the most pointless final seasons of any TV show in years.
What did you think of the latest twists and turns?
Are you struggling to keep up with the stupid storylines that go nowhere?
Hit the comments below.
Remember, you can watch Empire online right here via TV Fanatic.
Empire airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
