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Empire

655 statements
127 feature instances
40 referencing feature instances

Empire	type	TVTItem
Empire	label	Empire
Empire	page	Empire
Empire	comment	Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Empire is an American musical drama television series. Debuting on FOX on January 7, 2015, it was co-created and produced by Lee Daniels and features music composed by Timbaland. Pitched as The Lion in Winter at a record label.The show centers around a hip hop music and entertainment company, Empire Entertainment, and the drama surrounding founder and successful rapper Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), and his three sons: business-minded but bipolar Andre (Trai Byers), who will do anything to depose his brothers and impress his wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday); musically passionate Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the black sheep of the family thanks to his homosexuality, and aspiring rapper Hakeem (Bryshere Grey), Lucious' favorite because he takes after him the most. Wait, did we say that Lucious was the founder? Turns out that's actually his ex-wife, Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), who's just been released from prison after taking the fall for Lucious during their drug-running years and is hell-bent on reclaiming the company she believes is rightfully hers. Rounding out the cast is Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba), Lucious' business partner, and Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey), Lucious' romantic partner.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })The show revolves around Lucious' life caving in after Cookie's release brings his past sins back to haunt him, as well as his diagnosis with ALS prompting him to determine which of his sons should inherit the company. The two parents begin pitting the children against each other in the hopes that their favorite will gain control, while Lucious tries to prevent Cookie from revealing the more sordid elements of his past to the public.On April 30, 2019, Fox renewed the show for a sixth and final season.Has its own Character Sheet.
Empire	fetched	2023-02-11T21:42:32Z
Empire	parsed	2023-02-11T21:42:32Z
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to AlcoholInducedStupidity: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to BookOfDaniel: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to Dynasty1981: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to Glitter: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to HustleAndFlow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to KingLear: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to TheCosbyShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to TheLionInWinter: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingComment	Dropped link to personofinterest: Not a Feature - ITEM
Empire	processingUnknown	AlcoholInducedStupidity
Empire	isPartOf	DBTropes
Empire / int_13945ede	type	IAmAHumanitarian
Empire / int_13945ede	comment	I Am a Humanitarian: Heavily implied Frank Gathers is one. There was blood stains on his napkin from the meat he was eating, which is likely from another inmate, and Cookie refers to him as "Idi Amin".
Empire / int_13945ede	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_13945ede	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_13945ede
Empire / int_154aa477	type	Big, Screwed-Up Family
Empire / int_154aa477	comment	Big, Screwed-Up Family: In public, the Lyons seem like the perfect family. In private is when the dysfunction begins.
Empire / int_154aa477	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_154aa477	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_154aa477
Empire / int_15b2cab3	type	Tempting Fate
Empire / int_15b2cab3	comment	Tempting Fate: Bunkie showed up at Lucious' house at 3:00 in the morning, attempting to shake him down for three million dollars. He's then killed for it by Lucious. When Lucious listened to Jamal's recorded cover of "You're So Beautiful," he joked to Cookie that their gay son singing "This the kinda song that makes a woman love a man" was unnatural coming from him. Well, guess how Jamal staged his coming out...
Empire / int_15b2cab3	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_15b2cab3	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_15b2cab3
Empire / int_1645005b	type	Evil Versus Evil
Empire / int_1645005b	comment	Evil Versus Evil: The rivalry between Lucious and Barretti. Season 2 has Lucious vs. District Attorney Roxanne Ford, and later Lucious vs. Camilla.
Empire / int_1645005b	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1645005b	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1645005b
Empire / int_1779f10e	type	"Well Done, Son" Guy
Empire / int_1779f10e	comment	Andre is JR Ewing, both qualifies as the "Well Done, Son" Guy and wants to take over the family business by any evil means necessary.
Empire / int_1779f10e	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1779f10e	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1779f10e
Empire / int_1994ba0b	type	Gone Horribly Right
Empire / int_1994ba0b	comment	Gone Horribly Right: Hakeem’s video outburst goes viral and even though it wasn’t a publicity stunt, it resulted in press attendance for the opening night at Leviticus being quadrupled. However, the video and its impact still didn't sit well with Lucious and Cookie, because Hakeem, in said video, called Barack Obama a “sell out.” At the White Party, Lucious asks Jamal to sing for himself and to "tell [his] truth through [his] music." So he comes out.
Empire / int_1994ba0b	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1994ba0b	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1994ba0b
Empire / int_1b4ea159	type	The Alibi
Empire / int_1b4ea159	comment	The Alibi: Andre invokes this whenever he needs to cover his father. One flashback reveals him hiding his father's gun in his box of Legos as the cops searched the house.
Empire / int_1b4ea159	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1b4ea159	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1b4ea159
Empire / int_1b596e24	type	The Beard
Empire / int_1b596e24	comment	The Beard: A mutual case between Hakeem and Tiana. For Hakeem, Tiana is a "proper" girlfriend close to his age as opposed to the much older Camilla. For Tiana, Hakeem is a man as opposed to her secret girlfriend. Interestingly, while Hakeem views the relationship as purely a PR move, Tiana genuinely likes him and is not opposed to polyamory. Olivia served as this for Jamal, even marrying him at Lucious' behest, though the marriage was understandably short-lived.
Empire / int_1b596e24	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1b596e24	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1b596e24
Empire / int_1b5fa24a	type	The Brute
Empire / int_1b5fa24a	comment	The Brute / Tagalong Kid: Hakeem, Lucious and Cookie's youngest child who is the least involved in the business outside of making fierce music.
Empire / int_1b5fa24a	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1b5fa24a	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1b5fa24a
Empire / int_1badfb3a	type	The Heart
Empire / int_1badfb3a	comment	The Heart / Token Good Teammate: Jamal, Lucious' and Cookie's second child. The most independent of the Lyon children, makes the most sensitive and stylish music. He rejects Luscious to earn respect by making it on his own.
Empire / int_1badfb3a	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1badfb3a	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1badfb3a
Empire / int_1c3d047e	type	The Rival
Empire / int_1c3d047e	comment	The Rival: Cookie and Anika are this to each other.
Empire / int_1c3d047e	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_1c3d047e	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_1c3d047e
Empire / int_20989d05	type	Parents as People
Empire / int_20989d05	comment	Parents as People: Lucious and Cookie are understandably not pleased with Hakeem and Camilla's relationship.
Empire / int_20989d05	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_20989d05	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_20989d05
Empire / int_22a60f6a	type	Nepotism
Empire / int_22a60f6a	comment	Nepotism: As to be expected, Empire has this in spades.
Empire / int_22a60f6a	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_22a60f6a	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_22a60f6a
Empire / int_230d64	type	Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Empire / int_230d64	comment	Jamal likens the potential cash incentives Empire is prepared to offer artists for staying loyal to this. Lucious is not moved.
Empire / int_230d64	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_230d64	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_230d64
Empire / int_23754e26	type	ThereCanOnlyBeOne
Empire / int_23754e26	comment	There Can Only Be One: Only one of the Lyon boys can inherit the company. Cookie and Anika take this stance regarding their love for Lucious.
Empire / int_23754e26	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_23754e26	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_23754e26
Empire / int_23e32a30	type	Genre Deconstruction
Empire / int_23e32a30	comment	Genre Deconstruction: The whole show is a good realistic portrayal of how toxic the music industry can be.
Empire / int_23e32a30	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_23e32a30	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_23e32a30
Empire / int_27a42ebc	type	Spiritual Successor
Empire / int_27a42ebc	comment	Spiritual Successor: To Hustle & Flow. Both works star Terrence Howard as a man trying (and failing) to give up an illegal life for hip-hop stardom and winding up in prison anyway. It can basically be considered the best sequel series Hustle and Flow could have possibly asked for.
Empire / int_27a42ebc	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_27a42ebc	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_27a42ebc
Empire / int_2a8a7ea6	type	Bury Your Gays
Empire / int_2a8a7ea6	comment	Bury Your Gays: Jamal's current love interest and eventual husband Kai Givens almost gets killed but survives. Sadly, Jamal isn't so lucky.
Empire / int_2a8a7ea6	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_2a8a7ea6	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_2a8a7ea6
Empire / int_2b5ab7c1	type	Analogy Backfire
Empire / int_2b5ab7c1	comment	Analogy Backfire: Camilla refers to her and Hakeem as the new Antony and Cleopatra. When Hakeem repeats this to his family, Jamal immediately points out that their story was a tragedy where they both died.
Empire / int_2b5ab7c1	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_2b5ab7c1	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_2b5ab7c1
Empire / int_2dc0d2bf	type	Hidden Depths
Empire / int_2dc0d2bf	comment	Hidden Depths: Anika initially seems like Lucious's new young bimbo, but actually holds her own in business quite well. Though she isn't very good with ghetto situations, in the office she is smart and has managed several high end artists for Empire. She also holds her own with Lucious, which not many men or women can do. She also has the strength to leave Lucious when she feels she is becoming a worse person. When she finds out about his ALS she takes it much better than his family members, looking after him instead of dwelling on its consequences for herself and ensuring they still turn up to work like nothing has happened. She also covers for him brilliantly when he is ill and can't make it to meetings.
Empire / int_2dc0d2bf	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_2dc0d2bf	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_2dc0d2bf
Empire / int_310f67d2	type	Unrequited Love Switcheroo
Empire / int_310f67d2	comment	Unrequited Love Switcheroo: At the beginning of the first season, Cookie is dead-set on getting back together with Lucious and tries to rekindle their love. Towards the end of the season, as Lucious realizes he does love her, she realizes he's a narcissist who hurts everyone close to him, and wants nothing to do with him.
Empire / int_310f67d2	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_310f67d2	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_310f67d2
Empire / int_340575a7	type	Girl on Girl Is Hot
Empire / int_340575a7	comment	Girl on Girl Is Hot: Luscious tries to get Hakeem to accept Tiana's bisexuality by rationalizing it as Hakeem having two girlfriends.
Empire / int_340575a7	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_340575a7	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_340575a7
Empire / int_34dcfc96	type	Kick the Dog
Empire / int_34dcfc96	comment	Kick the Dog: When the reporter at the Teen Choice Awards thoughtlessly introduces Hakeem as "The son of Lucious Lyon" without even bothering to give his name. Even Tiana calls her out on this despite still being angry with him about an unrelated issue. Lucious does this Once an Episode.
Empire / int_34dcfc96	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_34dcfc96	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_34dcfc96
Empire / int_36999dd	type	This Means War!
Empire / int_36999dd	comment	This Means War!: Well, this sums up the episode "Unto the Breach". Lucious knows.
Empire / int_36999dd	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_36999dd	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_36999dd
Empire / int_3b113b7	type	Character Development
Empire / int_3b113b7	comment	Character Development: The three brothers develop a great deal in the first season. Jamal stands up to his homophobic father and comes out the closet, comes into being a father himself, and starts dating a man who helps him grow. Hakeem starts being more forward with his music, starts to make amends with his mother, and gets serious with Camilla. Andre, however, over the course of the season slowly begins to break down: his marriage isn't as picture perfect as it seems, while his desire to run Empire, envy at his brothers, and refusal to take his meds result in a near suicide attempt and an eventual meltdown that lead to his hospitalization. After his hospitalization, he finds religion.
Empire / int_3b113b7	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_3b113b7	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_3b113b7
Empire / int_3fe2b13f	type	Ungrateful Bastard
Empire / int_3fe2b13f	comment	Ungrateful Bastard: Lucious. Let's just list the examples by each person that he's pulled this on: Cookie: Sells drugs with Lucious in order to get the money to begin Lucious' music career. Gets busted. Refuses to take a reduced sentence of five years in return for selling out Lucious, instead staying in prison for seventeen years. Is hardly visited by Lucious, divorced by him while still in prison. Has to fight to get her share of the company that she built, and has to deal with Lucious leading her on while he is still planning to marry Anika, the woman that he divorced Cookie for. Cookie is Humiliation Conga personified. Andre: Protects Lucious' secrets since childhood, helps him expand Empire, and is the reason that it becomes a publicly trading company. Continues to support Lucious and his business, and is a huge part of Lucious keeping the number of artists that he did when others migrated to Creedmore. And what does he get? Complete negligence, unless Lucious needs something from him, the opportunity to watch the company that he kept alive go to Jamal, and emotional abuse due to his mental illness and his decision to educate himself and go into business instead of pursuing music like his father and brothers.
Empire / int_3fe2b13f	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_3fe2b13f	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_3fe2b13f
Empire / int_401d4116	type	Broken Aesop
Empire / int_401d4116	comment	Broken Aesop: Jamal's entire story arc for the first season suffers from this. Yes, the message that someone's sexuality doesn't matter is an important and valid one. However, it's sort of undermined when Jamal's homosexuality is his central character trait. This is rectified somewhat in season 2, when Jamal struggles to be recognized as an artist who happens to be gay, rather than simply a gay artist.
Empire / int_401d4116	featureApplicability	1.0
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Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_401d4116
Empire / int_4604fd4d	type	Worthy Opponent
Empire / int_4604fd4d	comment	Worthy Opponent: Anika is this to Cookie! She even fared well against the latter in the highly anticipated catfight in the two-part season one finale.
Empire / int_4604fd4d	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_4604fd4d	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_4604fd4d
Empire / int_46d3f869	type	Family Business
Empire / int_46d3f869	comment	Family Business: Music is a big thing for the Lyons.
Empire / int_46d3f869	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_46d3f869	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_46d3f869
Empire / int_4da6ac	type	Rated M for Manly
Empire / int_4da6ac	comment	Rated M for Manly: The reason for Lucious' homophobia. He isn't morally against it, as proven by his positive reaction to Tiana being bi, but is ashamed and embarrassed that his son is "another man's bitch." Even when Jamal comes out at Lucious' white party to a thunderous applause and positive news hype the next day and Cookie spells it out to Lucious that nobody has a problem with it, he is still too set in his ways to accept it.
Empire / int_4da6ac	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_4da6ac	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_4da6ac
Empire / int_4e52a624	type	Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Empire / int_4e52a624	comment	Screw the Money, I Have Rules!!: Jamal's single, "You Can Keep Your Money," is essentially him saying this to Lucious after he and Michael go out on their own, preferring to make their own living rather than live off of a man who despises who they are.
Empire / int_4e52a624	featureApplicability	1.0
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Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_4e52a624
Empire / int_4e7c4536	type	Wham Line
Empire / int_4e7c4536	comment	Wham Line: A "Wham Lyric" when Jamal performs "You're So Beautiful" in public: In the penultimate episode, a dizzy Lucious hallucinates Bunkie just as Cookie enters the room:
Empire / int_4e7c4536	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_4e7c4536	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_4e7c4536
Empire / int_5311aa2d	type	Love Father, Love Son
Empire / int_5311aa2d	comment	Love Father, Love Son: After ending her engagement with Lucious, due to his affair with Cookie, Anika sleeps with his son Hakeem to spite him which results in her getting pregnant with Hakeem's child. After Jamal and Olivia's marriage ended and she had his child Lola, it's revealed that Lucious actually slept with Olivia before she and Jamal divorced, making Lola his half-sister instead of his daughter. It's later revealed that she's not actually related to the Lyons at all.
Empire / int_5311aa2d	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_5311aa2d	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_5311aa2d
Empire / int_5313c266	type	Bookends
Empire / int_5313c266	comment	Book Ends: The series premiere featured a character getting out of prison (Cookie), while the Season Finale features a character being imprisoned (Lucious).
Empire / int_5313c266	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_5313c266	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_5313c266
Empire / int_53f5119f	type	The Dragon
Empire / int_53f5119f	comment	The Dragon / Dark Mistress: Anika, head of A&R and Lucious' current lover who's always at his side.
Empire / int_53f5119f	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_53f5119f	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_53f5119f
Empire / int_56766569	type	Token Religious Teammate
Empire / int_56766569	comment	Token Religious Teammate: Andre in season 2. The other characters range from outright atheists (Lucious) to religious but not church-going (Cookie).
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Empire / int_56766569	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_56766569
Empire / int_5679208c	type	No Bisexuals
Empire / int_5679208c	comment	No Bisexuals: Despite hooking up with a female pop star named Skye Summers in season 2, Jamal insists he is still gay and still into guys.
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Empire / int_5abc8612	type	Unholy Matrimony
Empire / int_5abc8612	comment	Unholy Matrimony: Andre and Rhonda are The Chessmaster and Lady Macbeth, respectively, yet they have possibly one of the strongest marriages on the show.
Empire / int_5abc8612	featureApplicability	1.0
Empire / int_5abc8612	featureConfidence	1.0
Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_5abc8612
Empire / int_5c7f3d09	type	Superdickery
Empire / int_5c7f3d09	comment	Superdickery: While Lucious freely acts like a dick throughout the show, one promo clip showed him saying to Jamal "The first rule of touring is you don't bring your girlfriend," while Jamal's boyfriend Michael is standing right there. But in the actual episode, Lucious is civil in Michael's presence and waits until he leaves before saying the line, then adds, "I'm sorry, boyfriend" at the end (though he could have been intentionally being a dick at that point). Also, it was genuine relationship advice rather than just being a homophobe.
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Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_5c7f3d09
Empire / int_5e2e55e4	type	The Casanova
Empire / int_5e2e55e4	comment	When Cookie sleeps with Lucious a second time, it seems she is oblivious to Lucious's subsequent commitment to Anika. Turns out she no longer wanted to be with him anyway; it was mainly to show Anika that Lucious would still sleep around even after promising he wouldn't and get Anika to leave him for good.
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Empire / int_661d7909	type	Maligned Mixed Marriage
Empire / int_661d7909	comment	Maligned Mixed Marriage: Subverted. Initially, it seemed as though Lucious didn't have problem with it, while Cookie thought Andre was an idiot for marrying a white girl. Jamal and Hakeem are fine with it, they just don't like them because they're both jerkasses. It turns out that this is reversed in terms of how Lucious and Cookie truly felt about the situation. While Cookie busted Andre's balls about marrying a white girl, she ultimately has no real problem with Rhonda. Lucious, on the other hand, despises her for this very reason.
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Empire / int_66dfe36a	type	Missing Mom
Empire / int_66dfe36a	comment	Missing Mom: Cookie was in prison for 17 years. Lucious couldn't bring himself to visit her, and eventually her sons stopped as well. When she returns, she's well aware that she's almost a stranger to them. This is especially the case for Hakeem, who was a baby when she was locked up. She's trying her hardest to reintegrate herself into their lives.
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Empire / int_69121204	type	The Un-Favourite
Empire / int_69121204	comment	The Un Favourite: Jamal is this for Lucious due to Jamal's homosexuality. Hakeem is this for Cookie. In this case, it is a little more justified due to his hostility towards her. As everybody starts to make amends, though, Andre suddenly becomes this, being left out due to his lack of musical talent. In season 2. it switches to Andre being the unfavorite because of his bipolar disorder and new Christian faith, and Hakeem being the un-favorite as well because he chose Cookie's new record label over Empire.
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Empire / int_69e4c5a3	type	BullyingTheDragon
Empire / int_69e4c5a3	comment	Bullying the Dragon: Generally applies to anyone who messes with anyone in the Lyon family, even its own members. The most egregious example has to be Bunkie showing up at Lucious' house demanding $3M at gunpoint. No wonder Lucious murders him at the end of the pilot.
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Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_69e4c5a3
Empire / int_6b05b601	type	Jerkass Has a Point
Empire / int_6b05b601	comment	Jerkass Has a Point: Las Vegas Gaming Commissioner Charlotte Frost is implied to be racist, but the comments she makes toward Lucious and Cookie being black are only made in response to their comments and generalizations on her own background as a Hispanic Mormon.
Empire / int_6b05b601	featureApplicability	1.0
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Empire	hasFeature	Empire / int_6b05b601
Empire / int_6b6edbda	type	The Cover Changes the Gender
Empire / int_6b6edbda	comment	The Cover Changes the Gender: Jamal makes use of this to come out in public.
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Empire / int_6b7e3069	type	Birth-Death Juxtaposition
Empire / int_6b7e3069	comment	Birth-Death Juxtaposition: Anika goes into labor with Bella just after Rhonda is killed.
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Empire / int_6bd689ca	type	Meaningful Echo
Empire / int_6bd689ca	comment	Meaningful Echo: Cookie's management of Jamal and Lucious are quite similar. She even advises them using nearly the same words verbatim while in the studio. "It sounds like you're hiding inside the mix. You need to be riding above the mix." Also serves as a Call-Back to an earlier episode.
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Empire / int_6ec4232f	type	Casting Gag
Empire / int_6ec4232f	comment	Casting Gag: In 2009, there was a rumor floating around that Raven-Symoné was pregnant and had given birth to a child conceived with her long time friend Jussie Smollett.note Ironically, both would later come out as gay. Cue her guest appearance as Jamal's ex-wife and the mother of a 5 year old girl whom her character claims he's sired. This isn't the first time that Raven-Symoné has played a character named Olivia. This isn't the first time that Annie Ilonzeh has played a character named "Harper." Not Eka Darville's first outing as a gay character. "Without A Country": The intense scenes between Terrence Howard and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges would give most fans that nostalgic feeling. This wouldn't be the first time Officer McKnight (Ludacris) got pistol whipped. Lucius' cellmate is played by Max Beesley, who costarred with Terrence Howard in Glitter. Doubly ironic, because in that movie, Howard's character is also a murderous music impresario, and Beesley played his murder victim.
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Empire / int_7220ed55	type	Token White
Empire / int_7220ed55	comment	Token White: Rhonda. The only other prominent white character is Elle Dallas who is a Recurring Character. In season 2 corporate executive Mimi (Marissa Tomei) is introduced.
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Empire / int_74e34bb	type	Singer Namedrop
Empire / int_74e34bb	comment	Singer Namedrop: Tiana and Hakeem tend to do this in their songs, with the latter often dropping names for other artists in collaborations.
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Empire / int_7c9dcc1	type	THeUnfavorite
Empire / int_7c9dcc1	comment	There are also certain color schemes for some individual members of the family: in the early episodes, Lucious is often seen wearing or surrounded by purple, which symbolizes royalty and power; Andre is heavily associated with black, is The Unfavorite due to his pursuit of business and education rather than music, hides Lucious' dirty laundry and gives him cover stories, and is the most emotionally turbulent member of the family due to his bipolar disorder; Jamal is often associated with white, symbolizing his status as the most moral brother; Hakeem is the Lyon who is most seen associated with gold, as he is the favored son ( at least, until the Season 1 finale) and often spoiled by Lucious (however, he's seen in black more when he and Jamal begin actively competing).
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Empire / int_7d89315b	type	"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Empire / int_7d89315b	comment	"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Jamal's "Keep Your Money" was basically about Lucious. Even the latter recognizes the lyrical content.
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Empire / int_8077793f	type	Open Secret
Empire / int_8077793f	comment	Open Secret: Andre's bipolar disorder. At first, it's implied that only Rhonda and Vernon, Andre's closest confidants, knew about it. Turns out the entire family (except Cookie due to her incarceration) was aware but swept it under the rug per Lucious' insistence. T This is subverted concerning Bunkie's death. Andre and Vernon were the only ones who knew about Lucious's sole involvement. In the season finale, Cookie learns the truth and attempts to suffocate Lucious in his sleep in anger, and tells Jamal. Lucious is later arrested in his own legacy concert by the Feds after Vernon sold him out to them. By Season 2, the entire family knows full well that Lucious killed Bunkie as he awaits trial.
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Empire / int_83a30cd3	type	Middle Child Syndrome
Empire / int_83a30cd3	comment	Jamal is Gary Ewing, both suffer from Middle Child Syndrome and are the The Un-Favourite to their fathers while the opposite to their mothers.
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Empire / int_83cef301	type	Right for the Wrong Reasons
Empire / int_83cef301	comment	Right for the Wrong Reasons: Lucious surprisingly votes against Andre to be interim CEO, and thinks Andre betrayed the family by marrying a white woman. While Andre has certainly been acting behind people's backs to further his own interests, it has less to do with Rhonda and more to do with his envy at his brothers' musical talent making them more favored in his father's eyes.
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Empire / int_83fb6177	type	First-Episode Twist
Empire / int_83fb6177	comment	First-Episode Twist: Lucious kills Bunkie, setting off a steadily growing subplot underneath all the family drama.
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Empire / int_86c9b9b9	type	Badass Decay
Empire / int_86c9b9b9	comment	Badass Decay: In-universe, Cookie has this opinion of Lucious.
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Empire / int_875615dd	type	Truth in Television
Empire / int_875615dd	comment	Truth in Television: Agent Harlow Carter stresses to Cookie that the reason grand jury proceedings are secret is to protect witnesses like her. Frank Gathers killed a federal agent, which results in long-time imprisonment for such a crime. Cookie was technically never a member of Empire's board of directors, because it's illegal for a convicted felon to serve on the board of a publicly-traded company. Lucious knew this when he let her on, knowing it would be his trump card against her should she get on his nerves. What Cookie means by "she knows her rights", Agent Harlow Carter or any other Fed can't force her into testifying against Lucious for his involvement in Bunkie's murder. Just like Empire probably will with Hakeem leaking out his album via online, many companies can and will file lawsuits if the same act were to occur in real life.
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Empire / int_890d4ef2	type	Humiliation Conga
Empire / int_890d4ef2	comment	Cookie: Sells drugs with Lucious in order to get the money to begin Lucious' music career. Gets busted. Refuses to take a reduced sentence of five years in return for selling out Lucious, instead staying in prison for seventeen years. Is hardly visited by Lucious, divorced by him while still in prison. Has to fight to get her share of the company that she built, and has to deal with Lucious leading her on while he is still planning to marry Anika, the woman that he divorced Cookie for. Cookie is Humiliation Conga personified.
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Empire / int_8c46c582	type	Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Empire / int_8c46c582	comment	Premortem One Liner: by Cookie's hitman: "SMELL THE ROSES!"
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Empire / int_8d0c61b6	type	Team Title
Empire / int_8d0c61b6	comment	Team Title: Technically "Family Business Title" but it fits anyway.
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Empire / int_8d4e3278	type	Kingmaker Scenario
Empire / int_8d4e3278	comment	Kingmaker Scenario: Season 1 is basically this. Cookie wants Jamal to be the successor to Empire, while Lucious wants Hakeem and Vernon wants Andre.
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Empire / int_905438eb	type	Recycled IN SPACE!
Empire / int_905438eb	comment	Recycled IN SPACE!: The Lion in Winter, but with hip hop.
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Empire / int_90769dd0	type	Evil Genius
Empire / int_90769dd0	comment	Evil Genius: Andre, Lucious and Cookie's eldest child and Empire's CFO and the show's resident Manipulative Bastard and Chessmaster. Similar to how most of The Smart Guy are not good fighters, he's the only male Lyon who's not a good musician.
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Empire / int_916c72b3	type	Rule of Symbolism
Empire / int_916c72b3	comment	Rule of Symbolism: Lola's fear of the Scary Bird happens to be her mother's abusive ex-boyfriend Reg, who has tattoos of birds. Jamal picked up on it. Lucious burns the photo of him hanging out with Bunkie and Vernon in his younger years, and throws it in the trash can. The camera then pans towards a statue of a lion crushing a snake on his desk, as both betrayed Lucious.
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Empire / int_925f5144	type	Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Empire / int_925f5144	comment	Lucious does this Once an Episode.
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Empire / int_93b92ca4	type	Lousy Lovers Are Losers
Empire / int_93b92ca4	comment	Lousy Lovers Are Losers: Tiana was briefly humiliated by her boyfriend Graham when he not only dumped her via a video but also spread rumors that he did so because she was "wack in bed".
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Empire / int_950bbfa7	type	Take a Third Option
Empire / int_950bbfa7	comment	Take a Third Option: In "True Love Never", Lucious tasks Andre with seducing an assistant district attorney so she'll drop the gang charges on Freda. Andre has two options: choose to do it and end up disgracing his newfound faith, or choose not to do it and get fired again. So, he uses said trope by blackmailing said district attorney, effectively ensuring a win-win for his faith and Empire.
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Empire / int_96c49e7	type	Reading Lips
Empire / int_96c49e7	comment	When Cookie visits Lucious' mansion for the first time, she's locked outside the gate and he briefly watches her on the security monitor. There's no audio, but her mouth is clearly yelling "OPEN THE MOTHAFUCKIN' GATE!"
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Empire / int_970c790a	type	Big Bad
Empire / int_970c790a	comment	Big Bad: Lucious, The Patriarch and founder and CEO of Empire Entertainment. He made his fortune as a rapper / singer in the 90s, and set the style for Empire.
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Empire / int_973d220f	type	Never My Fault
Empire / int_973d220f	comment	Never My Fault: "Unto the Breach" heavily exemplifies this because Lucious blames Jamal for coming out at the White party in the prior episode, resulting in artists defecting to the rival record company Creedmoor, when it was obviously Lucious's philandering that caused Anika to jump to Beretti's side.
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Empire / int_97ee3a58	type	Vicariously Ambitious
Empire / int_97ee3a58	comment	Vicariously Ambitious: Both Lucious and Cookie have a favored son that they want to be the next head of Empire. In the second season, the favored son switches, with Hakeem joining Cookie on her new label and Jamal becoming Lucious' protege.
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Empire / int_99a7aa94	type	Seven Deadly Sins
Empire / int_99a7aa94	comment	Seven Deadly Sins: At least one applies to each family member: Lucious: Greed. Cookie: Wrath. Andre: Envy. Jamal: Pride. Hakeem: Sloth. Expanding beyond blood, Bunkie fits both Greed and Gluttony, while Tiana and Camilla each have Lust down to a science.
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Empire / int_9ce377f1	type	Cure Your Gays
Empire / int_9ce377f1	comment	Cure Your Gays: Lucious tries to do this many times with his middle son Jamal, even forcing him to hook up with numerous women in hopes that "she will fix him". In Season 2, when Jamal inexplicably hooks up with Skye Summers. After Lucious sees the obvious sparks between Jamal and Skye, he tells Jamal, “She fixed you”. He turns starts telling the public that Jamal and Skye are together as a means of boosting his image.
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Empire / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
Empire / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: Lucious's nurse realizes that the former's double vision isn't usually associated with ALS. Turns out Lucious was misdiagnosed and had Myasthenia gravis.
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Empire / int_9ebd9c33	type	UnPerson
Empire / int_9ebd9c33	comment	Un-person: This is how Hakeem treated Cookie, initially.
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Empire / int_a1b141f4	type	My God, What Have I Done?
Empire / int_a1b141f4	comment	My God, What Have I Done?: Freda's facial expression shows this reaction when she accidentally shoots Jamal instead of Lucious at the AS As.
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Empire / int_a3a7c41	type	Black Sheep
Empire / int_a3a7c41	comment	Black Sheep: Initially Jamal due to his homosexuality, but later Hakeem and Andre fall out of favor with Lucious for different reasons. Slightly subverted in that Cookie has always accepted Jamal, she just wasn't around to protect him.
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Empire / int_a681bfc6	type	Amicable Exes
Empire / int_a681bfc6	comment	Amicable Exes: Olivia and Jamal. The former had always been aware that she is The Beard of the latter but she never resented him. In turn, Jamal seems appreciative of her sacrifice long after their divorce. Lucious and Cookie try to be this at times for their own manipulative/selfish reasons. If things don't go their way, things get ugly quickly.
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Empire / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
Empire / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: We get two in a row in "Dangerous Bonds". First, Cookie testifies against a mob boss who killed an undercover FBI agent. Later, she finds a rose, his calling card, at her doorstep. Believing it to be from his top enforcer, Cookie hires her brother-in-law to take him out. She later finds out the rose was actually an anniversary gift from Lucious, leading to another moment when she tries in vain to cancel the hit and has a (relatively) innocent man killed and possibly making a new enemy if it comes back to her. Lucious gets this in "The Lyon's Roar" when Jamal changes the lyrics to "You're So Beautiful" to include "This the kind of song that makes a man love a man."
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Empire / int_ad786c6b	type	Hookers and Blow
Empire / int_ad786c6b	comment	Hookers and Blow: Jamal likens the potential cash incentives Empire is prepared to offer artists for staying loyal to this. Lucious is not moved. Barretti is shown to have a party with this to try and get an artist to sign with him.
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Empire / int_add9abb3	type	The Missus and the Ex
Empire / int_add9abb3	comment	The Missus and the Ex: Anika and Cookie, respectively.
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Empire / int_b11ac9f5	type	Abusive Parents
Empire / int_b11ac9f5	comment	Andre: Protects Lucious' secrets since childhood, helps him expand Empire, and is the reason that it becomes a publicly trading company. Continues to support Lucious and his business, and is a huge part of Lucious keeping the number of artists that he did when others migrated to Creedmore. And what does he get? Complete negligence, unless Lucious needs something from him, the opportunity to watch the company that he kept alive go to Jamal, and emotional abuse due to his mental illness and his decision to educate himself and go into business instead of pursuing music like his father and brothers.
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Empire / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
Empire / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: Two to 50 Cent, who produces the rival series Power: At the Season two premiere when Cookie puts together a "Free Lucious Lyon" concert for celebrity publicity: And at 2x06 when Hakeem is kidnapped by a group of thugs:
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Empire / int_b7e0c5ff	type	Love Triangle
Empire / int_b7e0c5ff	comment	Love Triangle: Anika/Lucious/Cookie. Lucious/Anika/Hakeem. Tiana/Hakeem/Anika. Valentina/Hakeem/Tiana. Hakeem/Tiana/India.
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Empire / int_b869b5b1	type	Color Motif
Empire / int_b869b5b1	comment	Color Motif: The Lyons, Lucious especially, have an affinity for gold. There are also certain color schemes for some individual members of the family: in the early episodes, Lucious is often seen wearing or surrounded by purple, which symbolizes royalty and power; Andre is heavily associated with black, is The Unfavorite due to his pursuit of business and education rather than music, hides Lucious' dirty laundry and gives him cover stories, and is the most emotionally turbulent member of the family due to his bipolar disorder; Jamal is often associated with white, symbolizing his status as the most moral brother; Hakeem is the Lyon who is most seen associated with gold, as he is the favored son ( at least, until the Season 1 finale) and often spoiled by Lucious (however, he's seen in black more when he and Jamal begin actively competing).
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Empire / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
Empire / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: After Hakeem is filmed making an ass of himself in a gourmet restaurant and ranting about Barack Obama, Lucious quickly gets the President on the phone to try to defuse the situation, and Obama says something that causes Lucious to chide the President for his choice of language. When Cookie visits Lucious' mansion for the first time, she's locked outside the gate and he briefly watches her on the security monitor. There's no audio, but her mouth is clearly yelling "OPEN THE MOTHAFUCKIN' GATE!" Jamal shows up to a rap battle against Black Rambo, an artist who was verbally homophobic towards him earlier. Jamal ends up destroying Black Rambo with a heavily religiously themed song, and ends it with a pitch perfect "Bitch!"
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Empire / int_bc74ef27	type	Berserk Button
Empire / int_bc74ef27	comment	Berserk Button: Even mentioning Freda's father with the wrong tone nets your passport a stamp for Hurtsville, USA.
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Empire / int_bcb4f1f1	type	You Just Told Me
Empire / int_bcb4f1f1	comment	You Just Told Me: Within earshot of Cookie, Lucious admits to killing Bunkie while talking in his sleep. She then attempts to suffocate him.
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Empire / int_be009bbc	type	Alliterative Name
Empire / int_be009bbc	comment	Alliterative Name: Empire Entertainment, the titular company.
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Empire / int_c2d5b652	type	Playing Both Sides
Empire / int_c2d5b652	comment	Playing Both Sides: With Lucious favoring Hakeem, and Cookie beginning to mentor Jamal, the entire family knows that eventually, the two brothers will be pitted against each other. With some inspiration and help from Rhonda, Andre promptly begins manipulating them both in order to make them destroy each other and ensure that he is the only son left to inherit Lucious' Empire.
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Empire / int_c3585f4a	type	Boom, Headshot!
Empire / int_c3585f4a	comment	Bunkie showed up at Lucious' house at 3:00 in the morning, attempting to shake him down for three million dollars. He's then killed for it by Lucious.
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Empire / int_c40c8b74	type	And Starring
Empire / int_c40c8b74	comment	And Starring: Taraji P. Henson.
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Empire / int_c413cc5f	type	Jacob and Esau
Empire / int_c413cc5f	comment	Jacob and Esau: Lucious favors Hakeem while treating Jamal as The Un Favourite. Cookie, on the other hand, starts trying to launch Jamal's career, partly to get back at Lucious, while being at odds with Hakeem. Despite this, Hakeem and Jamal get along well with each other. It is also worth pointing out that Andre takes after his mother by being less of a musician and more business-minded.
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Empire / int_c489934e	type	Apron Matron
Empire / int_c489934e	comment	Apron Matron: Cookie. As soon as she gets out of jail she has a larger than life, imposing presence and leads with a personality more forceful than a wrecking ball. Also motherly, caring, strict, and kind.
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Empire / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
Empire / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: During the scene where Jamal and Lucious compose the song "Nothing to Lose" together, Lucious throws this one in:
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Empire / int_c772e7c5	type	Rags to Riches
Empire / int_c772e7c5	comment	Rags to Riches: Lucious and his boys after his album dropped and he was able to get Empire Entertainment off the ground. This is double subverted with Cookie. She missed the rise of the Lyons because she was in prison and was never included. However, she's able to blackmail a significant sum and portion of the company from Lucious after she gets out.
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Empire / int_c9da2b5	type	Cast Full of Rich People
Empire / int_c9da2b5	comment	Cast Full of Rich People: The show is about the Lyons, a rich musician/corporate family, and their struggle to keep the family together and at the top of the music scene. Thus, many of the supporting characters are high-powered and glamorous as well.
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Empire / int_cec8b87a	type	This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!
Empire / int_cec8b87a	comment	Jamal shows up to a rap battle against Black Rambo, an artist who was verbally homophobic towards him earlier. Jamal ends up destroying Black Rambo with a heavily religiously themed song, and ends it with a pitch perfect "Bitch!"
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Empire / int_d1cedb73	type	Slap-Slap-Kiss
Empire / int_d1cedb73	comment	Slap-Slap-Kiss: Jamal has this dynamic during his brief relationship with ASA headliner and judge Derek "D" Major in Season 2.
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Empire / int_d2f3b5a3	type	Replacement Flat Character
Empire / int_d2f3b5a3	comment	Replacement Flat Character: Black Rambo. Just as Lucious finally comes to accept Jamal's sexuality, and names him as heir to Empire Records, homophobic Rambo makes a scene at the press conference and says he refuses to work for a "battyman".note Derogatory Jamaican slang for a gay person. While Jamal later earns a Crowning Moment of Awesome by shutting Rambo down in a freestyle battle, it's clear the character's purpose is to show how much Lucious had developed.
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Empire / int_d31da2e3	type	If It's You, It's Okay
Empire / int_d31da2e3	comment	If It's You, It's Okay: Skye Summers and Jamal (who very publicly came out at the end of last season, and recently broke up with his long-term boyfriend after catching him cheating) locked lips by the piano. The writers justify the situation as Jamal suddenly hooking up with a girl as a means of dealing with everything that has happened with him. Jamal says that he and Skye have "a beautiful thing together".
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Empire / int_d52d28b6	type	Hypocrite
Empire / int_d52d28b6	comment	Hypocrite: After Lucious points out that Cookie has yet to visit him in prison, Jamal gives him a facial expression concerning this before Lucious catches on.
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Empire / int_d5a9bf2a	type	TheDarkChick
Empire / int_d5a9bf2a	comment	The Dark Chick: Rhonda, Andre's wife and Empire's fashion editor. She's a Femme Fatale, and her quirk is being the only white person in the main cast.
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Empire / int_d62dd556	type	The Chessmaster
Empire / int_d62dd556	comment	The Chessmaster: When Cookie sleeps with Lucious a second time, it seems she is oblivious to Lucious's subsequent commitment to Anika. Turns out she no longer wanted to be with him anyway; it was mainly to show Anika that Lucious would still sleep around even after promising he wouldn't and get Anika to leave him for good. When Lucious has Anika's father sign off on his clean bill of health, it seemed he made an honest mistake by not discussing it with Anika first. Several episodes later, he uses this to blackmail her into silence when she leaves him.
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Empire / int_dabc7a46	type	Sixth Ranger
Empire / int_dabc7a46	comment	Sixth Ranger: Cookie, Lucious' ex-wife and co-founder of Empire. While she's technically the real Dragon, she only "joined" the company after serving nearly two decades in prison. She forces her way into becoming Co-Dragons with Anika, with shades of The Starscream since she plans to groom Jamal to supplant Hakeem as Luscious' heir. It works but not in the way she expected in the Season 1 finale.
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Empire / int_dceccabf	type	Cat Fight
Empire / int_dceccabf	comment	Cat Fight: COOKIE VS. ANIKA! in part one of the season one finale. Safe to say it was evenly matched.
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Empire / int_de15a322	type	Tangled Family Tree
Empire / int_de15a322	comment	Tangled Family Tree: It's revealed that Lucious sleeps with Jamal's ex wife and impregnated her, thus making their child Lola Jamal's (as well as Andre and Hakeem's) half-sister.
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Empire / int_de89c0a1	type	Dating What Daddy Hates
Empire / int_de89c0a1	comment	Dating What Daddy Hates: Pretty much a given where Jamal is concerned, thanks to his homosexuality. Lucious wasn't too fond of Andre and Hakeem's main relationships either, going so far as to resort to subterfuge (for the former) and bribery (for the latter) in order to break them up from their respective lovers.
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Empire / int_df04109a	type	Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All
Empire / int_df04109a	comment	Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Frank Gathers according to Cookie.
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Empire / int_e251fae2	type	But Not Too Black
Empire / int_e251fae2	comment	But Not Too Black: Even if most of the show's cast is African American, all of the the main ensemble's skin tone is on the lighter end of the spectrum.
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Empire / int_e2ccee25	type	Animal Motifs
Empire / int_e2ccee25	comment	Animal Motifs: Naturally, lions are often associated with the Lyon family. A few references have been made to Daniel in the Lion's Den, and members of the family have been known to refer to themselves as Lyons in both ways. Cookie is often seen in leopard print, an indication that while she is just as ruthless as Lucious, she is cut from a different cloth and isn't as much like him as she first appears to be.
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Empire / int_e2d457	type	The Ditz
Empire / int_e2d457	comment	The Ditz: Carol has shades of this. Porsha is almost certainly this.
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Empire / int_e303d198	type	Whole-Plot Reference
Empire / int_e303d198	comment	Whole-Plot Reference: The show is a reimagining of The Lion in Winter. An aging king Henry (Lucious) has to choose one of his sons as a successor while at the same time having to contend with the machinations of Eleanor (Cookie), his estranged wife who returns after being imprisoned for many years. Henry favours the youngest son John (Hakeem) while Eleanor favours the secretly gay Richard (Jamal). The third son Geoffrey (Andre) tries to manipulate everyone in the family so he is the one chosen to take over. There's a little bit of King Lear thrown into the mix as well, as Lucious' sons can be seen as counterparts to Lear's three daughters competing for their father's affections and therefore the best part of the empire. Lucious himself can be seen as a reimagining of Lear. Jamal even points it out in the pilot. And also Dynasty (1981), albeit roughly. Patriarch (Blake/Lucious) whose ex-wife rolls into town and causes trouble (Alexis/Cookie). He has a younger second wife/fiancee (Krystle/Anika) who gets into catfights with the ex-wife. The oldest child is a promiscuous schemer who wants more responsibility with the company except Daddy ignores them for some reason (Fallon [woman]/Andre [not a musician]), and another child is unfavored for being gay (Steven/Jamal). Granted, this doesn't take into account the kids that were retconned into Dynasty later, but it's an apt comparison for the early seasons.
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Empire / int_e38b0f45	type	Snake Oil Salesman
Empire / int_e38b0f45	comment	Snake Oil Salesman: The doctor who claimed to have an experimental ALS medication from Russia that hadn't been approved by the FDA. Lucious suffers a bad reaction from this "medication" and has to go to the hospital, where a second doctor informs him that he was duped by a charlatan.
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Empire / int_e5421161	type	Expy
Empire / int_e5421161	comment	Expy: Lucious is Jock Ewing, as both characters were founders of the company, patriarch of their families and strongly dislikes their middle child. Andre is JR Ewing, both qualifies as the "Well Done, Son" Guy and wants to take over the family business by any evil means necessary. Jamal is Gary Ewing, both suffer from Middle Child Syndrome and are the The Un-Favourite to their fathers while the opposite to their mothers. Hakeem is Bobby Ewing, as both are the youngest in their families, heavily spoiled and favorited by their fathers and disliked by their eldest brothers, competing for their father's respect. Barretti is Cliff Barnes. Both men wants to destroy their main rival companies due to past conflicts. In keeping with the "The Lion in Winter at a record label" pitch: Lucious is Henry II, Cookie is Eleanor of Aquitaine, Andre is Gregory, Jamal is Richard, and Hakeem is John.
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Empire / int_e8cae797	type	Freudian Trio
Empire / int_e8cae797	comment	Freudian Trio: The Lyon brothers. Andre, strictly business and goal oriented (Superego). Jamal, also goal oriented but much more "loose" than Andre (Ego). Hakeem, young, reckless and mostly a pleasure-seeker (Id). Alternate interpretations can put the amazingly talented and level headed Jamal as the Superego, and the practical yet volatile Andre as the Ego.
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Empire / int_ea08e9	type	The Team
Empire / int_ea08e9	comment	The Team: The Villain Protagonist Lyons family at the beginning of season 1. Big Bad: Lucious, The Patriarch and founder and CEO of Empire Entertainment. He made his fortune as a rapper / singer in the 90s, and set the style for Empire. The Dragon / Dark Mistress: Anika, head of A&R and Lucious' current lover who's always at his side. Evil Genius: Andre, Lucious and Cookie's eldest child and Empire's CFO and the show's resident Manipulative Bastard and Chessmaster. Similar to how most of The Smart Guy are not good fighters, he's the only male Lyon who's not a good musician. The Brute / Tagalong Kid: Hakeem, Lucious and Cookie's youngest child who is the least involved in the business outside of making fierce music. The Heart / Token Good Teammate: Jamal, Lucious' and Cookie's second child. The most independent of the Lyon children, makes the most sensitive and stylish music. He rejects Luscious to earn respect by making it on his own. The Dark Chick: Rhonda, Andre's wife and Empire's fashion editor. She's a Femme Fatale, and her quirk is being the only white person in the main cast. Sixth Ranger: Cookie, Lucious' ex-wife and co-founder of Empire. While she's technically the real Dragon, she only "joined" the company after serving nearly two decades in prison. She forces her way into becoming Co-Dragons with Anika, with shades of The Starscream since she plans to groom Jamal to supplant Hakeem as Luscious' heir. It works but not in the way she expected in the Season 1 finale.
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Empire / int_eb8ec7c8	type	Jerkass
Empire / int_eb8ec7c8	comment	Jerkass: The entire Lyon family are first seen as this. Even Jamal, of all people, has his tendencies, especially after his career starts gaining some traction.
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Empire / int_f1492605	type	Redemption Equals Death
Empire / int_f1492605	comment	Redemption Equals Death: After he gets clean once more, Vernon heads to Andre’s place and tries to apologize for betraying him. The two start to fight before the brawl only ends when Rhonda intervenes and hits Vernon over the head with a candlestick.
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Empire / int_f36c4f98	type	Easily Forgiven
Empire / int_f36c4f98	comment	Easily Forgiven: How do you get your son to forgive you for approximately two decades of emotional and physical abuse directed at him due to his sexuality? Just acknowledge his musical talent and make him the heir to your company, thereby completely alienating his brothers in his stead in the name of what is obviously just a selfish business decision and not actual love. Apparently it all blows over pretty quickly. Guess Lucious really does know the value of family after all.
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Empire / int_f43c0da0	type	Is This Thing On?
Empire / int_f43c0da0	comment	Is This Thing On?: When he proposes to Cookie on air, newly elected mayor Angelo talks to her backstage when she relates how she still has feelings for Lucious and kissed him. Angelo rants on how he broke the law for her, covering up a gun charge and parole violation as well as getting a guy out of jail for her. Angelo's mother bursts in to hiss "hot mic" as Angelo and Cookie realize too late that his mic had been knocked on and everyone in the studio just heard him confess to manipulating his campaign for Cookie.
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Empire / int_f818b637	type	Dude, Where's My Respect?
Empire / int_f818b637	comment	Dude, Where's My Respect?: Cookie believes in this. Andre feels like this as well.
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Empire / int_f933e594	type	How the Mighty Have Fallen
Empire / int_f933e594	comment	How the Mighty Have Fallen: The season 5 premiere (picking up two years after the previous season) has Lucious and Cookie struggling to make ends meet and forced to sell off much of their rich belongings.
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Empire / int_ffa0483f	type	Cut Short
Empire / int_ffa0483f	comment	Cut Short: Due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down production, the planned series finale was scrapped, and the season was shrunk from 20 to 18 episodes.
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