James Heaven and Brett Bial
Professor Nichols
Comm 100s: Student-Led Discussion (Empire)
July 30, 2015
After only one season of FOX’s new show Empire, a series following a dominant Hip-Hop mogul and his star-studded family, the show has immense critical acclaim. Created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, the show explores the dynamic of the music industry while intertwined with a family’s drama and fight for fame. The protagonist, who could often also be considered an antagonist, is a rap star named Lucious Lyon. Lyon struggled through the ghettos of Philadelphia growing up, providing for himself and his family by selling drugs while making music on the side. In the show there are many flashbacks to these days, often showing him with his wife, Cookie Lyon, producing music in their run down garage, for example. Cookie, the mother of Lucious’ three sons, enters the show having just gotten out of jail after serving time for 17 years! She went away for actually being Lucious’ accomplice in their early drug trafficking, taking the fall for everyone involved as she would refuse to be a “snitch”. With that being said, Cookie comes out of jail wanting to regain her stake in Empire Entertainment, the company she initially funded with $400,000 accumulated from drug sales. Lucious, being a greedy and cynical CEO, is clearly worried with his ex-wife’s return to the modern world’s music industry. He, additionally, is falsely diagnosed with ALS early on in the first season, so he understands that the company is up for grabs. Lyon fears Cookie’s assertiveness and knowledge of what she is owed, and also knows her musical genius and that she is adept at finding talent, even after her long sentence. This puts him in a sticky situation, as he has to leave the company in the right hands, but has 4 family members who are each uniquely suited for the job.
Arguably the most interesting part about the show is the dynamic of the three sons, or brothers: Andre, Jamal and Hakeem Lyon. Andre, the oldest son, is clearly suited for the business aspect of the company, as he went to college and is really the brains of the family. Jamal, the middle child, is extremely controversial on and even off the show. He is the gay son of Lucious (who refuses to admit it) and has an amazing voice and arguably the most musical talent on the show. He is also smart, and probably best suited for the throne, but is looked at with contempt by Lucious and much of the hip-hop industry for his sexual orientation. Lastly, Hakeem is the youngest Lyon with a lot of spotlight and solid talent as a rapper, but lacks the brains. Lucious relates the most to Hakeem, who is clearly trying to follow in the footsteps of his superstar father, but even Lucious admits, “You ain’t worked a day in your life, and you know that.” All three brothers understand their father’s fatal diagnosis, so they passively compete for Lucious’ favor by showing them their value in multiple facets: musical talent, business brains, and public likeability. Lucious often juggles between his three sons, and even tempts Cookie by foreshadowing that she, also, could some day run Empire. His homophobia towards Jamal is often displayed, and even the flashbacks show him disregarding any of Jamal’s obvious homosexual tendencies, like dressing up in girls clothes as a kid. One recurring flashback even shows Lucious throwing a young Jamal in a metal trashcan outside, enforcing his disgust of Jamal’s ‘girliness’. For this reason, Jamal and his mom, Cookie, are especially close, as she often claims she “always knew” and supports him regardless. This connection actually helps Jamal produce one of his first hits, because right when Cookie recognized Lucious’ undying contempt for Jamal, she took their son to the studio to vent. Their mother-and-son love, topped with a shared disapproval of Lucious, provokes an independence out of the two and even gets them thinking about taking the company over themselves.
This theme of deceit and separation within the family is represented by all of the Lyon family, as they understand the change to come with Lucious’ ill immunity. Even the most straightforward appearing character, the oldest brother Andre, eventually shows his true colors and starts to scheme against his father’s regime. He and his diabolical white wife, Rhonda, plan to use Andre’s platform and smarts to overrun the company, which is soon supposed to go public (on stock exchange). Furthermore, we learn that Andre has bipolar disorder, sometimes leaving Rhonda in charge of their sneaky affairs. This, along with many other aspects of the show, is controversial due to its different portrayal of race and stereotypes.
Lee Daniels, the main writer for Empire, took a lot of heat for portraying specific stereotypes about African Americans and really all types of people in the show. I think, instead of proving stereotypes, Daniels defaces them by making them blatant at times, then contradicting them when the viewer least expects it. Daniels, a famous black writer and director, is known for his implementation of race in his works, as he also worked on acclaimed and controversial films Precious and The Butler (both great movies). This, along with many other surprising factors and variations within the show, make it so interesting to watch and critically dissect. Shows like Empire are necessary in the modern age, as they address a variation of issues, from sexual orientation to racial inequality, all while composing an intriguing story about the balance between family, money and fame.