"Empire" season 2 episode one provided one hour of fun and good music but its ending was a bit hard to swallow for fans of Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Jamal (Jussie Smolett).
The two used to be allies but then the events in finale took them away from each other. There were tenders moments between them in "Empire" season 2 episode one titled "The Devils Are Here" but in the last few minutes, they found themselves in different sides again.
Jamal is one of the beloved characters in the Fox musical drama. However, with the way his character develops, amount of sympathy from the public dwindles. Some even fear that one day he will turn into another version of his father Lucius (Terrence Howard). Should fans really have this kind of concern?
Series showrunner Ilene Chaiken said Jamal becoming as ruthless, cruel, and inconsiderate as his father is not out of discussion.
"Yes, I think he is at risk of becoming his dad," Chaiken said in an interview with TV Line shortly after the pilot.
"I don't know that he will - but it's definitely a risk. But [at the end of the hour], when he shuts the door and you see how he really feels, it's a revealing and a redeeming moment for him."
Jamal siding with his father is a surprise for most given their ugly history. Lucius disapproves of Jamal's gender preference but then when he went to jail, his second son was the only one left on his side.
Chaiken explained Jamal's decision to support Lucius is because of his long-standing desire to be accepted by his father.
"Jamal spent his entire life longing for his father's love, and he finally got it," she said in a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"[It's] such a big story for us in season one and such a big deal in this young man's life - to finally get his father's love and acceptance. When this divide occurs between his mother and his father, and it looks to him as if Cookie might actually have betrayed Lucious, he's torn. But he got the empire, and Cookie tried to take it away from him, and he feels betrayed by her. So he takes his father's side."
The show returns next week for second episode titled "Without a Country." Read "Empire" season 2 episode guide below:
"Cookie and her cohorts decide to start their own small record label, but it's off to a bumpy start as everyone has different visions for the new label. As his first project for the new company, Hakeem decides to form a girl group and woos a hot Latina lead singer (guest star Becky G), proving that he can be more than just an artist. Meanwhile, Lucious, feeling extra pressure from a bloodthirsty prosecutor, hires a new lawyer (guest star Andre Royo) and records an epic track from inside jail. In Lucious' absence, Jamal neglects his music and makes business moves that further his journey toward becoming every bit as ruthless as his father in the all-new 'Without a Country' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Sept. 30 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX."
