A lot of things happened in "Empire" season 2 episode 5 titled "Be True."
A lot of angles were covered including the new characters that made t heir debut. Lucius Lyon's (Terrence Howard) horrible past in the hands of her mother through the flashbacks was the most intriguing. However, the appearance of Ne-Yo is not to be overlooked.
The RnB singer is probably the brightest star to grace the show in the episode. Playing himself, Ne-Yo worked on a collaboration with Jussie Smollett's Jamal. He's not just a music consultant to Jamal, he also served as a friend.
"Empire" season 2 episode 5 was reportedly the only episode where Ne-Yo will appear. However, if he has his way, the Grammy Award-winning artists will go back.
"That I don't know," Ne-Yo told Billboard when asked if his role is recurring.
"It's very open-ended as far as my character goes and what it is I bring to the storyline, so it's a possibility. But if you never saw me again, it wouldn't hurt the story either."
Although his appearance was short, Ne-Yo gave what could be one of the best songs in the show.
"It's a song ("Never Love Again") about ultimate heartbreak, the kind of heartbreak that makes you feel like you're never going to find anybody better," he said. "That because you messed up everything, you're never going to love again."
Showrunner Ilene Chaiken loves the idea of having Ne-Yo back in future "Empire" season 2 episodes but she said the singer is busy right now to make way for the Fox TV series.
"Jamal's tour won't happen in this season," she told Variety.
"We won't be going on the road with Jamal and Ne-Yo this year. We'd love to have Ne-Yo back and we tried to get him back already for episode 10, but he's very busy. He's still writing music for the show, but we couldn't get him back on camera as quickly as we wanted him to."
Both parties feel good about Ne-Yo's return, maybe they can find a way to make it happen?
"Empire" season 2 episode 6 is titled "A High Hope for a Low Heaven."
Read synopsis below.
"Lucious and Cookie must put aside their differences and work together as parents to protect their family and keep them out of danger. Jamal does his best to get back in the studio and break away from being defined solely as a gay artist, while Hakeem struggles with how to feel and act like a man. Meanwhile, Andre works to shut down a division at Empire, until he discovers a disciple in the midst of Lucious' Gutter Life records."
