Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Jamal (Jussie Smollett) will have to forget their personal vendetta with each other in the face of the family crisis in the back half of the hit FOX series "Empire."
Throughout the season, viewers witnessed how cold the relationship was between father and son. Lucious is not exactly a nurturing type of parent, as he focuses more on his career and Empire Entertainment. Working in the same company, Jamal has also made a name for himself as a businessman and a musician. Their paths may cross once in a while, but there has never been an instance wherein they went at each other's throat. At least, not until the midseason finale, when it was announced that they were both contenders for "Song of the Year" at the American Sound Award (ASA).
With Lucious very much concerned with the recent heist performed by Mimi (Marisa Tomei) and Camilla (Naomi Campbell) to get Empire from him, he is bound to see the award as his only salvation. This will make him more competitive, as his pride is also at stake. If his son wins over him, the media will have a field day over his supposed failure. Executive producer Ilene Chaiken shared with TV Line how this would affect Lucious and Jamal's relationship.
"We all know that one single award doesn't mean everything. But it certainly symbolizes to Lucious and Jamal the whole story of their relationship — the story of children surpassing their parents, of being the child of a famous and hugely successful artist," she said.
If they want to defeat Mimi and Camilla at their own game, father and son will have to show a united front. Empire is their legacy and the sooner they get it back, the better. If Lucious will swallow his pride and make peace with Jamal, he will find it very difficult to do the same with his other son, Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray). The promo shows him in a showdown with the younger man. Lucious is telling Hakeem that the next time they see each other, he will kill him.
"Empire" will return on Wednesday, March 30, at 9 p.m. EST on FOX.
