Jamal (Jussie Smollet) firmly laid down his foot and threatened to stop his musical career if his chaotic family will not end its history of fighting and violence. But will his stance remain in "Empire" season 3?
In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Ilene Chaiken revealed that Jamal's decision will stand until the series' return in season 3. "The question now is, can Jamal also bring his brothers and his mother along with him on this stance, and say 'This is no longer how we have to go about our lives and our business?'"
Jamal's recovery after taking the gunshot intended for his father Lucious (Terrence Howard) is also expected to be tackled in season 3. But while he seemed to be physically recovering during the season 2 finale, there is no indication of whether he becomes emotionally and psychologically healed as well.
But aside from their family drama, season 3 will also feature Jamal's budding love affair with D-Major (Tobias Truvillion). In the previous season, D-Major denied that he has a thing for Jamal when Lucious walked in during their steamy make-out session. But things could start to heat up again next season.
"If Jamal can forgive D-Major and understand him, and if D-Major wants to change and to find a way to live more honestly, then there's hope there for a relationship," Chaiken said. "They're really interesting together and they have great chemistry. We plan to see more of them and explore the dynamic. We want to pay attention to the true details of what these moments mean."
Chaiken also mentioned that Tariq the Freak (Morocco Omari) and Shyne Johnson (Xzibit) will also play important roles in season 3.
"Shyne isn't necessarily an adversary, although I think he could become an adversary. Lucious has a long history with him — history that's going to come back and bite Lucious for a lot of earlier slights. If you have a guy who's not afraid to die, not afraid to go to prison, that's a very dangerous adversary," the executive producer shared with Entertainment Weekly.
The third season of "Empire" is slated to return on Fox this fall.
