In Empire, Season 2 episode 11, which airs at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the Lyon family is reeling after the Empire Entertainment board of trustees voted to remove Lucious as chairman and CEO. The episode prior to Empire ’s spring premiere was filled with drama, leading into the second half of the season.
We learned that Mimi Whiteman, the venture capitalist who invested in Empire Entertainment, persuaded the board of trustees to vote Lucious out. Mimi is now the new chairman of Empire, and sets her wife, Camilla Marks Whiteman, to act as her proxy while she receives cancer treatment.
We know Camilla as Hakeem’s ex-girlfriend, who Lucious ran out of the country at the end of Season 1. When Camilla admits to Hakeem that she didn’t leave him willingly, she persuades him to vote against his father in the decision, giving the board enough votes to remove Lucious.
In several promos for episode 11 and the second half of Season 2, we see that Hakeem is now in opposition with the rest of his family, as Camilla puts him in charge of Empire Entertainment as CEO. Tensions are high, and Luscious even threatens Hakeem’s life. But Hakeem wants the family to come together, despite their current differences.
Meanwhile, Lucious and Cookie grow close as they are once again on the same side, working to regain control of their company. Jamal tells his mother to be careful with getting involved with Lucious again, but Cookie is adamant about pursuing her former husband.
Episode 11 will also address the fate of Andre’s wife, Rhonda, and their unborn child. In the previous episode, we see Rhonda pushed from the winding staircase in her home. Kaitlin Doubleday, the actress who plays Rhonda, has spoken about her character in the second half of Season 2, indicating that Rhonda survives the fall; however, it appears the baby did not survive.
Promos show Andre breaking down in front of an empty crib in a nursery.
Doubleday revealed to TV Line that Rhonda will confront her attacker “in a very dynamic, scary, insane, crazy way,” though this won’t happen until the end of Season 2. While fans may think it was Anika who pushed Rhonda, the actress said the truth of her fall is much more complicated. Rhonda is also expected to team up with Camilla. Exactly how that will happen remains to be seen. But we will find out in the coming episode, called “Death Will Have His Day,” which is best viewed in television or live online through Fox Now .
Of course, the second half of Season 2 will be filled with music, as Hakeem and Jamal are sure to be churning out hits. At this time it is not known whether Cookie will keep her record label, Lyon Dynasty, intact. Currently, Hakeem is an artist under Lyon Dynasty, while Jamal is an artist under Empire. So things are complicated, to say the least.
The rest of the story unfolds Wednesday, when Empire airs at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.
