BWW Recap: It's a Dead Man's Party on EMPIRE

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy." - Hamlet. Yorick, or in this case, Vernon's fate is finally revealed. Is it enough to redeem Dre in Lucious' eyes?

When the Feds raid EMPIRE and Lyon Dynasty, Lucious convinces everybody that all this does is prove that they have no case against him. They are going to use this publicity and it's only going to make them bigger than ever. On Thirsty's advice, the Lyons family have to pretend that they are all happy and working together as to give the impression that they aren't the least bit rattled by the Feds. Hakeem flat out asks Lucious if he murdered Bunkie and Lucious flat out lies to him. Cookie uses the opportunity to make a deal with Lucious. She and Hakeem will pretend to be a happy family if he will put them back on APEX radio and agrees to stop poaching their artists. Lucious amends the deal that Hakeem has to appear in a video with Jamal and he will not put them on the radio. Cookie agrees and tells him to be nicer to Dre or he'll never see his grandchild. Lucious calls a truce with Dre, but still won't let him back in. Dre and Rhonda decide to dig up Vernon's body to prove their worth. Thirsty and Lucious track them and find out the truth. Lucious is proud and accepts Dre back into Empire.

Hakeem and Jamal shoot a tense, yet topical video together about police brutality. Lucious offers Hakeem an original beat Lucious created for him. He can have it if he comes back to EMPIRE and manages Valentina. He seems about to agree when Jamal's artistic Rolling Stone cover painting arrives and Lucious gushes over it. Angered, Hakeem stabs the painting in the throat. The artist, Chase (BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER alum, Adam Busch) thinks it adds to the art showing how cutthroat the music business is. Jamal, Michael and Chase post the painting all over town on the streets and Michael seems a little jealous of the connection between Jamal and Chase. Meanwhile, Jamal and Hakeem continue the video shoot, but end up in a fight. Hakeem ends up in a bar and discovers an unknown amateur singer, Laura which could work for his girl group. Cookie is arrested for a bogus charge by Roxanne Ford who threatens to harm Cookie's kids if she doesn't give up something on Lucious. Scared to go back to jail, Cookie makes up a beef about APEX radio between Lucious and Bunkie that will not only get her off the hook, but stop the radio deal as well. Roxanne is thrilled and readies a press release that the SEC will be blocking the APEX Radio deal until she arrives in her car where Vernon's body is in the passenger seat.

Couple Things:

• Anika - Is Cookie right to not trust her? It's like, trusting Lucious, she knows exactly what she's in for, but trusting Anika, she will never know where her loyalty lies that week. I think Cookie knows what she's doing.

• Mimi Whiteman - Love the last name. Also, super annoying.

• Jamal - If you even think about stepping out on Michael for a tool like Chase, I will drop kick you.

• Eulogies - Dre's heartfealt eulogy about forgiveness and thanking Vernon for being a father figure to him was quite the antithesis of Lucious' sincere "you will burn in hell" tribute he held in private to his old friend's body.

• Dre Day - I'm getting more and more worried for this sweet guy. Confessing to Rhonda that he may be going a little crazy was one thing, but finally getting everything he's wanted and being completely happy... isn't that the final step before a violent death? I am worried for you, Dre. Watch your back as there is always blood on Lady MacBeth's hands.

• Are we ever gonna get a full episode flashback with Kelly Rowland? That storyline deserves more than two minute filtered moments. I want to see the history that made Lucious Lyon who he is.

Lines That Bear Repeating:

• Cookie - You tell me a Grandma who got an ass like this.
• Cookie - If I die in police custody, I did NOT commit suicide!
• Lucious - You know why I made Jamal the head of the company? Because he can do the work without his mama.

Here's a preview of next week's all new episode:

Photo Credit: FOX

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