‘Empire’ Season 2 Episode 3 recap: ‘Fires of Heaven’

It’s Empire Records versus Cookie and Hykeem’s Dynasty and no one is playing nice. With Lucious out of prison, he makes it his mission to take Dynasty down. But he’ll have to get past Cookie first.

Jamal thinks that now that Lucious is out of prison, he’ll finally be able to focus on his album. But none of the hit producers Lucious sets him up with seem to be good enough for him. Becky gets to the root of the problem, telling Jamal to put the family drama aside and ask Cookie for help. But before Jamal talks to her, Lucious steps in, promising to make his second son a superstar, with the help of his own personal attention.

But Lucious has another artist on his mind: Frank Gather’s daughter Young Ma (played by Bre-Z Murray). A talented rapper from Brownsville, a rough part of Brooklyn, Lucious tells Jamal to do everything he can to sign her. But Young Ma turns the offer down when Lucious doesn’t come to the signing meeting personally. To make a second attempt, Lucious and his lawyer head down to Brownsville, but after a rap battle turns sour, Young Ma pulls out a gun and things take a dangerous turn. In the heat of the moment, Lucious makes Young Ma an offer, but she runs away. When Lucious gets back to his car, the opposing lawyer is there waiting for him, threatening that she has some big plans ahead.

Andre is still begging Lucious to let him come back to Empire, but nothing works. Not even when he reveals his wife is pregnant and Lucious is going to be a grandfather. But Andre does present Lucious with an interesting business proposition, suggesting Empire buy a string of urban radio stations.

For the second time this season, there are flashbacks of Andre as a child, with a woman who is definitely not Cookie. What is shaping up to be his real birthmother is a woman who is bipolar, just like he is. But so far, Andre believes Cookie is his real mother, teasing for a big reveal to come later in the season.

To celebrate his freedom, Lucious throws himself a big party, including a performance by Pitbull. The day before the party, Lucious tries to lure Anika back to Empire, but instead of saying yes, Anika goes straight to Dynasty, telling Cookie she will do anything to hurt Lucious. Together, the ex-wife and the mistress plan to ruin his party.And ruin it they do with an ambush performance by Hykeem and Timberland.

Back at Dynasty, all focus is on Hakeem’s new Latina girl group, headed by Valentina (Becky G), who is sleeping with Hakeem. Hakeem makes a premature promise to radio personality Shway that the girls will perform on his show the next week.

The day of the radio performance, Valentina makes a late enterence to the radio station…With Lucious in tow. The singer went behind Dynasty’s back and signed with Empire. Lucious then reveals that Empire now owns the radio station and hijacks the girl group’s performance with Valentina performing solo instead.

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