Tonight on FOX their blockbuster drama Empire airs with an all-new Wednesday, April 12, 2017, episode and we have your Empire recap below. On tonight’s Empire season 3 episode 13 “My Naked Villainy” as per the FOX synopsis, “Hakeem throws an epic 21st birthday party and live-streams it all on Empire Xstream. Meanwhile, suspicions surrounding Anika’s motives put the Lyons on high alert and the arrival of Giuliana gives Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) a run for her money.”
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Empire begins tonight with Thirsty Rawlings (Andre Royo) bringing in Lucious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) specialist since he refuses to go to the ICU; the physician protests that he can’t legally intubate Lucious at home but Thirsty convinces him.
Lucious tells Thirsty to take his mother and wife, Anika (Grace Byers) out of the room, warning him there are snakes in his family. Thirsty says he will keep an eye on his family and no one is going to put on moves on him.
At Empire, Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) is with his crew, they are listening to his first song for the new album called “Dangerous”, he says it is about his parents relationship that started off loving and ended badly. He wants his video to reflect that crazy kind of love and wants fans to feel the passion or they won’t understand the album and how it turns tragic.
Cookie (Tarajji P. Henson) interrupts them, saying they are going to shoot the video tonight. She jokes that his father, Lucious caught some nasty virus and can’t get out of bed, and if they move fast, releasing a teaser this week on Extreme before he finds out.
Jamal says its shady to do that while he is sick, Cookie reminds her son that Lucious didn’t stop Inferno while Jamal was in rehab, even after he took a bullet for him. Jamal agrees to only a teaser. Cookie tells Jamal the album better be good after she shared her life story with him, grabbing his face and telling him to make her proud.
Cookie sits with Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) while the woman that was assaulted during Hakeem’s 21st birthday announces to the media she is suing Empire Enterprises for 50 million dollars as well as Hakeem needs to cancel all future club appearances and a public apology to Kennedy and all women. Hakkem asks if Lucious knows and Cookie’s phone vibrates, she grabs his ear and drags him, saying he does now.
Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) is busy reassuring Nessa (Sierra Aylina McClain) that she is still Empire’s top priority; she frets that she doesn’t even have enough songs for a full set and Giuliana (Nia Long) wants her to open in Vegas in 2 months. Giuliana joins them and asks Andre to get her a drink.
While Andre is gone, Nessa tells her they are moving in together; Giuliana wants to know how their “arrangement” works; she says she is intrigued and wants to hang out with the 2 of them. Nessa is confused until Giuliana explains that when she first met her husband, she was so in love she could never share him. Andre returns as Nessa stares him down and Giuliana cheers with him.
Jamal is preparing for his video as Cookie explains the song isn’t just about love at first sight, it’s about the risk 2 people take when their lives and their destiny cross. It was always about the music, Lucious’ music was the very air that she breathed, it was the blood pumping through her veins.
She flashes back to when they were first together and he would create his music. She is thoroughly enjoying the video and music Jamal made, thinking about stopping Lucious from making the drop, offering to do it instead as she was his partner. In the past, she rubs her belly, telling Lucious this music is going to be their future. She takes the drugs and goes to the drop.
When Jamal is done the video, Cookie says, “that is a feeling you never let go of, and that was the feeling she never thought she’d have until she met Lucious”.
Cookie and her sons come to see Lucious, as Thirsty has called a family meeting. They need to deal with the PR regarding Hakeem’s lawsuit, Thirsty asks Cookie if Angelo DuBois (Taye Diggs) could mention Empire in his statement tomorrow; Cookie scoffs saying they tried to sabotage his campaign she said they need to find something else.
Andre says they need to make a settlement while Hakeem says if Andre would just turn his channel back on, he could tell his fans he is sorry. Thirsty says an apology leaves Empire open for liability and they are not going to settle; he suggests they dig up all the dirt they can find on Kennedy.
Jamal cuts him off saying that is victim blaming and Hakeem says he would never place his hands on a woman, reminding them he has a daughter. Cookie ends the meeting saying some of them actually have work to do, Jamal holds his dad’s hand before walking out.
Cookie wants to know why he isn’t in the hospital, he attempts to touch her hand, but she pulls back when Anika comes into the room. Anika says he won’t go to the hospital because he is worried about someone stabbing him in the back. Cookie says he can stay locked up in there like the mad king and see how far that will get his dumbass.
Lucious taps his tablet and Thirsty asks Anika when she is going to find the time to wear this wire against Tariq (Morocco Omari). She says she is working on this as she needs to build trust with him because if he finds out he will kill her. Thirsty approaches her saying if she doesn’t get this done, she is going to be killed and Tariq will be blamed for the whole thing.
Thirsty leaves for a deposition, Anika comes to the bed and says this is the perfect time to take advantage of the sedated Lucious. She jokingly pleads with him to not die, then says that if he dies, she gets everything because they didn’t sign a prenup.
She holds the hose preventing him from getting oxygen and orders him to tell Thirsty she is not there for him, and not his bitch. He pulls out his gun and she backs out of the room.
Giuliana introduces Gino to Andre, he is upset that he isn’t Lucious Lyon but agrees to speak to him since Andre is the brains of Empire. Gino says in order to help Empire get a casino license in Vegas, he wants 25% off the top monthly for as long as they are in business.
Shine (Xzibit) arrives with his crew, protecting Andre, asking what he missed. Andre asks Gino how 5% sounds, Gino shakes his hand and Andre leaves with Giuliana.
Anika comes to see Cookie, saying it’s about Bella. She tells Cookie if something happens to her she wants Cookie to look after Bella. She shares that it has to be only Cookie, as she is the only one she trusts her daughter with. She admits that even though she hates Cookie, she needs the fierce mother Lyon to protect her. Cookie promises she will. As she leaves, she tells Cookie she can say it all she wants but she loves Lucious.
At the voting stations, Cookie and Angelo place their votes as the media is taking pictures. As they leave the building, 2 fans run up to Cookie and are excited about the teasers, saying they cannot wait for the album to drop; Angelo hears Cookie talk about her love for a young Lucious.
Angelo wants to know what that was all about, he is shocked that Jamal’s album is about Cookie and Lucious. He is angry that this teaser was released on the day of the primary vote. She tries to tell him that whatever happens with the voting that night, she is with him. He questions her if that is true.
He says she seems to be all about Team Coocious and walks away from her saying Lucious has always been a terrible influence on her. She remembers being pregnant and waiting in the snow at the drop when her friend Barry runs into her. Barry worries what Lucious has gotten her into but she pushes him away saying she is her own person.
Empire is setting up for Angelo’s party and Jamal tells Derek “D-Major” (Tobias Truvillion) that he is proud of him for coming out but that isn’t the only reason they are not together. Derek says their life wasn’t messy, he helped him create some of the best music; Jamal feels it was a dark time for him and he doesn’t want to go back. He tells Derek to back off!
Thirsty represents Hakeem in a meeting with Kennedy and her attorney. Kennedy looks at Hakeem begging him to acknowledge what happened that night. Thirsty pressures her saying that she has a history of this, she sleeps with men and then later claims it as assault. Hakeem tries to stop Thirsty but he continues until Kennedy walks out of the room.
Cookie vents to Jamal that it was the worst timing for them to release the teaser. Jamal jokes saying “Coocious”; she says it is everywhere and sounds like an STD. She worries that Angelo is butt hurt. She feels they need to release another teaser showing that Lucious is a snake.
Jamal comforts her, saying if her and Angelo are strong, he shouldn’t care about any other guy. Hakeem comes rushing in saying Thirsty went hard at Kennedy and she fell apart; Hakeem feels he needs to do what is right and asks Jamal what victim blaming is.
Jamal tells him it is what he has done, consistently making music where it looks like it is the woman’s fault and the fans treat women that way because they look up to him. Hakeem says it isn’t his fault how people respond to his music but Jamal tells him that after he did that homophobic rant in Jamal’s house, he was repeatedly threatened.
Cookie jumps in saying that just because he has a daughter doesn’t mean he can’t be a misogynistic pig, and reminds him how powerful music is. Jamal helps him make some new music, changing his message for the fans.
Andre comes to the recording studio and when he learns Hakeem put the song on Jamal’s channel he says he shut him down to protect Empire and he just undid that with a public admission of guilt; Andre says he is going to have a board meeting without Lucious present.
Andre arrives the mansion and walks into his father’s bedroom where the entire board is waiting for him. Lucious is sitting up and tells Andre he was never good at lying. Andre announces that he has been working on an investment deal for their artists to have resident deals in Las Vegas.
Cookie looks shocked but Lucious says he made his position clear on Vegas. The board is impressed with the numbers and after Cookie questions what their Hip Hop empire could do in Vegas he tells her that the city is now about J-Lo and Bruno Mars, the Weeknd and it must be Empire.
Lucious fires Andre on the spot; Andre says this is a board meeting and he needs a second vote to fire him. Lucious calls out for a second, but no one backs him up. He looks to Cookie, who asks why Lucious is firing Andre; Hakeem tells his dad he just needs to get some rest.
Lucious calls for Shine, who says that Extreme is finally making money because Andre is killing it. He says the Vegas thing sounds smart. Lucious says Andre is his son and he will fire him if he wants to; the board says they are standing behind Andre as the company can’t afford any more shake-ups and investors crave the stability Andre is offering.
After Andre thanks then and looks forward to working with them, Lucious kicks everyone out. Cookie tells Lucious he needs to look at the paperwork Andre brought, saying the boy is really on to something.
Andre returns to Empire, to be with his mother while they watch the election. He thanks Cookie for backing him, she liked how he did this while his father was laid up, he said its the same as her and Jamal dropping the teaser. She jokes that they haven’t heard anything about Inferno.
Andre leaves to find Nessa and Angelo joins Cookie at the front of the room. She tells him to not worry about Coocious because that is something you put on a t-shirt, but what they have is very real. Lucious shows up at the party, saying when Angelo loses tonight, he will buy him a drink. He leans in to kiss Cookie but she backs off saying whatever Lucious has might be contagious.
Andre is walking with Nessa to the party, when she confronts him on the arrangement he told Giuliana about; he says this is how he does business. She tells him she doesn’t care what he does about Vegas or the residency but she makes it very clear that she doesn’t do arrangements.
Angelo wins the election, him and Cookie kiss and he takes the stage thanking everyone reminding them they still have a long toad ahead of them. Lucious turns on his microphone saying Empire is proud of their friendship with the future mayor of New York City.
Lucious decides to play a song for them, saying it was a song he wrote for Cookie many years ago. Cookie stares at him, remembering the good times with him, dancing and loving him while he plays the song “You’re So Beautiful”.
He stops immediately when Giuliana touches his shoulder, saying she has a lot of nerve coming there and why he shouldn’t kill her right there. Giuliana says he doesn’t want to do that and asks him to play the song he wrote for her. She says she is about to make all their dreams come true.
THE END!
