“Empire” spoilers for the Wednesday, May 4 episode entitled “The Lyon Who Cried Wolf” show that Lucious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) schemes have caught up with him and could cost him his shot at an ASA award, the CEO seat, and his family.
Lucious was counting on his revealing “Boom Boom Boom Boom” music video to sweep him to an ASA win over son Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) but Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) may derail that and cause a PR nightmare for his domineering dad.
But first, Rhonda Lyon (Kaitlin Doubleday) begins to suspect she was attacked. This happens when Rhonda is with Anika Calhoun (Grace Gealey) who is having baby stuff moved into her place.
Rhonda is pushed out of the way of a falling box and has a flashback to the night of her fall. Rhonda now agrees with Andre that someone had a hand in her baby tragedy. Unfortunately, she tells Anika her thoughts – what will the guilty Anika do? So far it does NOT look like Rhonda suspects Anika in the attack that killed her child but that could change.
Lucious acted all nice when the board proposed he and Cookie Lyon (Taraji P Henson) share the CEO role, but the exes will bicker this week when Lucious tries make decisions on his own and she reminds him they’re co-CEOs. He diminishes her role and Cookie is upset.
Cookie has other challenges ahead because she promised that all three of the musical Lyons would take the stage together and perform at the ASAs, but that was a lie to distract in a moment of chaos at the board event. Now Cookie has to make it happen.
Jamal had a solo at the ASAs and Cookie asks him to swap that for a family number but Jamal initially says no. Plus, Jamal might have a hookup at the studio with a mystery man. Who could that be? We know it’s not his ex Michael…
More drama ensues when someone is snatched up off the street in what looks like a kidnapping. Hakeem Lyon (Bryshere Gray) should have his mind on fiancée Laura Calleros (Jamila Velazquez) but when he sees ex Tiana Brown (Serayah) at the studio, he can’t get his eyes off her booty.
And now that spurned reporter Harper Scott (Annie Ilonzeh) handed Andre pics of Leah Walker (Leslie Uggams) in the home where Lucious hid her away, Andre will head to meet his bipolar grandmother and dig into his dad’s past.
Andre has dealt with Lucious sweeping his mental illness under the rug all his life but to find out that his grandmother has been shut up in a home all this time is too much. Andre goes to Philly and brings Leah home and reveals her to the whole family at once.
Lucious is stunned, as are Andre’s siblings and Cookie, who are together when Andre shows up and introduces Leah to the family she never knew she had. Cookie asks Lucious, “Who is this lady?” Leah totters over to Lucious and says “Dwight?” which is his real name!
A livid Lucious steps back from his mother and won’t let her touch his face and turns on Andre, warning him, “You have no idea what you’ve done.” Lucious later tells Cookie that no one knows how dangerous his mother really is.
Be sure to watch the Wednesday, May 4 episode “The Lyon Who Cried Wolf” and check with CDL for live recaps of Empire every week.
