'Empire' Season 2, Episode 4 Recap

There was no time wasted in getting dirty during last night's episode of Empire, and we're here for every part of the drama that unfolds. A few anti-climactic moments have left loyal viewers pining for the OMG moments that got them hooked last season; thus, opening the show with a FBI raid couldn't have come with better timing.

To kick things off, Empire gets hit hard by the feds while Jamal's recording the hit Lucious promised him. Files are taken, pictures are thrown, glass is broken and Empire is left resembling a beautiful war zone. To celebrate, Lucious welcomes his federal combat in his home -- and bedroom -- with absolutely nothing but open arms, literally. It's clear Lucious is trying to throw the prosecutor off her game with his animalistic qualities, and by the look on her face when she walks in the room, it just might work. In the meantime, Cookie finds out Empire is under fire and thinks she's in the clear to make her move for another takeover. Unfortunately, her Dynasty gets raided too.

As the "head" of Empire, Jamal says it's time for the team to take a step back and stay out of the spotlight, but Lucious has a different approach in mind. "We are so raw, we are so dangerous, that even the FBI wants to shut us down... This isn't when we hide. This is when we roar," he says complete with the sound effects of a lion roaring.

Since both Lyon's dens get hit, Lucious calls a family meeting. Hakeem asks his father directly if he killed Bunkie, and to no surprise, Lucious ruthlessly lies right to his face. With that lie lingering in everyone's face but Cookie's, fans have to wonder where that story line will lead. But there is one thing Lucious does admittedly know: if the feds are putting pressure on him and his family then something must be wrong with their star witness, Vernon. The FBI doesn't have a case without him, and Lucious knows they wouldn't be raiding Empire if they had him. Too bad Andre forgot to mention his wife killed Vernon months ago.

To makes things right and get back into the Empire, Andre makes a deal with the devil. He wants to cover his tracks and get the one things he's always wanted -- so what better way to do that then dig up Vernon's body to make Lucious' murderous witch-hunt come to an end. The eldest Lyon tells his wife, Rhonda, that God's been speaking to him and he has to do this and not stop until he's back "home" where he belongs.

So he grabs Rhonda and hits the woods in the middle of the night to get the body. Too bad they can't remember where they buried him. But good thing daddy put a tracking device on his car and shows up just in time to acquire the body before sunrise. And after Andre gives his uncle a heartfelt goodbye as his body is being shoved in a trunk, Lucious only has one thing to say, "You rot in hell you snitch!" Then just like that he walks over to Andre and says, "Welcome back to Empire."

But before Vernon resurfaces, the prosecutor finds a way to apprehend Cookie for an old-fashioned shake down. Miss Cookie Monster, as Lucious now affectionately refers to her, remembers when she would wish to rather be dead than keep sitting in her cell. She decides it's better to give up the goods than to be shipped back upstate. In true Cookie fashion, she starts telling the prosecutor exactly what she wants to hear. Unfortunately, she doesn't realize Cookie's just using her as a pawn to get Lucious to give up Apex Radio. She tells the feds that if Lucious killed Bunkie it was probably over his new Apex radio deal. Now, Hakeem can get back on the radio.

Oh, and don't forget Lucious helps Vernon finally pay a special visit to the prosecutor. How would you like to wake up to a dirt-filled body in your car?

Join us next week as we dig deeper into the craziness of the Empire.

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Filed Under: Empire