Could Empire be going through a rebirth in Season 4? Fans of Fox’s music drama will have to wait until the fall to see what drama awaits the Lyon family as Lucious (Terrence Howard) is ‘reset’ and the happily ever after that awaited him and Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) vanishes into thin air.
How much of a role will Demi Moore play in Lucious’ recovery and life? Will Demi have a leading role in Empire Season 4? And if she plays such a critical role as what producers say that she is, how much influence will she have on Lucious’ psyche and wellbeing? Could Cookie Lyon have a real threat to deal with as this woman could be toying with Lucious’ memories, the very foundation of their relationship? What role will each of their sons play in the Lyon’s den? Will their secrets be unveiled?
The network renewed Empire for its fourth season in January of this year, and although no official release date for Empire Season 4 has been released yet, Den of Geek speculates that it will probably hit our screens in the fall of 2017. The show will premiere in a new 8 p.m. timeslot as a lead-in to Season 2 of Star in a possible bit to help boost the latter show’s ratings.
Spoiler Alert: If you have not watched the final episode of Empire Season 3 “Toil & Trouble, Pt. 2”, and do not want to know the possible storylines for Empire Season 4, do not read ahead.
Lucious 2.0 Leads To An Empire 2.0?
Terrence Howard at the 2017 Academy Awards. [Image by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Images]
The executive producer of Empire, Ilene Chaiken, says that Empire as we know it is about to be reset. The final two episodes of Empire were split into two, both centering around the death and near-death of the half-brothers, Tariq and Lucious. Lucious’ mother killed Tariq, and Andre (Trai Byers) nearly succeeded in going through with his and Shyne’s (Xzibit) plan to have his father die in a car explosion, but he warned his parents just before they got into the car. Viewers saw a leg blown off in the explosion and it is still yet to be determined whether that leg belongs to Lucious. The show concluded with Lucious waking up from a three-month coma, with his family at his side, and his nurse played by Demi Moore. Lucious has had a traumatic brain injury and remembers nothing, it is as if he has had a “reset” according to Chaiken.
In an interview with Deadline, Chaiken revealed that Lucious’ memory loss could send the show into new territory.
“I never called it Empire 2.0, but in the [writers’] room we do talk about Lucious 2.0, so I guess you are right on point with us. If we are talking about Lucious 2.0, than I think it is fair to say its now Empire 2.0.”
“But suffice to say that Lucious in Season 4 is going to be dealing with the aftermath of this event, the damage to his mind and his body. Whether or not his memory is permanently or just temporally impaired is certainly one of the questions we’d begin the new season with.”
Will Cookie and Lucious find a happy ending? Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard look stunning at the 2016 Golden Globes. [Image by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Images]
The concept of a traumatic brain injury and memory loss has become a rather hackneyed concept in series and daytime soap operas, with storylines becoming rather tired and dull. But if there ever was a character that could pull off a memory loss, it would be Empire’s Lucious Lyon, the audience would swing the pendulum of pity and sheer terror at the uncertainty of the mystery that is Lucious’ mind and what he is capable of.
“What we wanted to do in a practical sense is give these great actors, especially Terrance and Taraji, something really new now to sink their teeth into. Also, to give our audience some completely new and fresh stories. How can we shake it up and make it fresh? Making Lucious not Lucious – that creates a new dynamic for us to play with.”
Demi Moore’s Pivotal Role in Empire Season 4: Cookie’s Ultimate Antagonist?
Taraji P. Henson smoulders for the camera. [Image by Rich Fury/Invision/AP Images]
Demi Moore made her debut appearance on Empire in the final scene of the Season 3 finale where we see her as Lucious’ nurse.
“She is Lucious’ private nurse. She is a specialist in dealing with traumatic brain injury and rehabilitating patients. She will be very, very important to Lucious going into Season 4. Now that he’s out of his coma, his rehabilitation is entrusted to her, which gives her a lot of power and a role in the family that’s unfamiliar to the rest of the family and to ‘Empire.’ She’s in a significant number of episodes. She’s a major character in our fourth season.”
Empire fans are starting to grow weary of all the obstacles that are being thrown Lucious and Cookie’s way. It seems that the two of them never get their happily ever after. To keep the viewers engaged it makes sense that they jump through hoops to be with each other. But the introduction of Demi adds an interesting dynamic to this Bonnie and Clyde relationship. Demi could hold the keys of Lucious’ memory in her hands, and without history, what is there to the Cookie and Lucious story? It stands to reason that no woman has ever threatened Cookie the way Demi does.
“She’s unconventional, but having taken on challenging situations like this before, she’s also a psychologist. She’s going to be in that triangular relationship with Lucious and Cookie, it’s a whole new dynamic. It’s not just another women who is a threat to the romantic relationship, it is somebody who has control over Lucious and importance to him in a way that nobody ever has and therefore threatens Cookie in a way that nobody ever has before.”
If the finale of Empire Season 3 is anything to go by, Season 4 will keep us on the edge of our seats. One thing’s for certain, fall has never seemed this far away. Here’s to a new season filled with Cookie-isms, music, and the Lyon dynasty.
[Featured Image by Charles Sykes and Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Images]
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