The season finale of Empire which aired Wednesday, March 18, left viewers with their jaws dropped. But even before the season finale, there have been plenty of memorable moments from the first season of Empire. As we impatiently wait for the FOX show’s second season, we take a look back at the 11 most memorable scenes from the first season. From Cookie’s dynamic entrances to the ways the dysfunctional Lyons family deals with each other, here are the 11 best Empire moments that made us react and kept us in our feelings.
Empire Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200, Madonna Arrives at No. 2
11. Scene: Cookie Enters
Episode: Pilot
Cookie’s entrances have become a hallmark of Empire‘s best and most beloved character. It’s hard to choose just one of her entrances — there’s practically one in every episode. But the first is the most memorable, for many reasons. It’s not just how Cookie walked into Jamal’s apartment after serving 17 years in prison, but she did so with a gaudy white fur and a leopard-print dress. It’s her lack of a filter that kept everyone coming back episode after episode. Viewers were in for a long, absurd ride and Cookie was going to lead the way.
10. Scene: Lucious Learns He’s Been Misdiagnosed
Episode: “Die But Once”
From the moment it was revealed in the show’s pilot that Lucious had ALS and had only three years to live, the clock started ticking. There was a certain comfort in knowing that the show’s most hated character would eventually be taken by this incurable disease — but we learn, when he does, that he’s been misdiagnosed and doesn’t have ALS. Everyone might want to start sleeping with one eye open.
9. Scene: Lucious Calls President Obama
Episode: “The Outspoken King”
In episode two, Hakeem creates a Worldstar-worthy moment when urinating in the middle of dinner, which took place at a fancy restaurant. Hakeem continues to call President Barack Obama a sellout to the camera. It’s an offensive scene that pushes the limits of creative license. But in the next scene, Lucious is on the phone having a conversation with the President who is not pictured. It doesn’t matter what is said, especially after Lucious tells the President he doesn’t have to use such language; the audacity of the scene makes it memorable and funny.
‘Empire’ Recaps: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9
8. Scene: Rhonda Puts on a Bib
Episode: “The Outspoken King”
Andre and his wife Rhonda have one of those marriages that seems like it should be documented in an episode of HBO’s Real Sex. This much is clear when Rhonda presses Andre to go to the doctor and recalibrate his bipolar medication. To convince him, she gets on her knees in the kitchen — but not before tying a bib around her neck. Who knew innuendo could be so raunchy and heavy-handed?
7. Scene: Cookie Exits
Episode: “Out, Damned Spot”
The relationship between Lucious and Cookie has been one of the least convincing things about season one, but its been amusing nonetheless when the show’s writers entertained the idea of them getting back together. Case in point: Cookie shows up at a restaurant to meet with Lucious for dinner, thinking he wanted to reconcile with her. It turned out that he just wanted her to be present (because she is family too, after all) for his announcement that he and Cookie’s nemesis, Anika, are engaged. Of course, Cookie ain’t got time for all of that. She gets up and begins to leave, but not before showing the whole family that underneath her fur, she was wearing sexy lingerie.
6. Scene: Jamal is a Father
Episode: “Out, Damned Spot”
Out of nowhere, a woman by the name of Olivia shows up at Empire headquarters with an adorable girl named Lola. We soon find out she is allegedly Jamal’s daughter and Olivia is Jamal’s ex-wife. This was shocking if for no other reason than the fact that Jamal is gay.
5. Scene: Cookie Drinks
Episode: “Unto the Breach”
Taraji P. Henson as Cookie has been the dominant force throughout the series, even when she’s gone off some purple drank. Such was the case after she went shot-for-shot with an Empire artist to convince him to stay on the label. As she leaves the studio, she almost gets mugged but Malcolm, Lucious’ head of security, comes to her rescue. Cookie has the hots for Malcolm, so it was good of a time as any for her to tell Malcolm to “take these cookies.”
4. Scene: Andre Almost Kills Himself
Episode: “The Lyon’s Roar”
For a second, we thought it was over for the eldest sibling of the Lyons brothers. By this point in the season, we knew Andre suffers from bipolar disorder. What we didn’t know is how his condition would manifest itself, but we found out in this powerful scene. When Andre finds out the reason Lucious won’t be handing him the keys to Empire Entertainment is because he has jungle fever, Andre loses it, locks himself in a studio, and holds a gun to his head. Never is a scene like this not intense, but this one was particularly memorable if only because of the way it unfolded. He pulls the trigger… but it’s empty. He was playing a game of Russian roulette with himself. The scream of relief and fear he lets out reflected our thoughts as well.
Empire Characters Ranked by Likability
3. Scene: Lucious Is the Father
Episode: “Sins of the Father”
Jamal’s praternity always seemed suspicious. Jamal said he and Olivia consummated their arranged marriage at least once, but Jamal needed more people, at the very least Maury Povich. The fact that Lucious never questioned Jamal, on top of the manner in which Olivia barged into their life, only heightened the suspicion. Then, we found out why, when Olivia resurfaces with her estranged boyfriend Reggie who demands he wants Lola back. Reggie makes this demand by pointing a gun to Jamal’s head first, and then taking Cookie hostage. Lucious, desperate to keep his family safe, begs Reggie to kill him and says he deserves it because it was him who “put the baby” in Olivia.
2. Scene: The Elevator Fight
Episode: “Unto the Breach”
Throughout the season, all three of the Lyons brothers kept each other at arms reach. Sure they would pair off into one-on-one standoffs every now and then, but rarely, if ever, was their a three-way dance between them. One of the most explosive scenes of the season was when that moment finally arrived, which took place while all three were stuck in the middle of an elevator malfunction. Andre has a manic episode, and the two younger brothers must calm the eldest of them down. It is a beautiful, intense and chaotic scene that crystalizes everything Empire is secretly about: family.
1. Scene: Jamal Comes Out
Episode: “The Lyon’s Roar”
One of the most divisive storylines in the first season of Empire was the handling of Jamal’s sexuality. Jamal never had to come out of the closet to us, the viewers, or his family. The only people who were left in the dark about Jamal’s sexuality were the invisible characters of Empire‘s fictional public. How would this be revealed? Jamal did not tell anyone. In the middle of an emotional performance that everyone watched, Jamal sung his truth; this is why this scene is such a masterpiece. We thought we knew who Jamal was, but in this powerful scene, we found out the man, and this show itself, is full of surprises.