Lucious Lyon is officially a free man.
He had been for a few weeks, in the literal sense, but on Empire Season 2 Episode 5, the D.A. pulled up the stakes and cleared him of all charges.
As such, the kingpin really went wild.
Episode 5 was entitled "Be True."
Compared to previous installments and twists – specifically the hunt for Vernon’s body and the corpse being propped up in the D.A.’s car – it was tame.
There was plenty of drama to be found, however, for the Lyon parents and each of their three sons as the struggle for musical supremacy contined.
Ne-Yo (as Ne-Yo) was on hand to mentor Jamal in the studio and life, helping him hit all the right notes when it comes to his latest album and more.
His episode-long debate over whether or not to bring his boyfriend on tour ended up being a moot point, however … watch Empire online to see how.
Vernon, meanwhile, was cremated and Andre is back at Empire, although something tells us he isn’t really dead (and Rhonda isn’t really pregnant).
More on those conspiracy theories another time. Andre, still reeling emotionally, spent the whole episode confessing all of his sins before his baptism.
How long can he survive at a company run by his increasingly off the rails father? At this rate, their unholy alliance could already be wearing thin.
Cookie, for her part, is under the gun after goons attack Tiana and Thirsty’s thugs come at her in the Lyon Dynasty offices looking for her masters.
Fortunately, she has a new love interest, and both of them are strapped. These two have a love of concealed firearms in common, if nothing else.
What’s that dude’s angle, in the end? We’ll have to see, but we know Thirsty lives up to his name when it comes to lusting after power and violence.
Case in point: Hakeem’s kidnapping, which just raised the stakes of this Lyon family throwdown to levels we didn’t even know could be reached.