The Lyons are back home.
In last week’s Empire midseason premiere, TV’s first family of music returned to Empire, and in an exclusive clip from Wednesday’s episode, Jamal (Jussie Smollett) wastes no time getting back into the studio.
With Jamal and Kai having just split, Jamal turns to what he knows and does best: music. And what he also knows is that Empire is going to need some quick hits, and he’s got in one particular that needs a strong female vocal. “I don’t need to hear it, I trust you,” declares Tiana (Serayah), who appreciates the love considering her recent breakup with Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray), to which Jamal responds, “You still family.”
But, despite that nice moment between them, it sounds like Tiana isn’t the shoo-in that it seems, as the episode’s description says that she’ll have to fight over the right to be on the track with Treasure (Katlynn Simone), who also looks to be getting closer to Hakeem.
As for Jamal, showrunner Brett Mahoney recently told EW that the character will continue to struggle with the tug between his family and Kai. “Whereas they had this idyllic life in London, now they’re here in New York and Jamal is back with his family and what does it mean for Jamal to be a Lyon?” shared Mahoney. “And is Jamal tired of apologizing for being a Lyon? And is it going to be up to Kai to either accept him or will they have to go their different ways? And for Kai, he’s going to get a real glimpse of what it actually means to be a Lyon, and he has to make a decision for himself if he wants to be associated with the family.”
Empire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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