MY TAKE: Empire Season 1 Finale Review
On Wednesday night, the season finale of Empire was watched by 16.7 million viewers, up 11% from last week to a series high, with the second hour coming in at 17.4 million viewers. No show in modern TV history has ever grown more from the season premiere, to the season finale, up 71% from the premiere.
Bottom line, the show is a smashing success.
But I want to really look at the the 2 hour season finale event that the millions of people tuned into watch and judge it critically, as I would any other show. You see, I am a tough TV critic, but I am honest. I like what I like, but I can objectively give a review of anything I watch without any personal agenda. So let us talk real TV.
One word describes my thoughts of Wednesday's 2 hour event; rushed.
Like many things in life, timing is everything. No different when it comes to a television show. If you build to something and it climaxes at the right time, it can be so satisfying. But if you throw everything at the wall and give the viewers too much to digest, the meaning and importance can be lost.
Let's look at everything that happened in two hours of television.
Too damn much:
And that's all in Hour 1!!!!!!! You know how many episodes they could have made out of all that material? Smh.
But wait, there is more.
And all of this in just 2 hours of TV.
Just looking at the content of everything that happened, it was great action and the performances were stellar. But that is not how good TV is produced. Giving away all of these story plot points in one night is crazy and it leaves the viewer trying to remember everything that happened.
Hakeem sleeping with Annika should have been built up allot better. It was a complete throw away. Lucious just walks in a room and they are getting it in. No follow up, no nothing. Then all of a sudden they plan a hostel takeover and execute it in less than an hour.
What?
My biggest issue was Lucious revealing that he didn't have ALS in the way he did. If he's going to be a villain, make him a villain. Have him use sympathy to sucker his family and then suck them dry. Then down the line either let him be caught for lying or have a change of heart. Come on man. Poor story telling.
I could go on and on about my problems with the finale, but I don't want to completely rip it, as there was allot good as well.
The performances by all involved continue to be the highlight of the show every week, and the music is phenomenal. Great performances by J Hud and Patti topped my best songs of the night. Snoop was cool too.
Overall, great first season and I'm glad that there is a strong show led by African Americans on TV. Not only a strong show, but a huge Hit. This will go a long way in opening the eyes of the Hollywood producers during pilot season. Its shows that an audience will follow a show with an African American cast.
But as for Wednesday's finale, it leaves a lot to be desired in season 2. I hope it only gets better.
Bottom line, the show is a smashing success.
But I want to really look at the the 2 hour season finale event that the millions of people tuned into watch and judge it critically, as I would any other show. You see, I am a tough TV critic, but I am honest. I like what I like, but I can objectively give a review of anything I watch without any personal agenda. So let us talk real TV.
One word describes my thoughts of Wednesday's 2 hour event; rushed.
Like many things in life, timing is everything. No different when it comes to a television show. If you build to something and it climaxes at the right time, it can be so satisfying. But if you throw everything at the wall and give the viewers too much to digest, the meaning and importance can be lost.
Let's look at everything that happened in two hours of television.
Too damn much:
- Cookie gets some cookie from the dude who played Puffy, then Lucious finds out and kicks Cookie out of the company. Oh yea, and Puffy leaves town for a new job. (He got the cookie, mission accomplished.)
- Hakeem stands up to Lucious and quits the label, so his Daddy knocks him the f*ck out.
- Crazy Andre has a thing for his therapist, Jennifer Hudson, and quits Empire in search for Jesus?
- Jamal and Lucious get close and write a song. Then all of a sudden Jamal holds a dude off the ledge of a building like he bout that life.
- Lucious walks in on his ex Annika having sex with Hakeem in the club, (and they see him and keep going).
- Miraculously, Lucious does not have ALS. He was misdiagnosed, he's not dying after all........
- Cookie almost smothers Lucious with a pillow after he admits in his sleep that he doesn't have ALS and that he killed her cousin Bunkie.
And that's all in Hour 1!!!!!!! You know how many episodes they could have made out of all that material? Smh.
But wait, there is more.
- Lucious tells his family that he's not dying and announces Jamal as his successor to the Empire throne. The brothers get.... gold gifts.
- Lucious makes it clear to Cookie that he knows she tried to kill him, and he gives her a mini pillow as a gift.
- Lucious shows Jamal video of Cookie trying to kill him, driving a wedge between Cookie and Jamal.
- The Feds are after Lucious for killing Bunky and they want Cookie to snitch. You know, cause she was supposed to snitch before and didn't...
- Annika plans a hostile takeover of Empire and plans to get Andre and Cookie on board.
- Cookie and Annika have a great little cat fight.
- Rhonda's pregnant and she kills Malik Yoba with a candlestick for attacking Andre.....
- The company goes public
- Lucious gets arrested by the Feds for Bunkie's murder
- Jamal performs, Lucious' song with Patti La Belle while his father is being led away in cuffs...... (Patti killed it)
- As Lucious is being led away in cuffs, Precious reveals a few things to him quickly, a) that she can't find Malik Yoba (I never call him Vernon) anywhere, b) the stock is plummeting since his arrest, (which only happened moments earlier and he hadn't even left the building yet, and it's nighttime when the stock market is closed), c) it may be a hostile takeover.....
- Andre and Hakeem are shown looking at Lucious deviously. Lucious has a look on his face like he knows it was them who were responsible. And all of this happens in the matter of moments.
- The Feds are overheard by Andre admitting that they are in trouble because Malik Yoba is their star witness and they can't find him.
- Lucious goes to jail and vows REVENGE!!!!
And all of this in just 2 hours of TV.
Just looking at the content of everything that happened, it was great action and the performances were stellar. But that is not how good TV is produced. Giving away all of these story plot points in one night is crazy and it leaves the viewer trying to remember everything that happened.
Hakeem sleeping with Annika should have been built up allot better. It was a complete throw away. Lucious just walks in a room and they are getting it in. No follow up, no nothing. Then all of a sudden they plan a hostel takeover and execute it in less than an hour.
What?
My biggest issue was Lucious revealing that he didn't have ALS in the way he did. If he's going to be a villain, make him a villain. Have him use sympathy to sucker his family and then suck them dry. Then down the line either let him be caught for lying or have a change of heart. Come on man. Poor story telling.
I could go on and on about my problems with the finale, but I don't want to completely rip it, as there was allot good as well.
The performances by all involved continue to be the highlight of the show every week, and the music is phenomenal. Great performances by J Hud and Patti topped my best songs of the night. Snoop was cool too.
Overall, great first season and I'm glad that there is a strong show led by African Americans on TV. Not only a strong show, but a huge Hit. This will go a long way in opening the eyes of the Hollywood producers during pilot season. Its shows that an audience will follow a show with an African American cast.
But as for Wednesday's finale, it leaves a lot to be desired in season 2. I hope it only gets better.