Dangerous Bonds

“	I don't wanna win the game. I wanna change it.	”
—Hakeem

Dangerous Bonds
Season One, Episode Five
Air date:	February 4, 2015
Writers:	Malcolm Spellman
Director:	John Singleton
Premiere:	11.47 million
previous “False Imposition”		next “Out, Damned Spot”

Dangerous Bonds is the fifth episode of the first season of FOX television series, Empire, and the fifth episode overall. It is due to air on February 4, 2015.

Cookie receives an anonymous gift from an admirer that she believes might be a veiled threat from a person from her prison past. Meanwhile, Lucious takes charge of Hakeem's first video shoot.

Plot

Tiana and Hakeem are on the red carpet and a reporter asks if he’d be as big without his dad and Tiana says soon people will refer to Lucious as Hakeem’s dad and not the other way around. Tiana tells Hakeem she won’t be staying since she has an early day. She kisses him after he thanks her for having his back. She gets out and they all tease him about being in love with her. Tiana’s GF is waiting for her.

She goes and sits on her girl’s lap and they kiss passionately. Lucious has a surprise for Anika. He has brought in someone to play piano for them. He says he’s going to fight his ALS and wants to be with her for what time he has left. He drops to a knee and proposes. She says yes. She tells him the ring is beautiful and pulls him into a kiss.

He asks her to put the ring back in the box for a little bit and says they have to break it the family one carat at a time starting with her family. She says she’s going to wear it tonight and he says it’s all she’ll be wearing. Jamal brings Cookie to a studio in the slums. He says it’s all he can afford. She tells him he’s keeping it ghetto for sure. They come to a studio with three bullet holes in the window.

The producer says he’s only got enough money for one day and better lay it down right. Cookie says she has to go and tells him to not to pay for anything until he gets what he wants. She tells Tyree the producer that if he doesn’t watch out for her baby, she’ll get him and pats her purse and says she’s holding. She says her name is Cookie and to ask about her.

Agent Carter pulls up beside her and Cookie says they agreed to meet at her apartment. Carter says they’re following her to protect her. Cookie says she’s testifying and Carter assures her no one will know since it’s sealed and part of a grand jury. She reminds her she’s got the info on Frank Gathers. She says if she doesn’t testify, he will get out. Cookie asks if she testifies does that mean she won’t have to see Carter again.

Hakeem plays his new song for Anika and his dad. He shows them the video. He says he wants to change up the game not just win it. He says he needs to recreate himself and says he can’t just be his son. He also says Jamal is in the studio with a song he thinks is a winner. Andre says the video is a million over budget. Hakeem asks Lucious to support him and he says Andre will find the money. Anika and Hakeem leave.

Andre tells his dad the auditors are all over their books right now and Lucious says if he can’t find the money for this, he doesn’t know what purpose he serves. Andre meets up with Rhonda at a photo shoot she’s running and complains about the money. She says God loves them and sent them a little gift. She pulls some racks of clothes aside and shows him Tiana making out with one of the models. She snaps a pic and says this will drive Hakeem crazy.

Cookie is on the stand at the grand jury. They ask her about the man in the gray sweatshirt. They ask if she saw him get shot in the course of the drug deal. Cookie says a lot was happening all at once. We see a flashback to her at the drug buy and the cops on one side and a man with a rifle on the other. They ask her to name the shooter. We see she has blood splattered on her face. She says it was Frank Gathers and the guy that was shot was an undercover FBI agent.

Cookie stomps out and asks Carter if she knows what kind of animal puts down an FBI agent. Carter says the grand jury is secret to protect witnesses like her. Cookie says men like Frank Gathers reach out from prison to put people like her down. She asks if she can protect her from that. Andre comes to see his dad and says he figured out a way to pay for the video.

He says we can put another artist with him and use the money from her promotion budget. He says he can get Tiana to do it. Lucious says it’s a good idea but he has to get with her manager about it – that means seeing his mom. Vernon comes in and tells him they have a bigger problem. He says they need a key man policy for the IPO. Vernon says they have to have a doctor sign off that Lucious is in good health. He tells Vernon he asked Anika to marry him and gave her an 18 carat diamond.

He says it was the one Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor. He says he’s going to talk to Anika’s dad who is a doctor. Then Lucious says this week would be his anniversary with the cookie monster. Cookie steps outside her door to go meet Jamal and finds a red rose on her doorstep. There was a red rose on the drugs Cookie was dealing when the undercover agent was shot. She goes back inside and calls Carter and says someone is trying to kill her.

Cookie gets a wad of cash and her gun and heads out but then finds Andre at her door. He has the rose. She asks if he left it there but he says he just found it. She says she has to go because Jamal is at the ghetto ass studio. He asks the name of the studio and she says that’s it. He asks her to let Tiana on the video so they can use some of her budget for the video. She tells him to get her a seat on the board and he can have the money, Tiana and the video.

Hakeem is on set shooting on a green screen on top of a jet ski. His crew says they thought they were going to Miami but he demonstrates how the green screen works. He says it’s like Avatar or the Hobbit. Jamal is at his low rent studio laying down a track. Jamal says something isn’t right and calls for a stop so he can listen to the playback. He gets a call from Cookie and he says he’s having trouble with the intro. She asks to hear it. He plays it.

Cookie hails a cab and Jamal tells her to pay attention. Cookie says not to talk before the lyrics and says that’s too old school. She says he also needs to switch up the beat. She hangs up on him and he’s annoyed. The cabbie doesn’t want to give her a ride and says – you people always make trouble. She hands him a wad of cash and tells him that he’s black like her (he’s more Pakistani) but she doesn’t like the “you people” remark.

Porsha handles Tiana’s dance rehearsal. Hakeem makes a cell phone video about all the people he’s coming after. Tiana shows up and thanks her for being in the video. They call for Hakeem to hit his mark and she walks off. He’s on a bed with four hot models. Andre watches with a smirk then walks out. He tells Rhonda to post the photo on all the sites that follow TaKeem and says to make sure it’s not tied to her in any way. She uploads the video and photos and says it’s done.

Porsha reads on PerezHilton.com about Tiana and India and says it’s about to get hot. Hakeem blows up when he sees it and comes to confront her. He says what she does reflects on him and she tells him not to yell at her. She tells him that he has a sidepiece too. His crew says what and one of the others says yeah he does. She stomps off. Porsha calls Jamal and says to have Cookie call her. Andre then calls Rhonda and says Hakeem has a posse of freeloaders he wants to send over to Jamal’s session.

He goes to stand by Hakeem’s posse and rants that he can’t believe that Jamal is at Ghetto Ass Studios in a $20k watch by himself. Andre says he’d think about rolling Jamal himself if he needed the money. Hakeem’s loser crew rolls out and shows up at the studio and pulls a gun on Jamal and the producers. Raheem shoots one of the producers in the shoulder and Jamal asks if Hakeem told him to rob him.

Tyree comes in with a shotgun and says it can be a standoff or a massacre and runs them off. Jamal puts a tourniquet on the guy who was shot. Cookie tells the cab driver to wait on her as she goes and bangs on a door in Phillie. It’s her sister’s place. She says she found a rose on her doorstep and that’s Frank’s calling card. Her sister tells her Teddy McNally probably left it to play mind games before he kills you. Cookie says she might find a rose on her raggedy porch too since he knows they rolled together.

She asks what Cookie wants to do. Jamal’s day at the studio is done because of the shooting. He calls Cookie and she demands to talk to Tyree. Tiana calls her too and says Hakeem found out about her GF. She looks up that news story online. Cookie tells Tyree to bring in some rookies who want their big break. Cookie tells Jamal to get back with Tyree. She tells Tiana she’s a freak but they can work with it and says to get her butt back on set.

She then calls Lucious and he’s in – he tells her to have Tiana bring her girlfriend to set. Anika’s father is there with them. He tells him that Anika agreed to marry him knowing he has ALS. Her mother looks at her sparkly diamond. Lucious asks her dad if there’s anything new on the horizon and he tells him about some clinical trials but says nothing will change the prognosis but he promises to ask around. Anika asks her mom why she can’t just be happy for her.

She reminds Anika she used to come crying to her about the other women but Anika says things have changed now. Her dad Steve asks if he can help. Lucious tells him about the key man policy and says he needs a clean bill of health. Steve calls him a thug. Lucious says if he gets the IPO, Anika will be a billionaire when he dies. Steve asks if Anika knows and he says no. Her dad says he doesn’t want his daughter to ever know and Lucious agrees.

Cookie and her sister go see Jermel. He says Teddy McNally is the one that sends the roses and Cookie says she needs the roses to stop. Jermel says he’ll get at him. He says they’re family and he doesn’t need to do it for money. She waggles five grand and asks if he knows what she means by handle it and he says he’s got it and takes the cash. Jamal has Tyree bring in raw musicians and starts to manage them.

Vernon talks to Hakeem and says he has to work with Tiana. He sees Tiana and India together. Lucious is painting on one of the models’ backs. Hakeem says he can’t work with her and that girl. Lucious tells him to add up his girlfriend having a girlfriend and what that means. Hakeem says that means two girlfriends. He tells him to do the video then handle his situation like a Lyon. Jamal demonstrates the beat on the drum kit for the young guy. He gets it and starts laying it down.

Tiana sings along as Hakeem shoots his video. Tiana introduces India to Hakeem. Tiana shoots the video with Hakeem. Porsha watches and has a cocktail. Lucious watches too and nods in satisfaction. Jamal and his raw musicians laid down a sick track. Cookie rolls back up to the ghetto studio in time to hear the completed song. She smiles. She gives Jamal a big hug. Cookie gives some criticism and they adjust his voice in the mix. She smiles at Jamal as they listen to the tweaked track.

Jamal confronts Hakeem and says he robbed him. He tells him that his fools shot up his studio. He asks how they knew about the watch. They get into a fight and Hakeem says Jamal is nothing and that he’s worried about a single when he’s about to drop an album and be iconic. Jamal punches Hakeem hard in the stomach and knocks him down. He tells him not to underestimate him ever. Hakeem calls Andre and says that Jamal came saying that someone at his studio got shot.

He asks Andre for quick money to finish his video so he can drop it before Jamal’s single. He says he’s got him. There’s a knock at Cookie’s door. She shouts asking who it is. It’s Lucious. He looks around her place and at baby photos. She says even vampires have manners and asks why he’s there so late. He says he wanted to thank her for getting Tiana back on set and says they wrapped the video. She says wait til he hears the nuclear bomb that Jamal just dropped.

Cookie asks what he came for. He says he left her an anniversary present earlier. He says he never forgot their anniversary and reminds her of what it was like when they were young and broke. She says she remembers hitting him with a shoe because she thought he forgot it. She says he went out and stole a rose – she asks if he left her that rose earlier. She gasps and tells him that he has to go.

She calls Carol and asks her to call Jermel and call the whole thing off. Carol says it’s too late. Sure enough we see Jermel roll up on Frank. He tells him to smell the roses and he and a buddy gun him down.

Cast

Main Cast

• Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon
• Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon
• Trai Byers as Andre Lyon
• Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon
• Bryshere Gray as Hakeem Lyon,
• Grace Gealey as Anika Calhoun
• Malik Yoba as Vernon Turner
• Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda Lyon

Recurring Cast

• Rafael de La Fuente as Michael Sanchez
• Tasha Smith as Carol Hardaway
• Serayah as Tiana Brown
• Nealla Gordon as Harlow Carter
• Ta'Rhonda Jones as Porsha

Songs

Song Title	Performer(s)
The Point Of It All	Anthony Hamilton
Drip Drop	Hakeem Lyon and Tiana
Keep Your Money	Jamal Lyon