Just in time for Thanksgiving, “Sinned Against” is a stuffed episode of Empire.
Read our review here…
This Empire review contains spoilers.
Year two forEmpirehas almost unequivocally been a sophomore slump.
Hell, even the music has been worse?
I guess its sort of like grading on a scale.
The biggest reason I think this episode succeeds is because it contains traces of actually characterization.
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Same goes for Cookie.
Thats true to life.
But as I kind of allude to, there are inherent problems with all of this.
The Swift Stream plot is sort of the main storyline this season, but it feels so inconsequential.
The one overarching thread of the season shouldnt be the least interesting thing happening any given episode.
If Im diving into the bad, I should just keep going.
Ill take it though, because Im just ready for something else to happen.
Fortunately, tonight the guest stars work really where.
I could watch a whole show devoted to Cookie and Vivica A.
Fox as Candace squabble.
Oh, and of course Rosie ODonnell and Cookie were prison pals!
Then theres Alicia Keys, who I thought was great as Sky Summers.
You could notice their incredible chemistry, and then it happened…
Jamal kissing Sky is potentially incredibly problematic.
Having established gay characters turn straight can be seen as a harmful trope to the LBGT community.
Would it have been so hard to give Jamal a new love interest thats a man?
It could be interesting to see him reconcile with that impulse.
Basically, howEmpirefollows up on this will determine whether this was a reasonable move, or a disastrous one.
Get Empire Season 1 on Blu-Ray here!
Rating:
3 out of 5
