‘Empire’ Season 6, Episode 2 ‘Got On My Knees to Pray’ Review: A Twisted Faith

No matter what happens, the Lyons will always find themselves in complicated situations whether it’s in or out of Empire. We’ve been following hip-hop’s First Family since 2015, and they’ve always come out stronger than ever. They’ve survived a hostile takeover, a near-death experience, family clashes, losing the record label itself; heck, nothing can stop them from ever coming out on top despite the hard blows that life gives them. Tonight, however, they are tested beyond measure.

This week’s episode of Empire, titled “Got on My Knees to Pray,” Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is out for Damon Cross’ blood (Wood Harris), and we also find out that he’s been using his relationship with Yana (Kiandra Richardson)—Damon’s daughter—to get closer to his foe’s assets. Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), on the other hand, tries to iron things out with Damon. On the Lyon family front, Andre’s (Trai Byers) choices prompt another war with God yet again as the life of Teri (Meta Golding) and their baby hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, Bossy Media’s woes continue to pile up as timid artist Lala (Diamond White) struggles to become the headliner artist that Giselle (Nicole Ari Parker) and Becky (Gabourey Sibide) needs.

Here’s everything that went down on tonight’s episode of FOX’s Empire.

No One Can Mess With Andre—Yep, Even God.

Things have never been straight with Andre and the concept of God and religion. He might’ve had a few bright moments with power from on high, but Andre has always been a one-man show.  “Got on My Knees to Pray” explores this side of his character once again, as he faces the consequences of his recent actions. Killing off that annoying Mouse (Anthony Lee Irons) seemed satisfying, but it came back to haunt Andre.

Teri is rushed to the hospital after Andre finds her unconscious at home. That’s when Andre’s trauma begins resurfacing as the doctor tells him that Teri is suffering from pre-eclampsia and that he has to decide who lives between his wife and the baby. Is this unfortunate situation happening because of him killing Mouse? Or does Andre just so happen to be one unlucky motherfucker after going through so much loss throughout the years?

Even as Pastor Brown (Frederick Paul Williams) tries to show him the path to God (man, that “let go and let God” line had me flipping out), Andre has none of it and resolves to take control of his life without God in the equation. Eventually, Andre loses the tug of war. He even tries to bargain by offering his heart (well, technically it was Kingsley’s) so Teri and the baby could live, but God’s pull was stronger, apparently.

And just like clockwork, Andre gets the good news—after “surrendering” to God, Teri’s condition stabilizes and the baby can now breathe on his own. But things are not what it seems here. The same trauma that Andre felt after Rhonda, his former wife, died came back with a vengeance tonight in the form of Kingsley’s (A.Z. Kelsey) apparition. Kingsley also told Andre that it wasn’t God who helped Andre get through this. “I won’t let God take all the credit. It was me, bruh,” ghost Kingsley says. “I answered your prayers. You’re a cold-blooded killer, Andre. I saved you and your family.”

Yikes.

Revenge of the Lyon King

Alright, that headline’s a bit misleading. No once actually dies tonight, except maybe Damon Cross’ money stash. Last week, we were all left wondering if Lucious knows that his new girl Yana is actually Damon’s daughter. It turns out that he knew all along, and he’s using her innocence to get closer to Damon.

Cookie, meanwhile, demands an explanation from Damon. She knows that he turned Lucious in, try as Damon might to cover up his tracks. Eventually, Cookie finds out the truth when she snoops on Damon’s phone, seeing a hefty donation to former prosecutor Megan Conway’s election campaign.

As Yana prepares to meet her uncle Ray (Mario Van Peebles) for Damon’s money transfer, Lucious tugs along, knowing full well that he’s this close to nabbing Ray and Damon. Now, there’s no denying that Lucious is an opportunist son of a bitch (especially in desperate times) so he uses his time with Yana to figure out where Ray is. After Yana returns with an okay on the money for the next day, Lucious swoops in for the kill. Lucious breaks into Ray’s home and finds out that he’s stalling on giving Yana the money to give Damon time to arrive. So, okay, hold up. Does this mean that Damon knows Lucious is dating his daughter? Man, that’s a dire strait, if you ask me.

Lucious was then able to pressure Ray into giving him all of Damon’s money stash. Damon arrives to find his cash gone, with Lucious leaving an audio snippet of “Snitch Bitch” to taunt him.

Lala Finds Her Sound, Devon and Tiana Get Steamy in the Studio

Bossy Media’s struggle to take off with a landmark artist continues to plague Giselle and Becky. It’s one thing to scout for a talented YouTube artist. But it’s another to sign them only to find out that they’re basically useless when listened to live. Lala is the epitome of a shy YouTuber who only does it because she’s alone. But when the bigger stage comes after her, Lala shrinks to an almost audible singer.

But just when all hope is lost, Becky turns to one of the best confidence-boosters out there—tequila shots and karaoke at Club Leviticus. Luckily, Lala gets that surge of confidence after Melody (Alexandra Grey), the Club’s new manager, gives her a quick impromptu voice lesson. True enough, Lala musters enough courage to finally let her powerful voice out, much to Giselle and Becky’s jaw-dropped delight.

Meanwhile, at Empire, it looks like Tiana (Serayah McNeill) and Devon’s (Mario Barrett) relationship is in full swing once again. After vowing to stay celibate before his album finishes production, Devon finally gets the action that he’s been saving himself up for. When Tiana helps him lay down some adjustments to his new track (hold up, I thought his album was done?), the pair immediately gets wild and steamy. After one round, Devon gains a boost of creativity for his track, adding some much-needed flair to it.

HONORABLE MENTION: What will Billy Beretti (Judd Nelson) do with the Lyon mansion nine months from now? Is he colluding with Damon Cross?

‘Empire: Got on My Knees to Pray’ Overall Verdict

It’s nice to see Empire returning to the “disturbed Andre” narrative after so long. With Jamal finally out of the picture, it looks like the show is building up Andre as the new heart of Empire. It’s a bold move as Andre’s character is riddled with so many twists and turns that only make him more raw and relatable.

The drama is significantly highlighted in tonight’s episode, and it gives a whole new perspective to where the show is likely headed. With a pace that holds nothing back and dialogue that does a great job at deepening our understanding of the Lyon family, “Got on My Knees to Pray” is a great thrill to watch—bouncing off of the amazing writing of the show’s first two seasons.

Empire continues Tuesday, October 8th, with “You Broke Love” at 9/8c on FOX.