In the latest episode of the FOX music drama series, Cookie and Angelo get closer, but another pair go as far as taking it to bed.
- Oct 13, 2016
AceShowbiz - It doesn't take too long for Andre to find himself a new girl, after the death of his wife Rhonda. In the latest episode of "Empire" that aired Wednesday, October 12, [SPOILER ALERT!] he had sex with Nessa, Shine's protege whom Andre's brother Hakeem also has feelings for, on his office table.
But it got even more shocking when Andre's late wife Rhonda joined them in the tryst through Andre's hallucination. Co-executive producer Matt Pyken, who wrote the episode with Attica Locke, has spoken with ET about the jaw-dropping moment.
"On 'Empire', nothing happens without a complication," he says of pairing Andre with Nessa. "The plan for those two is that because Andre is the one Lyon brother who doesn't do music, it's interesting for him to finally find his muse in a girl who's all about music."
Of why they incorporated Rhonda in the steamy moment, Pyken explains, "Anyone who's lost a friend or a loved one so suddenly often sees those people, almost sees them in their daily life. Because he was so dependent on her, Rhonda still lives -- in our mind -- as a part of Andre's mind. Her literally participating with Nessa gave him the permission to go love again, at least a little bit, because it hasn't been very long since Rhonda's been gone."
Noting that nothing can be kept a secret forever, he says that "someone's gonna find out" about Andre and Nessa's hookup and "sparks will fly from that." Pyken also reveals that it's not the last time we saw Rhonda on the show. "You're going to see Rhonda again, I can tell you that, and there will be some very interesting resolution. The audience can look forward to that sooner than later," he teases.
The characters' romantic development aside, next week we will likely see Shine and Lucious' feud that escalates into a new level. In a preview for the upcoming episode, the former declares that he's going to kill a Lyon before he's seen sneaking into Andre's place and pointing a gun to him.
"Empire" will return with "One Before Another" on Wednesday, November 2, after the World Series. According to the official synopsis, "Lucious and Andre are on high alert as they wait for Shine to retaliate after their latest business encounter went south. Jamal, who has yet to perform in front of his fans, teams up with Hakeem for a performance that he thinks could help him face his fears. Meanwhile, Cookie is caught off-guard during a routine meeting with her probation officer."
