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Empire
Sept 23, 2015 22:19:25 GMT -5
Post by sonia38 on Sept 23, 2015 22:19:25 GMT -5
So happy the show is back and even happier that Michael's back.
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Post by Zathras on Sept 24, 2015 20:44:11 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this season. Last season was strong, though I thought they faltered toward the end (and the finale was too rushed). I'm ambivalent about Michael's return; their interactions yesterday felt odd, different than they were at the start of season 1. Maybe it's just that I'm not happy with the direction Jamal has taken . Cookie was right: he's turning into Lucious, which sucks because I don't see anything substantially redeeming about Lucious Lyon.
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Post by kevvoi on Sept 24, 2015 22:56:11 GMT -5
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Empire
Sept 26, 2015 6:03:59 GMT -5
Post by overtherainbow on Sept 26, 2015 6:03:59 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this season. Last season was strong, though I thought they faltered toward the end (and the finale was too rushed). I'm ambivalent about Michael's return; their interactions yesterday felt odd, different than they were at the start of season 1. Maybe it's just that I'm not happy with the direction Jamal has taken . Cookie was right: he's turning into Lucious, which sucks because I don't see anything substantially redeeming about Lucious Lyon. I like them together, they have great chemistry. I'm happy Michael is back. I like him more than Jamal's other love interest, Ryan. That said, I don't understand why they're back together. It's pretty obvious they still have some major issues and they need to work them out. Why did Michael even take him back? It's not like Jamal has changed much. I'd also wish they'd give Michael some more backstory. He's not a very interesting character. heck.. even Ryan had more backstory and he was only in like 2 episodes!
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Empire
Oct 1, 2015 9:00:26 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 1, 2015 9:00:26 GMT -5
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Empire
Oct 1, 2015 19:54:20 GMT -5
Post by Zathras on Oct 1, 2015 19:54:20 GMT -5
Hmm. That seems ... premature. Anyway, in yesterday's episode it still bothers me how close Jamal is trying to be with his father. In contrast, I liked the (briefly) friendly moment Jamal and Hakeem had. I liked how they were with each other early in season 1, before things went sideways. I'm still not convinced that Lucious has really accepted him, and I fear how hurt he might be once Lucious is released. Lucious is hardly trustworthy and I could easily see him react badly to Jamal & Michael.
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Empire
Oct 4, 2015 18:05:14 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 4, 2015 18:05:14 GMT -5
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Empire
Oct 6, 2015 16:19:26 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 6, 2015 16:19:26 GMT -5
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Empire
Oct 12, 2015 17:03:10 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 12, 2015 17:03:10 GMT -5
Interview with Jussie Smollett (note the sound seems off on the video):
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Empire
Oct 15, 2015 20:16:29 GMT -5
Post by sonia38 on Oct 15, 2015 20:16:29 GMT -5
Looks like Jamal might have himself a stalker in the photographer. I only hope neither Jamal nor Michael ends up with a knife in their throats like in the picture. Jamal is definitely a beautiful man.
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Empire
Oct 15, 2015 20:25:28 GMT -5
Post by Zathras on Oct 15, 2015 20:25:28 GMT -5
Well, he certainly has an admirer. There was one scene, in particular, that makes me think it's mostly about finding a way to get Michael out of the picture again. Maybe this time his jealousy gets the better of him. I guess we'll see. And, yes, Jamal is quite handsome.
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Empire
Oct 18, 2015 12:09:39 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 18, 2015 12:09:39 GMT -5
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Empire
Oct 22, 2015 19:12:08 GMT -5
Post by sonia38 on Oct 22, 2015 19:12:08 GMT -5
I cannot believe that they wrote Michael so of out character that they had him and that nasty painter guy do what they did and in Jamal’s home. I feel so bad for him though, he is so insecure in his relationship that he does not know his hand from his foot. I hope they are not getting rid of him because he and Jamal fit well together. Let’s see if they can work thru this and come out stronger as a couple. They really need to sit down and have a meaningful conversation about what they both want and need from each other. I was very disappointed with Michael.
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Empire
Oct 22, 2015 20:52:25 GMT -5
Post by Zathras on Oct 22, 2015 20:52:25 GMT -5
I'll admit that I didn't expect to see Michael do that. In some ways I was a little surprised that we didn't see Jamal confront him over it. But in other ways, I'm not at all surprised since the show doesn't seem to want to write a relationship for Jamal. I have suspected that the "artist's" presence was a way to split up Jamal and Michael; maybe they're going that direction. Jamal's indecision about taking Michael on tour with him would have worked better as a plot point if they had been developing the relationship more. I hope Andre's confession will help Jamal and Hakeem get closer again. I still really liked them as close brothers early in season 1 and I hated the show pushing them apart. I did laugh at the joke about evil Lucious entering the church and something about bursting into flames.
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Empire
Oct 23, 2015 15:53:23 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by sonia38 on Oct 23, 2015 15:53:23 GMT -5
If that's the case, which I hope not, that the artist was brought in to break them up, then they should not have brought Michael back they should have just left Jamal with that Ryan guy. It's things like this that make fans like me turn away from a show. How hard is it to just give Jamal and Michael a decent story. I have to scratch my head at these writers, they just go for shock value.
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dalia
Junior Member
Max & Iago Forever
Posts: 387
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Empire
Oct 23, 2015 17:47:37 GMT -5
Post by dalia on Oct 23, 2015 17:47:37 GMT -5
i'm not exactly sure why they brought Michael back. what was the point? i wouldn't have minded if there was an explanation for why they got back together in the first place. or given Michael more to do than just sit around Jamal, barely saying a word. for Michael to go off with the artist made no sense. i could only come up with the explanation that he felt like it's okay for him to cheat, since Jamal didn't want to bring him on tour. didn't Jamal say something to the effect that Michael thought Jamal wanted to cheat and thats why he didn't want to bring him. but even so, wouldn't he have told Michael that he wanted him to come on tour before throwing the party?
Jamal's love life doesn't factor into why i continue to watch this show. if it did i would have stopped in the middle of season 1.
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Empire
Oct 25, 2015 8:09:12 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Oct 25, 2015 8:09:12 GMT -5
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Empire
Nov 9, 2015 7:45:11 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Nov 9, 2015 7:45:11 GMT -5
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Empire
Nov 10, 2015 12:45:45 GMT -5
Post by vesper on Nov 10, 2015 12:45:45 GMT -5
I kinda of hate Jamal this season. The show is also very weak, they should have kept it with limited episodes. Nothing seems to happen.
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Empire
Nov 17, 2015 8:14:10 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Nov 17, 2015 8:14:10 GMT -5
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Empire
Nov 26, 2015 9:58:16 GMT -5
Post by overtherainbow on Nov 26, 2015 9:58:16 GMT -5
I just saw a gif on tumblr of Jamal kissing some woman. WHAT THE ACTUAL F***? I am so frikkin pissed off. So to summarize this year in gays on tv we have two fake gays and now a former gay.
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dalia
Junior Member
Max & Iago Forever
Posts: 387
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Post by dalia on Nov 26, 2015 15:16:15 GMT -5
i was so annoyed. Jamal has never once questioned his sexuality on the show and yet this stupid and tired plot device always ends up happening. predicting Jamal will start dating her which will thrill Luscious (but not Cookie) and that will make it harder for him to break up with her when he figures out oops, still gay.
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Empire
Nov 27, 2015 8:24:08 GMT -5
Post by kevvoi on Nov 27, 2015 8:24:08 GMT -5
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Empire
Nov 27, 2015 9:58:16 GMT -5
Post by overtherainbow on Nov 27, 2015 9:58:16 GMT -5
This interview is so bs I'm baffled at the stupidity of it all. "Jamal is still gay". Yes, because gay men go around kissing women ALL THE TIME! "It's about sexual fluidity." Yes, because GAY men are certainly sexually fluid! This might have been a valid point about BISEXUAL men, but not gay men. I'm sorry, but if a man has been gay basically his entire life, he just doesn't find out he's suddenly attracted to women. It's f***ing offensive. If Lee Daniels wanted Jamal to be "sexually fluid" he could have made him bisexual from the start, and I would have been ok with it. I am however NOT OK with this progression for Jamal. He spent the ENTIRE first season being out and proud and unapologetically gay, fighting bigots left and right. Now other bigots, in the form of bigoted viewers, get the right to say "damn, you must be a hot woman if you can turn a gay man straight" and "I knew it, gay men choose their sexuality". I didn't just take this out of my a** either, these are ACTUAL comments that I've seen on Youtube. Lee Daniels had a chance to shut up the bigoted viewers and enlighten them with Jamal, showing them that being gay is not a choice, it's who you are, and it's something to be proud of, not ashamed. Instead he gives the bigoted viewers more fuel to put on the fire by saying "look! even Jamal can fall for a woman, because women can attract all men, even gays! you see, being gay is a choice, so you can certainly change your sexually!" No, f*** him and Ilen Chaiken. They should be ASHAMED. They have ruined a gay character, not only that, they are depicting Jamal in a bigoted manner. I can't believe the showrunner is openly gay. This reeks of self hatred and/or internalized homophobia. It seems more to me that a homophobic showrunner wrote it, because that's how it all comes across. I am not ok with this, not at all. And yes, I'm f***ing fuming, I have all the right in the world to be mad. This showrunner DEFENDED making Jamal gay last season, I am appalled, sickened and offended with how he made Jamal have sex with a woman this season (and yes, they will have sex, Lee Daniels confirmed it). F*** this shit. Empire is dead to me. I don't give a f*** anymore. We've already have TWO fake gay characters this tv season, there's no way in hell I'm gonna accept a former gay character. We're not in the 80's anymore, we're in 2015 ffs. It's time these openly gay showrunners get some balls and write gay characters in a realistic and respectful manner (I'm looking at you, showrunner of Teen Wolf, Quantico, Scream Queens and Empire).
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Empire
Nov 27, 2015 11:30:39 GMT -5
Post by Zathras on Nov 27, 2015 11:30:39 GMT -5
Yeah, it happened. I don't like it, either. As the episode went on, though, it became increasingly obvious that's where they were going. It was actually really predictable, sadly enough. Not that I saw it coming at all before this week based on Jamal's behavior over the last season and a half.
From that interview I understand what they think they were doing, but I don't think it was the right direction for Jamal. He hasn't shown any real sexual attraction to women before now. The sham marriage/relationship thing last season where he thought he was the father of that little girl is the closest, but at the time that was clearly played as him being with her (in the past) out of a sense of obligation or fear than desire. To the extent that the show has bothered to develop Jamal's character, it's been as a gay man. He has been somewhat hesitant at times, but he knows who he is. If Lucious had been pushing Jamal on his sexuality for the last few weeks, it would have made a lot more sense. But then Jamal's behavior since the end of last season has been very odd. Sticking by the father that still sneers at him through thinly veiled homophobia.
There's one bit of that article that reinforces yet another sore point for me with this show. The author indicates that Jamal and Michael recently broke up over cheating. And that reminds me: if they really did break up, why the hell didn't the show bother to show us that? Or say anything about it. Michael cheated, Jamal made one offhand comment about trying to figure out how to respond, and the whole damn thing was dropped. The way this show portrays Jamal's relationships is a mess. They just can't be bothered to develop Jamal's relationships or his boyfriends ... at all.
Overall I'm not liking this season nearly as much as most of last season. They seem to have lost some of their direction, starting with the incredibly rushed season 1 ending.
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