While all of us are playing checkers, the Lyon clan is playing chess, and in the words of the ever slick and seductive Lucious Lyon, “It’s game time bitches!” To kick off our Season 2 Binge-A-Thon (all day Saturday starting 9am), we thought it only appropriate to devote each day leading up to it to a Lyon, with a breakdown of how their role mirrors a piece on a chessboard, because after all, each one is playing HARD to depose the king.
THE WEAKEST LINK
Andre Lyon is definitely “The Pawn”. This piece may be the most numerous on the board but in most circumstances it is also the weakest, because unlike all the others it cannot move backwards. Conflicted by his mental illness and limited by a lack of respect from Lucious because of it he’s always looking ahead and attempting to move forward, regardless of who is in control. But his boss moves just don’t seem to resonate as much as his brothers’. Nervous breakdowns, constant “come to Jesus” sessions, and ever evolving marital problems lead us to believe Andre may not be worthy of the crown. Still at times he has definitely showed up and showed out.
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ULTIMATE CHECKMATE MOVES
Andre’s top 3 power moves to check Lucious include:
Getting back in Lucious’ good graces via his wife’s pregnancy. (Season 2, Episode 3)
Whether or not he did this on purpose, using Becky with the good hair is always a good move.
Helping Lucious set up Hakeem for failure at the annual shareholder’s meeting. (Season 2, Episode 13)
Definitely didn’t see this one coming. All’s fair in love and Lyon war, so pushing his music streaming app agenda to the forefront was a win.
Bringing Lucious’ “dead” mother to a family meeting. (Season 2, Episode 16)
Oooh weee messy! Andre has brought a new mama cat into the Lyon den and her baby cub is cowering in the corner. Checkmate bih!
PAWN’S PROSE
We love the writing of this show so much we had to highlight some of the characters’ best quotes. Now admittedly, Andre’s quotes miss a certain “je ne sais Cookie”, but considering his “pawn-ness”, any sign of toughness is good enough for us.
“This scrappy little set up is not what I’ve been working for.” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Andre knows his worth and stands his ground when Cookie’s Lyon Dynasty label isn’t panning out.
“I’m not a good person Ma. I’ve done horrible things.” (Season 2, Episode 5)
Andre finds God and finds out he’s just as devious as any other Lyon.
“To hell with you Lucious.” (Season 2, Episode 13)
Best Andre moment by far. Literally standing toe-to-toe with Lucious he confronts him about withholding his grandmother’s mental history.
ENDGAME
At this point Andre’s position is a lot better than before. He’s president of Gutter Life Records and is back on #TeamLucious. Our recommendation for him to win control of Empire is to use Freda to build up the hip hop label brand so that it eclipses all others, keep asserting control over the music streaming app idea and keep a close eye on Lucious. If he keeps digging into the grandmother issue he’ll probably find out more secrets Lucious has been keeping.
Next, we break down “The Knight”. In the meantime, get ready for our Season 2 Binge-A-Thon. Watch all day Saturday, starting 9 am.
