Early on in Season 2 of Empire, Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) point blank asked his father Lucious (Terrance Howard) why he seemed to hate him so much. Lucious never answered the question, but the show tried to by giving viewers a puzzling flashback of a young Lucious (then Dwight Walker) being sung to by his mother Leah (Kelly Rowland). There's a lot I know and want to know about Lucious' mom on Empire. Let's backtrack to the scene in question from last week's episode — not only does Leah Walker sing a lullaby to little Dwight, she spaces out during it. And there, instead of answering Andre's question, the scene causes so many more questions to arise in the mind of the viewer.
Here's what you and I know about Leah Walker from Empire: Her name (duh), she lived in Philly with her son Dwight, she spaced out during lullabies sadly, and she somehow disappears from Lucious' life at age nine, leaving him as an orphan. According to an interview in Vogue, Taraji P. Henson who plays Cookie talked about Lucious' background. "He’s been an orphan since nine, so a lot of his actions are coming from that, having to survive in a really inhumane way, as a nine-year-old out on the street," she said. "I marvel at how he was able to do it."
So, how was he able to do it? That's among the things I want to know about Lucious' past and his mom Leah. Here are some more things I hope we find out soon.
Does She Have A Mental Illness?
This is the big theory circulating around the Internet. Many sources believe that the Leah flashback was meant to indicate that she also has a mental illness, much like Andre who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This actually makes a lot of sense, and might explain why Lucious keeps his distance from Andre. Perhaps Leah's illness left some painful scars for the former Dwight. But was she also bipolar or did she battle something else?
What Happened To Her When Lucious Was Nine?
In a preview video for Season 2, Howard talks about how viewers will see a tragedy from Lucious' childhood — could it have something to do with why Leah is longer in his life at age nine?
Did She Have Other Children?
Was little Dwight her only child or does Lucious have siblings out there? It might be fun to see Lucious spar with a long-lost sister or brother.
What Happened Between Her & Lucious' Dad?
When Leah is gone, Lucious is left as an orphan to fend for himself on the streets. But what happened to Lucious' dad? Was he ever in the picture or did he check out of their lives way earlier? Did Lucious/Dwight ever try to contact him? And how has that influenced how Lucious relates to his own sons?
Was She Involved In Music?
Lucious' passion is music. It's the one thing that launched his great empire and it's something he loves so much that he'll even pursue it in jail. Plus, we already know that Rowland can sing (above).
Will We Ever See Her On The Show (In Present Day)?
In the flashbacks, Leah is played by Destiny's Child crooner Kelly Rowland. But if Leah is still alive, who will play her and what would she be like after all those hard years? How would she fit into the show?
And I think the biggest question of all would be: Would Lucious even accept her back into his life? I guess we'll have to tune in to find out the answers.
Forgot what happened last season on Empire? Check out the (drunk) recap below.
Images: Chuck Hodes (4)/FOX
