Empire is intent on embracing all of the conventions of the soap opera of late, and I'm loving every single minute of it. 

Empire Season 4 Episode 11 proved that the explosive midseason premiere was just the tip of the iceberg and that the insanity is only just beginning. 

Can I just say before we proceed that I would be on board for a Three Black Divas spinoff? The three-piece band was delightful. 

From their tired ass wigs to the dated wardrobe and that performance in the shopping mall for some publicity, they were trying to cling to whatever fame they had left. 

I appreciate that there are a lot of artists from Empire's history that we have yet to meet, but there was something about this once-hot girl group that struck a chord with me. 

Maybe it's the fact that they weren't as passive as Empire's current slate of artists. I loved that all three did not care about who they had to cut to the top. 

Related: Empire Season 4 Episode 10 Review: Claudia Has an Axe to Grind!

In their eyes, Cookie was nowhere to be seen during Empire's heyday, but little did they know that without Cookie being in the slammer, there would have been no Empire. 

They were a little too quick to point the finger and rule Cookie as the villain in all of this. Yes, Cookie could have done a bit more homework before picking the artists for 20 for 20, but at the same time, she was winging it when she came up with the idea. 

It was genius to have Empire buy over the opposing record label the ladies turned to for some leverage. There's nothing like a good old shakedown to show who is in control. 

Cookie is not going to make it easy for Three Black Divas and the constant back and forth will make for some more good TV. 

While Lucious and Cookie were busy trying to snag the washed-up former girl group, they failed to realize that Eddie was working on a plan to make a tidy sum of money. 

We know that Eddie wants to make money back, but I'm not so sure about Kelly's motives. Yes, he will get some money in the process, but he runs the risk of ruining the credibility of his entire firm. 

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Is anyone else getting the impression that Eddie likes Tiana a lot more than he's letting on? While I'm glad he's trying to sway her away from Hakeem, his comments about him being the only man who should be in her life were a little bit much.

If you watch Empire online, you will know fine well that Tiana and Hakeem have tried to have a relationship since the beginning of the series. 

There's no chemistry between them anymore. That's been obliterated by all of the back and forth between them. It's ridiculous, and the very notion that they could be engaged to be married is silly. It's never going to happen. 

Andre finally fessing up about his part in the bombing took a whole lot of guts, but he should probably be fearing for his life right about now. 

Lucious has proven in the past that he does not reward disloyal family members, and I would expect nothing less than for Lucious to be preparing for Andre's downfall. 

Cookie's health woes may bring the family back together for a short while, but there's no way everyone is going to stay on good terms with each other. 

We need to find out what's going on with Cookie because it seems like there's something out of the ordinary with her. Her almost fainting after the big win with the girl group should have foreshadowed that cliffhanger. 

There's no way the show would part with Taraji Henson, because, well, Cookie Lyon is the show, and losing her would result in a show with a bunch of unlikeable characters. 

Related: Forest Whitaker Cast on Empire!

But seeing a more vulnerable version of Cookie as she tries to find out what's wrong with her will make for some good TV. 

"Without Apology" was another solid episode of this Fox drama series. The storylines are all on fire right now, and this is the most coherent the show has been in quite some time. 

What do you think of all this, Empire Fanatics? Are you enjoying the storylines? What's your take on what's wrong with Cookie? How far will Lucious go in order to get revenge?

Hit the comments below. 

Empire continues Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.