Four months is a long time for a television show hiatus. So with “Empire” making its grand return tonight (March 30), it’s only fitting that we recap what went down before the Fox hit series went dark and just what shenanigans to look out for once the Lyons roar back on the scene.

Lucious Lost Empire To Camilla & Mimi

Lucious let Mimi Whiteman (Marisa Tomei), his “business partner in crime,” get too close and now he’s dealt with a stab wound to the back and his Empire creation in the hands of his arch-nemesis Camilla Marks (Naomi Campbell). Camilla, also Hakeem’s former flame and now the wife of Mimi, had been forced out of town by Lucious in Season One, but her surprise return only allowed karma to rear its head for the head of Empire, as Lucious has been relieved of his duties as CEO and chairman.

Of course, Hakeem also had a hand in the demotion, voting in favor of the removal of his father. Now we’re left with a big “What If” for this mid-season continuation. Will Lyon Dynasty and Lucious put the drama aside and unite as an actual family to take out the outsiders? Or will Lucious once again go in his bag to ensure that things go his way?

Jamal Becomes A Big Star

Jamal is outchea as one of R&B’s biggest stars. He got a Pepsi endorsement, a hit song in “Boom Boom Boom Boom,” which went up for song of the year at the American Sound Awards, and is still handling duties as CEO of Empire. With all this going on in his life, the question ends up being how he manages this all? Also remember, Jameson (William Fichtner) told Lucious he really wanted to start a campaign for Jamal and promote him as a gay artist, but was told that Jamal had been hooking up with Skye Summers (Alicia Keys). Chances are that this revelation will breed unexpected turns in the coming episodes.

Rhonda Was Pushed Down the Stairs

Rhonda being pushed down the steps by Anika might have the been the craziest, most shocking moment in Empire history. In case you forgot, Anika is pregnant with Hakeem’s baby and Rhonda is pregnant with Andre’s baby. The difference between the two pregnant women are Rhonda and Andre are married, while Anika became pregnant out of desperation, messing with her ex-husband’s youngest son. Being that Anika isn’t living the lifestyle she once had while married to Lucious, she feels like keeping the baby will keep her in the Lyon family. However, in her mind there could only be one baby to receive that special Lyon attention.

The first half of season two ended with Anika pushing Rhonda down the steps and Rhonda lying in a pool of blood. As the second half of the season picks up tonight, I think viewers will be heartbroken. Our guess is neither Rhonda or the baby made it after being pushed. Nevertheless, knowing the Lyon family, we believe they will get to the bottom of who was responsible for this vicious act and make them pay. Maybe a life for a life? Whatever the outcome is, everyone is ready to see the second half of Empire, Season Two, unfold.

Hakeem Is the Face of Lyon-Dynasty… And A Lot Of Drama

Last season, Hakeem gained some wins and took quite a few losses. If it didn’t involve getting kidnapped, he was being pulled into rap beef. On the last episode, just when things appeared to be going his way with the music and his stance as the face of Lyon Dynasty, we find Anika pregnant with his child — unbeknown to him — and Camilla dragging him in the Empire drama against his father. Where does he go from here?

Cookie’s Family Secret

Cookie has a lot of surprises headed her way as the remainder of season 2 of Empire returns to FOX tonight. As Cookie and Candace (played by Vivica A. Fox) go on a mission to find their strung out sister Carol, they embark on an underground journey of relentless back alley searching. Once Carol has been located with help from one of Cookie’s old cell mates, both sisters are relieved and decide to grab a bite to eat. This is where things get interesting. During discussion of where Carol will stay during her drug rehab, both Cookie and Candice feel they are the better fit for Carol’s well-being.

Carol chooses to go with Cookie to New York while Candace looks after her kids. When Cookie leaves the table, it is revealed that Carol is hiding a secret from Cookie about something she did while Cookie was in jail. This season may give us a look back at the dynamics of each of the sisters and their relationship with Cookie.

Although Carol seems to be Cookie’s favorite, Candace knows that once Cookie finds out Carol’s secret, things will be less than cordial. We’re under the impression that two scenarios could have went down: Either Carol had something to do with Cookie’s incarceration (maybe ratting her out or giving up details on catching her) or Carol has had a sexual relationship with Luscious while Cookie was in jail.

Check out our Empire REVOLT Recap from last year’s mid-season finale.