'Empire' Delivered A Game-Changing Finale

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the plot of Empire was taken from Shakespeare — King Lear to be exact. With all the guest stars and original songs, it's truly taken on a life of its own. When something intense happens, though, its dramatic roots show. This is the case with the Season 3 finale, "Toil and Trouble Part 2." Just when viewers thought it couldn't get more thrilling than Leah stabbing Tariq last week, the finale's last few minutes proved that false. Did Lucious lose his memory on Empire? The season finale delivered a shocking twist.

In the final moments, Lucious woke up from his three-month long coma. Crowding around him was his nurse, played by Demi Moore, and his family. As everyone greeted him, though, Lucious admitted that he didn't know who anyone was — and that's where the episode ended. How did Lucious even get to that point? Throughout the season, Andre and Shyne were planning to take down Lucious; their big scheme was to kill him. Andre discovered, though, that Lucious was literally handing over the keys to Empire. He tried to call off the hit, but it was too late. Andre warned Cookie and Lucious of an exploding car bomb; Lucious pushed Cookie away, but he was unfortunately caught in the blast.

Lucious fell into the coma trying to save Cookie. Now, he doesn't appear to know who she is. Prior to all this, the couple decided to quit working and travel the world together, so this is incredibly poor timing. Will Lucious get his memory back? Showrunner Ilene Chaiken provided some hints in Variety. While she couldn't answer whether Lucious will start to remember anything, she did comment, "All I can say is Lucious was severely damaged in that explosion."

Chaiken did admit, though, that Demi Moore's character is going to be very important to Lucious next season. Perhaps she helps him to jog his memory. Seeing how close she appeared to be with Lucious during the finale, though, his family may not appreciate her presence. Even if Lucious does regain his memory, there's still a lot up in the air. Will he remember that his mother killed Tariq? Will he find out that Andre was the one that tried to kill him? Viewers will have to wait until the fall for these answers, but it will give them a well-deserved break from the drama.