Oscar-winning actor's debut on 'Empire' is exactly what Lucious Lyon needs

Kylie Mar
·Host & Producer, Yahoo Entertainment

On Empire, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker was welcomed to the Lyon’s den as he made his debut as Eddie Barker, one of Lucious Lyon’s closest friends.

After learning about his friendship with Eddie, Lucious spontaneously showed up at the wedding of Eddie’s niece in what seemed like an attempt to remember any part of his life before he lost his memory. Eddie seemed happy to see his old pal, but as he started to share stories with a group of friends — and one violent memory in particular — Lucious began to have flashbacks. As we learned during the season premiere last week, the new Lucious does not respond well to hearing about his previous life as Empire’s ruthless CEO. So while it seems like “Uncle Eddie” may be the key to unlocking Lucious’s memory, having brutal flashbacks flood his mind is also quite traumatizing for him.

Back in the Lyon’s den, Cookie and Eddie had a heart to heart, and he told her that he knows Lucious doesn’t remember who he is. Cookie ended up confessing to him that Lucious experienced a traumatic brain injury and that has indeed lost his memory. So Eddie offered some advice. “What do our families do when a loved one is sick or dying? We step up,” he said. “You need to get those artists, and they need to hold you up. They need to support this. With music. That’s what Lucious would want. Music.”

We already know that Whitaker signed a multi-episode deal as a guest star for Season 4 of Fox’s hit musical drama, so we can’t wait to see how his character develops throughout the rest of the season. He also feels like the first person we can actually trust. We’re looking at you, Demi Moore.

Empire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. Watch clips and full episodes of Empire free on Yahoo View.

Check out Empire season premiere highlights, as told through the best Twitter reactions:

Read more from Yahoo! Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.