Empire shocked fans in the Season 3 premiere by revealing it was Rhonda who fell off the balcony during the fight with Anika. While previous spoilers had suggested that Rhonda would be the one to die , viewers were still stunned by her brutal and tragic death.
According to Unreality TV , just because Rhonda is dead, doesn’t mean she’s gone. The Empire character will be popping up in future Season 3 episodes to interact with her husband Andre. As many fans know, Andre suffers from mental illness, and after Rhonda’s death, he’s sure to be pushed to the brink like never before. This will truly be a huge test for poor Andre.
In the Empire Season 3 premiere last week, Andre is seen mourning the loss of his beloved wife and blaming himself for her death. Andre then sees Rhonda in his mind as she tells him that he’ll never be able to live without her. After all, it was Rhonda who made sure that Andre took the correct dose of his medication and kept him grounded when his mental illness threatened to take him time and time again. How can Andre survive without her?
It is for this reason that fans will likely see Rhonda in multiple episodes during Season 3. Empire showrunner, Ilene Chaiken, recently revealed that although Rhonda is very much dead, she’s not gone by any means. When asked why Rhonda was chosen to be killed off over Anika, Ilene confirmed that fans haven’t seen the last of actress Kaitlyn Doubleday, adding that it was “inconceivable that either one of them wouldn’t be in the show.”
“Rhonda dies but she’s not out of the show. It’s an important part of Andre’s story and his psyche, and it really tells the story of his state of mind.”
As Empire fans know, Andre has already lost so much in his young life. His mother, Cookie, was imprisoned when he was very young and he was raised by the iron fist of his tyrant father, Lucious Lyon. Andre’s mental illness became clear when he was a teenager, and his father seemingly couldn’t deal with it. Viewers later learned that Lucious’ anger towards Andre’s mental state stemmed from his own mother, Leah, who also suffered from mental issues.
In Season 2 of Empire , Rhonda and Andre were delighted to learn that they were expecting their first child together. The baby, which was a boy, brought the family closer together and even had Lucious excited for the future of his bloodline. However, that all sadly ended when Anika, who was pregnant with Hakeem’s child, decided she wanted to produce the first Lyon heir. Anika then did the unthinkable and pushed Rhonda down a flight of stairs, leaving her for dead. Rhonda survived, but sadly her child did not. The baby died and left both Rhonda and Andre mourning the loss.
Later, when Rhonda remembered that it was Anika who pushed her down the stairs and killed her baby, all she wanted was revenge. It was this shocking revelation that led to the rooftop fight between Rhonda and Anika, and essentially Rhonda’s death.
It seems that Andre’s Season 3 storyline will be mourning Rhonda, as well as dealing with the mental illness that allows him to still see his late wife in his mind. The Lyon family will likely try to get Andre help, but at this point, he’s become a professional at hiding his inner demons.
What are your thoughts on the latest Empire Season 3 spoilers? Are you glad that actress Kaitlyn Doubleday will be hanging around as Rhonda Lyon for a little while longer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS8BQBKNxgY
[Featured Image by Chuck Hodes/FOX]
