"Empire" Season 3's "Light in Darkness" kicked off with the dreadful death of one of the major characters. When Fox's hip-hop drama returned on Sept. 21, Wednesday, viewers were stocked into their seats as the season opened with a few shocking happenings.
"Empire" showrunner Ilene Chaiken elaborated on the show's decision on who will be killed off in the balcony. Deciding who, is such a tough decision to make. Both Rhonda Lyon (Kaitlin Doubleday) and Anika Calhoun (Grace Byers) are well-loved characters, but they have to do it for the sake of "Empire" Season 3 storyline.
"Rhonda dies, but she's not out of the show," Chaiken told with The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm not going to say how long that convention persists, but it's an important part of Andre's story and his psyche and it really tells the story of his state of mind."
Viewers may have been shocked with the opening of "Empire" Season 3, but the showrunner assured that Rhonda will still be seen in the upcoming episodes. It is certainly not her last appearance in the show as Chaiken also revealed that Andre Lyon (Trai Byers) will have an unusual relationship with his deceased wife. Rhonda's death may have impacted Andre so bad that he may be hallucinating of his wife.
Anika was not seen by Andre pushing Rhonda in the balcony. As the episode continues, Anika will remain free despite the crime she committed. Amidst her secrets, she will face the consequences of her actions, according to Variety.
"Empire" Season 3 will be dwelling on the story that Anika is locked in an unhappy and conflicted marriage. It will not be easy for her to live in a house, where she is not even welcome by Lucious' mother Leah (Leslie Uggams), who still thinks that she is the woman of the house. Everything will have impact on Anika especially when she lied to Lucious (Terrence Howard) that they are having a baby girl.
Viewers will also be able see more of Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) as she accepts the fact that she has to start a new life without Lucious. Their relationship is powerful, but Cookie will be fast to move on. The conflict is, the more she tries to be away from Lucious, the more he is fighting to be with her.
"Empire" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. Watch some of "Empire" scenes showing how Rhonda's death affected Andre: