A potential spouse saying “no” apparently isn’t the worse thing that can happen during a marriage proposal as Angelo found out in Empire season 3 episode 14, “Love Is A Smoke”. Played by Taye Diggs, New York City councilman Angelo Dubois made his first appearance on Empire in the season 3 episode “Sin That Amends” collaborating with Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) on an anti-gun violence summit. Although Angelo and Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) got off on the wrong foot with her laying into him about his privileged upbringing, romance soon blossomed between the pair.
Despite their differences and Lucious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) best efforts to drive a wedge between them, Angelo and Cookie’s relationship continued. She tried hard to impress Angelo’s devious high society mother Diana (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show) and supported him throughout his campaign to become mayor of New York, even organizing a fundraising concert for him. Angelo did a lot for Cookie too, some of which was legally questionable. This includes using his influence to help get Freda Gatz (Bre-Z) out of jail for Jamal, looking the other way when he learned of the illegal handgun Cookie had and getting her parole officer to cut her some slack.
As whirlwind a romance as it was, by Empire season 3 episode 14 Angelo was ready to take their relationship to the next level. On the advice of Jamal who told him Cookie likes grand gestures, Angelo invited her to appear with him on a live TV show where he got down on one knee and popped the question to a shocked Cookie, who only managed to utter an “oh my god” rather than an affirmative answer.
After retreating backstage Cookie laid into Angelo for putting her on the spot before confessing she still had feelings for Lucious and that they had kissed each other before his ill-thought-out proposal. Angelo went into meltdown mode, telling Cookie he compromised his mayoral campaign and career for her several times and started listing off all the aforementioned illegal stuff he did for her. Unfortunately for Angelo, his microphone was still on, so all his misdeeds were broadcast. In one fell swoop, Angelo’s political career was effectively over alongside his relationship with Cookie.
The whole proposal fiasco had ramifications for Cookie too, with Empire season 3 episode 14 ending with Angelo’s mother Diana swearing revenge on the Lyon matriarch for ruining her son’s career. As later episodes of Empire would prove, the devious Diana would keep to her word.
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