'Empire' season 2 episode 17 spoilers: Cookie reveals why she feels awkward around Freda in 'Rise by Sin'

In Season 2 Episode 17 of “Empire,” Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) will tell Jamal (Jussie Smollett) the truth about Freda Gatz (Bre-Z) and her father.

Spoiler alert! This article contains “Empire” spoilers. Read on if you would like to know what happens next before the new episode airs.

“Hakeem feels under pressure as he struggles to find a place for his fiancé, Laura, in both his family and his career; Cookie finally lets Jamal in on the truth about what happened to Freda's father, prompting him to warn Freda about his family's ulterior motives; and a sacrifice is made on behalf of Lucious (Terrence Howard),” states the episode synopsis on TV Guide.

In the next episode, titled “Rise by Sin,” Lucious and Cookie’s background will be returning to cause them some trouble. Cookie will finally tell Jamal the reason why she feels awkward around Freda. She will reveal that she had Lucious kill Freda’s father, Frank Gathers (Chris Rock), during his time in jail. Cookie will also share that she fears that Freda will exact revenge against their family as soon as she finds out the truth. Jamal will approach Freda to reveal his family’s plans against her.

Meanwhile, Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) will get ready to be married. However, he will start to experience cold feet and think about the consequences of being married and committed for life. He will also be worried about finding a home where he will live with fiancé Laura (Jamila Velazquez), which will be ideal for both his future family and career. Hakeem’s relationship with Laura may also be threatened because of his work with ex-girlfriend Tiana (Serayah).

Episode 17 will also reveal more about Lucious’ mother. The previous episode revealed how she was really insane and believed that she should have killed her son in the past. A character will be making a sacrifice on behalf of Lucious.

The FBI will also be looking more into Lucious. FBI agent Tariq (Morocco Omari) will be investigating the Lyon family. The promo video showed Cookie trying to get rid of the agent, although the latter remains adamant that they are hiding something.

There are two more episodes before Season 2 ends. It was previously teased that one member of the family will die at the end of the season.

“Empire” will air next on May 11 on FOX. It also airs on Channel Ten in Australia.