LA Ink Episode 2 Recap : 'Nowhere to Work'

The second episode of TLC’s LA Ink, entitled “Nowhere to Work” starts where the first one left off: construction of Kat Von D’s new shop is completely unfinished and a lot of people are bummed out about it.

In the meantime, the team doesn’t let Kat’s construction woes get in their way. Corey Miller offers up his shop for the team to work out of even though it’s an hour away from LA Ink.

Steve-O from Jackass fame is the first in Kat’s Tattoo Chair this week. It’s been rumored that him and Kat have dated and all I have to say is that Kat smiles a lot more during this episode than we’ve seen her do in the past. Anyway, he wants a tattoo for his upcoming birthday and his idea is a picture himself as a kid on his forearm. It’s an ugly photo, but Kat is one of the best around at portraits and is able to accurately replicate it on his arm.

Besides being pissed about the incomplete shop, Kim is not digging the Los Angeles scene overall and is feeling homesick. I mean come on, this should be the opportunity of a lifetime for her to get some incredible exposure. But I guess every reality TV show needs it fair share of drama, so oh well.

On the tattoo front, the rest of the squad dish out some pretty rockin’ designs:

Patron: Anthony
Tattoo Artist: Corey
Concept/Backstory: Traditional chest piece tattoo with a skull, roses and wings.
Result: Corey shows off his skill in detail in a nicely done black and gray tattoo. He adds some water designs at the end to really enhance the original design.

Patron: Kathryn
Tattoo Artist: Hannah
Concept/Backstory: Kathryn wants a tattoo to remind her of her mother, who recovered from two months in a coma. She wants to get a Peacock on her tricep.
Result: Extremely well-done design with vibrant colors.

Patron: Evelyn
Tattoo Artist: Kim
Concept/Backstory: Evelyn wants to get a tattoo of her daughter’s one-month handprints, a symbolic reminder of her miracle birth (Evelyn’s boyfriend had testicular cancer and doctors advised them he wouldn’t be able to reproduce).
Result: A subtle, well-colored design with a brilliant cascade of flowers.

Patron: Patty
Tatto Artist: Hannah
Concept/Backstory: Patty survived cancer and went through a divorce and wants a “circle of life” design to celebrate life.
Result: Nothing extraordinary here, but the client is extremely happy with the result and that’s what should count.

Episode 2 ends with Kat asking split-tongue friend Pixie to quit all her side jobs and manage LA Ink. She happily accepts and everyone celebrates with a drink. And finally, construction on the shop is completed and Kat thanks her builder Jeff with a forearm tattoo of a pinup model.

All in all, the episode felt a little slow and borderline boring. It will be interesting to see where TLC goes with this series - Miami Ink with Kat on board always had the tension angle with Ami, but in LA Ink, the drama seems forced and flat. So far though, the tattoos are pretty awesome and LA is known for its tattoo culture. We’ll just have to see how the comparison to Miami Ink plays out.

Tune in next week to see the gang operate in the now finished shop and prepare for their grand opening party. Also, Rapper Eve stops by for some fresh ink. The preview for Episode 3 is below. Oh, and if you missed Episode 2, you can watch it for a limited time at  tlc.com/fullepisodes.