BLACK INK CREW NY SEASON 10 RECAP: SO MUCH FOR A MENTAL HEALTH DAY
By Sidra Lackey
Black Ink Crew NY episode 7, season 10 starts off with Tatti and the rest of the crew of Black Ink Brooklyn welcoming the crew of Black Ink 125th into the Brooklyn shop. Bux complains to Tatti, “there’s mad people in here” and not enough room for all the artists to set up a tattooing station. Tatti at first tells everyone she’s just an apprentice and not technically a manager. But that falls on deaf ears and she says, “I can manage with my eyes closed so watch me work.” She somehow manages to make room for all the artists to work successfully.
Krystal and Rok stroll in announcing, “we’re back” and they tell everyone now they’re Black Ink New Jersey with Ceaser. Krystal says Ceaser finally respected her as an entrepreneur. Tatti complains Ceaser has given her, “the run around” with her idea of opening a Black Ink Long Island. She also says he constantly overlooks her contributions to Black Ink and she’s the one to fix things. Yet she commends Krystal and Rok for, “doing the right thing” and partnering with Ceaser.
Spyder, Alex and Rok head to Manhattan to fabric shop for Spyder’s clothing line. “When I’m not slinging ink I’m slinging thread,” Spyder says. He shows the guys a new t-shirt he’s working on. Spyder asks Rok how he feels being the newest Black Ink owner. Alex asks Rok is he and Krystal partners of Ceaser or bosses. Rok admits he doesn’t know but hopes the contract is “official” and goes good in the end.
Back at Black Ink Brooklyn Tatti is the only one there, cleaning and talking to no one complaining, “no one knows how to sanitize and clean.” Puma and Ted come in and Puma does compliment her work. Puma announces Ceaser is in Atlanta and they came to check in how things are going with the Brooklyn/125th merge. Tatti admits everything is so chaotic that they’re losing clients. She tells them, “it’s not fair” and asks how much longer does she have to wait to talk to Ceaser to open up a Black Ink Long Island. Puma says he doesn’t know.
Tatti goes on to say it’s not right Krystal and Rok got, “rewarded for breaking the rules.” Ted tries to stay out of it. He says there’s still a “weird history” between them and he usually “tunes her out” but that “she has a point.” Puma says he is cool with Tatti but he can see how her legal issues are a liability to Ceaser as a business owner. Tatti says she's, “physically and mentally exhausted” being both apprentice and manager still and shortly storms out, leaving Puma and Ted to run the shop. They both think she’s “tripping” but then Puma admits having, “two different boroughs in one shop” is a lot. He says Ceaser didn’t communicate much before he left for Atlanta and suggests a party. Ted says no to a party but a meeting instead, to gauge where everyone’s headspace is at. Puma texts the crew a group text for a “mandatory meeting.”
Elsewhere, Bux is doing some form of martial arts and Alex joins him. Bux says he’s “messed up mentally” since falling out with Spyder. Alex bluntly asks Bux about the girl who came into the shop. Bux tells him she was a client and “took it further” but he told her he didn’t want to be with her anymore. Alex tells him he spoke to Spyder at the roller skate event and Spyder couldn’t understand why he and his wife were in the conversation of a client’s mouth. Off camera Bux tells producers what the girl said was “fabricated” and swears, “on God it never happened.” But when producers challenge him, how did the girl know specific things about Spyder’s wife, Bux simply says he, “doesn’t know.” Alex tells Bux he has to try everything to at least get Spyder to be cordial with him again. He says he hates seeing his two friends not friends and he wants to help them because they helped him when he was dealing with his, “Donna drama.”
At Black Ink Brooklyn, Ted jokes, “When this turn into Wu-Tang Clan?” at the sight of all the artists in the studio at once. Tatti is the only Black Ink crew member missing from the meeting. Puma says it’s not professional. Ceaser comes into the shop and asks right away where’s Tatti. No one knows and he says she’d better have the best excuse for not being there. He tells everyone the shop merger wasn’t easy but he’s thankful for everyone holding him down. He says he has a surprise for the crew and in the back of the shop is a party set up. He officially congratulates Krystal and Rok for being back and for their Black Ink New Jersey partnership. Everyone claps for them and congratulates them. Ceaser tells them he brought contracts for them, “graduating to being bosses.” Rok starts reading the contract, becomes confused and asks, “what’s the difference between Black Ink and Black Inc.?” Everyone starts laughing at him but he insists he’s seriously not great at reading and comprehension. Krystal jokes that now they see what she has to deal with. Puma takes Ceaser to the side with Ted to talk. He tells Ceaser making Rok a boss is his most, “off the rocker move” in ten years. And gives him advice that he should start getting to know everyone instead of giving them shops.
Puma suggests a bootcamp because Ceaser has forgotten how to connect with his employees or he would know that, “Rok is dumb as rock.” Puma says everyone needs a reset and to get back to the fundamentals of the Black Ink brand. Ceaser agrees and suggests a trip to Black Ink Orlando. He announces to everyone about the trip and how he’s going to teach them, “the Black Ink way.” He also points out that Tatti isn’t going because she missed the meeting. Young Bae speaks up for her and says it’s not fair and how Tatti gives Ceaser, “all her days.” Ted ominously says that it’s not a good idea to not invite Tatti.
Spyder and his wife and Puma and Quani are out for a double date later on. They talk about the shop and Tatti running it. Puma says that Tatti took a mental health day and he’s all for that but, “you can’t have one and not tell anyone.” They talk about the Bux situation. Spyder’s wife is angry and says Bux was, “like family” but not anymore. Quani quickly agrees with her. Spyder says he doesn’t believe Bux didn’t tell the client what she said to Bux about his wife. He says he was lied to, betrayed and Bux is a coward. They talk about the upcoming bootcamp trip. Quani jokes, “when has team building ever worked?” She bets Puma $50 that it’s going to be a, “s**t show.”
At Black Ink Brooklyn Tatti and Vanity, the manager of 125th, talk. Tatti tells her she’s, “overwhelmed” and that’s why she took a mental health day, missing the meeting. She says she was going to go into Black Ink that day but she couldn’t get out of bed. Vanity mentions the Orlando trip and how it’s to see who is worthy of being at Black Ink for the next decade. Then she breaks the bad news to Tatti that Ceaser prohibited her from coming because she missed the meeting. Tatti is outraged and says that's, “trash” and “so much for a mental health day” after hearing the news. She complains Ceaser can open up a shop for everyone but her. Vanity says maybe it’s because of her legal issues. But Tatti says even though she can understand that, she has changed and is a better person. She declares she’s still going on the trip. Vanity asks, can she go however. Tatti says she can if it’s work related and if gets permission from her PO.
The final scene in this episode of Black Ink Crew NY shows the crew packing while Tatti is on her way to see her PO. Tatti says defiantly, “There’s been no one more loyal than me and no one has put up with more s**t than me. I’m done with being overlooked and disrespected. But that bulls**t ends today.” She warns Ceaser, “Watch out Ceaser, here I come.”
Black Ink Crew NY episode 8 sneak peek shows: the Black Ink crew at bootcamp with Ceaser telling everyone the trip is, “not a vacation, we’re here to work.” Puma calls it, “hell week.” There’s a scavenger hunt. And while everyone is eating, Tatti pulls up saying she should have bought sage because of the bad energy she felt. She confronts Ceaser and he tells her coldly he doesn’t owe her anything. Tatti asks if the crew f**ks with her or not and then a fight breaks out…