Ami is known for his temper and his rough past, but he’s working really hard on “turning his Karma around” and isn’t the hothead he used to be. Not so for Tako (pronounced taco). Tako is a big, burly man who is a motorcycle builder. He meets Ami to talk about his tattoo idea – a wall of bricks along his forearm and with the words “one ton”. Why? Because when he gets arrested for fighting, the police ask him what he hit his victims with to cause so much damage. And of course he likes to brag that he hit them with “a ton of bricks”, and wants a tattoo to symbolize this crowning achievement in his life. Ami accepts the job, but it’s clear that he sees a lot of his former self in this guy and he is definitely not impressed.
Kat Von D and husband Oliver (tattoo artist from Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, Texas), walk in the door a week early and everyone is surprised and thrilled to see her. It’s like a family reunion with hugs all around, and Garver’s grinning from ear to ear. He says seeing Kat helps him not miss L.A. so much.
And the surprises don’t stop there. Yogi’s been working really hard in the shop and has been drawing a lot better. The mail arrives and Garver says the package is a present for Yogi. He hands him a package and Yogi’s eyes light up like a kid at Christmas. What is the mystery gift? A fundoshi! Traditional Japanese underwear and the precursor to the modern-day thong. Yogi is thrilled.
Tako comes back to get his tattoo from Ami. Everyone in the shop is kind of quiet – not sure what to think of this guy. Yogi breaks the tension by walking in wearing his new fundoshi. Ami expected Yogi to be more self-conscious about wearing it in public, but Yogi sheds all modesty and even goes outside for a smoke break wearing nothing but fundoshi and socks. All is well and good until he tries to put out his cigarette by stepping on it.
While Ami’s working on Tako’s tattoo, he tells the story of his motorcycle accident seven months ago. He was thrown off his bike about 60 feet after a hit-and-run. His hands were torn up and he couldn’t tattoo for a few weeks, and he shows the scars that still remain on his legs. He’s never gotten on a bike since then. Tako tells him he really needs to get back on a bike – once it’s in your blood, you can’t just give it up like that. He invites Ami to visit his shop and take a look at the bikes some time, which he does. Ami sits on one of the bikes and the desire to ride comes back to him. He takes it around the block and is surprised that he wasn't nervous.
Julia gets a tattoo of a cherub from Garver. It’s to remind her of her mother and her mom’s favorite painting is the Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabanel. So she chooses one of the cherubs from the painting and has it tattooed in memory of her mom.
Joshua wants to commemorate the fact that he is clean and sober from an alcohol and drug addiction. He brings Kat a painting by M.C. Escher, the Hand with Reflecting Sphere. Josh wants it to look like a puzzle with a few pieces still not in place. Kat accepts the challenge and the finished product is remarkable.
When Kat saw Darren’s gold tooth, she decided she had to have one, too. She gets it done with the shape of the Ace of Spades in the center. She’s so excited to get it, she’s absolutely thrilled when she sees it, and then she goes home and freaks out. She says she’s scared of what she’s become and decides to have it removed. This is a relief to most of the M.I. crew except maybe Darren.
Tanya is a model who just got her first cover-spread in an overseas magazine as a Geisha girl and she wants a geisha tattoo to commemorate her success. Instead of a traditional portrait, she chooses an anime style design, and Garver turns Tanya’s back into an expression of her darker side.
Caroline went through a lot of complications during her pregnancies and his happy to have three healthy children. She wants a tattoo to express her protectiveness of her children and she says that she’s always looking in the rear view mirror to check on them and make sure they are OK. Nuñez turns this into a stunning tattoo of a pair of eyes in a rear-view mirror with red fuzzy dice hanging down. Way better than any tribal could have been.
Miami Ink airs on Tuesday nights, 10/9c, on The Learning Channel.Next week’s episode is a rerun of the season premiere – More Money, More Problems. If you’ve missed any of the 2006 season episodes of Miami Ink, you can catch them next Monday, February 20, in an encore marathon from 6-11 p.m. E.T. on T.L.C.
