Ink Master season 13 episode 2 review: Conflict & compass roses

Ink Master season 13 episode 2 on the Paramount Network tonight served mostly as a reminder of one thing — in the early going, the show is better off getting rid of some of the players who are spending the most time at the bottom. That may sound redundant, but remember this — sometimes, you see people who struggle in the early going survive versus someone who just has a bad night later.

Tonight, it felt like the right time for Emac to go. His tattoo tonight was a classic case of one that from afar, did not look altogether bad. You could identify what it was, but there were still technical problems when you closed in on them. It’s the sort of thing that the other artists noticed and that’s why you had Jimmy Snaz comment on it as though he wished he could’ve done more. Emac seems like the sort of guy who wants to work hard at every turn, but he may just have not been right for this show. He had a hard canvas this time around and the pressure of the competition can be tough.

There were some other artists who did benefit a little bit more Emac’s struggles — most notably, Arlene Salinas who had herself a rough episode in general. Her medical issues impacted her ability in the flash challenge, her elimination tattoo had some linework problems, and she also fought with Angel Rose on her own team after Angel threw her under the bus in front of the judges. She was right in thinking that it was unnecessary do that, especially when Angel wasn’t in any danger. Yet, that didn’t necessitate Arlene calling Angel a “liar” and creating as much tension after the fact. They still gotta work together!

All of the tattoos tonight were themed around the idea of a perfect compass rose, and there were actually some beautiful ones for this early in the season. While Jason Elliott got Tattoo of the Day (apparently, he’s done with the strategy of playing the middle), Hiram Casas had a brilliant piece, especially for someone who doesn’t do this style. This guy is going to go really far.

CarterMatt Verdict

While you can argue that there are too many artists this season and it’s hard to keep track of everyone, that does mean that we have a larger pool of good ones. Also, tonight introduced the idea of a Pardon where one of the judges may be able to save someone from elimination — ironically, this would have helped Frank Ready the first time that he was eliminated. This feels like a good season so far, given that you’ve got memorable contestants and to go along with it, some really fantastic art-in-the-making. The best seasons are a nexus of both things.

Related News – Be sure to get some more information on Ink Master, including more news for what’s coming

What did you think about Ink Master season 13 episode 2?

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This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.