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'Black Ink Crew' - Episode 7 - Cleaning House

After all the drama of Vegas, the Crew looks happy to be back to business in Harlem. An innocent conversation about chitlins ensues, but wait, did Dutchess just slip and call Ceaser "baby" in front of EVERYONE?

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It sure sounds like she did. And he doesn't seem to mind.

Because it's the (other) elephant in the room, it's not long before the topic of the tattoo convention comes up. It's no surprise that no one is ready to take at least partial blame for the Black Ink Crew not representing well. When Walt makes the mistake of calling Dutchess out for getting tattooed but not doing tattoos at the convention, she goes for a low blow and tells Walt his job is irrelevant.

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"Do your job! BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!"

No matter what you think of Walt storming out on Ceaser in Vegas, you have to admit that's harsh.

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"You f***in' the boss, now MY job is irrelevant? Get the f**k out of here."

Dutchess and Walt are soon in a full-blown argument.

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Question is, why is Cease letting this escalate? Eventually he steps in and everyone is calm again -- for now.

Cease and Dutchess step away to talk privately, and he wants to know the real reason she snapped just now.

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She's not saying much, but she wants to know if Ceaser will accept her invitation to travel to North Carolina to meet her parents.

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It seems they've gotten very serious since Vegas!

The next question is, who will Cease leave in charge at the shop while he is gone? Who do YOU think he should choose?

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The only person that stands out to Cease, is O'S**t.

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While O'S**t is loved by everyone, not one employee of Black Ink sees him as a boss. Then, as fits an occasion when your employer gives you more responsibility, he refers to himself as "sexual chocolate."

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"Come get it." Um, okay.

He promises to get to the shop bright and early every day at "noon-ish". Things are finally looking up for O'S**t and you can't help but be on his side.

Sassy's best friend, a sergeant in the army, comes in to get tattooed. She's great with an M-16, she says.

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"There's nothing better for America than to have beautiful women looking out for our safety." says Puma.

Following the settling-down theme that's emerging this episode, Puma and Quanni are getting serious about making a home together.

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They are the cutest couple, and when Puma says he is ready to turn it down and be a family man, you believe him more than 100 percent.

Cease finds himself defending his decision to go down to North Carolina with Dutchess. Teddy and Walt think it's a bad idea.

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"Once you meet a girl's parents, it's kind of like marriage," says relationship expert Teddy Ruks. But Cease takes it all in stride. "This shit is funny to me. I'd be laughing at myself."

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Walt is the first on the staff to eventually reach out to Alex. He misses her around the shop, and lets her know that she should "stop playing" and give Cease a call.

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If Alex wants to come back, she doesn't show it. Truthfully, she looks to have moved on.

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Biggest sign of having lost interest in Black Ink -- she hasn't shown up to work or called in three weeks.

Sassy and Dutchess step out for drinks. Sassy needs more information about the whole visit to North Carolina coming up. Even SHE has a bad feeling about Cease going all the way down there to meet her family.

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"I can guarantee that Cease is going to fly back early. And that's if Dutchess' father doesn't kill him." she says.

Puma and Quanni are going legit for real this time, because they actually start apartment hunting. But as anyone who has ever looked for an apartment in New York City knows, it can be a heartbreaking process. Puma balks at a tiny, overpriced apartment at the top of many flights of stairs.

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"Last time I was this high, I ate some smores and some Pop Tarts, and I passed out."

There's this stunning view from the bedroom window.

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The editor-in-chief of Urban Ink returns to Black Ink to shoot the guys this time. He asks Dutchess about Alex, and Dutchess let's him know that in her mind, Alex was not dedicated to the tattoo business.

He gets these great shots of The Crew.

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Dutchess' friend Diana comes in to add some color to her tattoo. Diana is also a friend of Alex's so this could get awkward. When Dutchess lets Diana know that Alex hit on Cease, Diana is shocked.

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"You can't have a friend unless you know how to be one," says Dutchess. "Have some class about yourself."

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Dutchess feels Alex is a "hoe" and tried to keep it under wraps, so Dutchess feels betrayed. "I don't want to be associated with someone like that," says Diana.

What do you think of Dutchess' color work on Diana's tattoo? Nice work, no?

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Remember the shop awning that was slashed soon after Sassy's party? Ceaser went ahead and designed a new sign and had it made.

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It looks great and the whole staff agrees "Turn Up Time" is back.

It's evening, and Alex has turned up outside the shop unexpectedly. She's asking to speak to Cease, and no one else.

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"That crazy b***** is here again," says Cease. Time to put on the boss pants.

"When Walt told me I should talk to Ceaser, I just felt like, enough is enough." says Alex.

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It seems she's sticking to the story that someone put something in her drink, and that's why she hit on Cease at Sassy' party. Right…

But the conversation goes "really left" as Alex thought it might, and she ends officially getting fired!

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But just when it looks like Alex and Black Ink are done for good, Dutchess decides to have a word with her before she goes. Any by "a word" I mean "a fight". She's in battle gear in a sweatshirt and sneakers!

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"Someone went into Dutchess' f***ing little peanut-sized brain and told her I did something with Cease. Is she kidding me?"

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Will this be the last time Dutchess and Alex meet?