The Flash Review: Marathon (Season 6 Episode 10)

The Flash Season 6 Episode 10, “Marathon,” kicks off a new era for the show. It’s the first episode since the series went on winter break back in December as well as the first installment in a post “Crisis on Infinite Earths” reality.

There’s even a new opening credits sequence for the show! (Props for actually getting almost everyone in there, guys. Even if you did leave out Caitlin in favor of Frost.)

Too bad that the episode that follows doesn’t live up to the promise of either that lighthearted opening or the shiny new credits sequence the preceded it.

Maybe it was always going to be a lot to ask for “Marathon” to handle post-“Crisis” character development, set up a new Big Bad for the back half of this season, and pick up any lingering plot details from the first half of Season 6 that all got backburnered in the lead up to the crossover. 

But whether that’s true or not, this episode misses on virtually all of those things. Which is a shame, not just because this season of The Flash has been so darn strong so far, but because the rest of the Arrowverse – especially Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow have been killing their respective returns. 

“Marathon” feels overstuffed and messy, and by the end of the hour, you can’t help wishing that perhaps the show had picked a lane – “Crisis” follow-up, Doctor Light set-up, Iris’ newspaper investigation or Barry and Diggle’s adventure-that-wasn’t with Oliver’s mask. 

It makes a lot of sense that The Flash — the Arrowverse series that was most closely tied to and impacted by the existence of Arrow needs to take some time to really grieve Oliver Queen. And the entire multiverse as we knew it. 

Those pieces of this episode are, in fact, quite good. Subverting expectations by turning Barry and Diggle’s investigation into a subtle reaffirmation that Oliver was really gone is moving, as is Cisco’s inability to process the fact that the multiverse is gone. 

His grief over the loss of Earth-2’s Harry, his anger at Nash for his involvement in releasing the Anti-Monitor, and his confusion over whether or not he wants to still be a metahuman in the wake of the new threats their reality is facing are all intriguing and emotionally affecting plot points.

Instead, Cisco’s inner struggle is used as a reason write the character off for a few (we hope) weeks, and give Nash a reason to stick around Star Labs. 

None of these moments get enough time to truly breathe.

Neither does Iris’s crusade to take down Black Hole, or her sudden belief in the power of a free press. 

For what it’s worth, I’ve been looking forward to Iris getting a story of her own for literal years. I just have so many questions about how the Central City Citizen subplot is going to develop. 

For what it’s worth, I love the all-female nature of Team Citizen and their story, and am really looking forward to where this journalistic subplot is going. But I’m also super nervous because, well, I’ve seen how the other series in this universe handle “journalism” as a plot point and, well, it’s kind of horrible.

I mean, Kara Danvers has a Pulitzer Prize. Somehow. 

On the other hand, it was sort of fun watching Iris Scooby Doo suss out that Evil CEO guy was actually part of Black Hole, and was working with the new and improved Doctor Light. That was fun. 

And Lord knows, Candice Patton deserves the chance to play the heavy in her own storyline for once, and I hope this Team Citizen plot gives it to her. I just…don’t entirely trust it. And The Flash has got to do better than just dropping random platitudes about how reporters never turn away from the truth. 

Plus, the final showdown between Hologram Iris, Joe, Frost and Doctor Light feels like an afterthought, rather than a conclusion to any significant villain of the week plot. This is probably because Evil McCulloch CEO and Doctor Light both survive to fight another day and sort of scoff at the threat that Team Flash offers to them. 

(Seriously, how did Frost freeze light out of her body? Nevermind, I probably don’t want to know.)

At least “Marathon’s” final moments were intriguing — I like the threat of what is presumably another version of Mirror Master, and preferably one that is more interesting/ a better version than the first go round. 

Bring it on, Season 6. 

Stray Thoughts and Observations

• “Jitters just reopened and was immediately attacked by terrorists” is possibly my favorite opening team line of any The Flash episode ever.
• Um…Gorilla City is part of Earth Prime now? Please tell me someone gets to deal with that at some point this season?
• JESSIE QUICK IS DEAD? HOW COULD YOU, SHOW?
• I know The CW’s scheduling calendar isn’t The Flash’s fault, but I gotta say that seeing this visit from Diggle after Oliver’s funeral even though it chronologically happens before it just really does not work for me.
• That said, given how annoying the Leviathan and Obsidian Tech stories are currently over on Supergirl, the idea of more conspiracies and shadow companies on this show is….not exciting. 

What did you think of this episode of The Flash? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Flash airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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