'The Flash' Season 6: Iris takes center stage in an episode that sets up a new formidable foe post-'Crisis'
This review contains spoilers for 'The Flash' Season 6 Episode 10: 'Marathon'
Much of how The Flash's second half of the season would unfold was a mystery. 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' had major plans for Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin) and not many expected the Scarlet Speedster to be alive and kicking by the end of the epic battle. While he did survive the 'Crisis', there were question marks over who the new foes would be and the direction the series would take after. 'Marathon' puts these to rest by dishing out an episode that not just introduces a major threat, but also looks at the effects the 'Crisis' had on various members of Team Flash.
The tone, however, doesn't change. Season 6 debuted to a grim start with Barry's death being teased and that he survived should have ideally made this a celebratory episode. But Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) death seems to have had an effect on all the characters as there is a sense of loss and grieving. And this setting works. David Ramsey's John Diggle making an appearance in a guest role comes as an integral part of the storyline. And with him, it's a lot easier for Barry to cope with Oliver's death. And the whole Arrow mask mystery, in the end, was just a gift from one friend to another.
Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) gets some much-needed screentime. Pre-'Crisis' was all about Barry, Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and the impending battle, but she takes center stage in 'Marathon' and has her crew, Kamilla Hwang (Victoria Park), Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton) and Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet). The team is shown to be investigating McCullochh Technologies and it only gets mysterious when it is revealed they are involved in meta-human smuggling. The episode ends with a gripping stinger that also establishes the new foe's identity.
Also, there is a new take on Doctor Light. Kimiyo Hoshi is introduced as a cool, calm and ruthless assassin where in reality she's always been a hero when compared to Arthur Light. That she abruptly exits is a bit of a surprise, but it is clear we haven't seen the last of her. Establishing Mirror Master as the new foe is a welcome change considering Barry has battled speedsters for three whole seasons. That the Arrowverse is looking at the Flash's Rogue's Gallery is interesting.
As is the case with the Arrowverse, the Mirror Master has a bit of a change as well. Starting off with Evan McCulloch getting a gender swap. It's Eva McCulloch now (Erfat Dor), whom we're yet to see in the series. What we did see was a mirror demon of sorts who pulls Iris in, in the final minutes of the episode. When looking at the 'Crisis' aftermath storyline, it's Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes) who's affected the most. There's guilt, there's regret and there's confusion on how to go about life and Valdes does a brilliant job in bringing out these emotions. There's not much idea about Cisco's future though.
All this goes on to say The Flash is well and truly back. The midseason premiere does a good job with its crisp storylines and intriguing character introductions. And while there are some loose plotlines about getting Harrison Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh) aboard team Flash, but with the show yet to pick switch to full-steam mode, there's time.
'The Flash' Season 6 airs at 8 pm on The CW.
