Life is a marathon. Love, career, marriage, acceptance, and sex -- They all require stamina, hard work and patience.

On The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 3 while the stage is set for The New York City Marathon, The Bold Babes and the rest of Scarlet are learning how trying their own journeys are. 

Who is one step closer to their finish line? Read our review as we discuss! 

Sutton has fought tooth and nail throughout the entire series to get where she is today. 

She has proved herself time and time again to Oliver and Jaqueline, so it is understandable that she is frustrated when she feels like she is taking steps backward instead of forwards.

Hiring freezes are one of the worst things to happen to people in their twenties. They are terrible in general, but when you have people who are just starting out in their careers, one more barrier is the last thing they need.

Coming out of nursing school, I found myself facing hiring freezes at the local hospitals and struggling to find a job. It didn't matter how much I had proved myself throughout school or how many people fought for me, I just couldn't get a job. 

I can completely relate to Sutton's pain. 

Sutton knows that she is a kick-ass boss chick who gets the job done. She doesn't doubt her skills. It would be easier if she thought she just wasn't good enough.

Knowing that Oliver would promote her if he could probably doesn't help matters. It might seem like it would be a comfort, but knowing that you are so close that you can taste it, but yet so far? It leaves you with a feeling of bitterness.

Kat and Jane's idea for Sutton to become an Influencer is fantastic.

Sutton clung to Brooke and her Influencer status during The Bold Type Season 2 because of the connections that it brought her. If she becomes an Influencer herself, she can build those same types of relationships.

Becoming an Influencer obviously isn't easy, but this is television, and Sutton also works for an insanely popular women's magazine. That instantly gives her a leg up on all of her competition. 

With Scarlet going purely digital, anything driving traffic to their content is going to be a plus so if she becomes successful as an Influencer, it is going to be hard for Scarlet to ignore. 

Jane and Ryan have a long way to go before they are in the place they were before Kiss Gate, but at least "Marathon" shows us that they are in it for the long haul. 

One of the most frustrating aspects of a "will they or won't they" couple on TV shows is when they finally get them together, only to tear them apart before they ever really have a chance. 

During The Bold Type Season 3 and even during The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 2, it felt like The Bold Type was going that route with JaneStripe, so I breathed a sigh of relief when they acknowledged they are a work in progress.

I criticized Jane in my review of "#scarlet" for how she was handling the Ryan situation, but she has restored my faith in her.

Tiny Jane is still neurotic as ever, and she has to think things through until she is blue in the face. It isn't until she bounces it off of Sutton and Kat that she can really see what she wants. 

Sutton's thought to get the truth from Ryan about what happened the night he cheated was interesting and could have gone very wrong, so thank god it ended up going very right. 

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own worst nightmares of any situation, so Jane taking the cheating out of that fantasy and into reality, you can almost see the weight lift off of her. 

Jane forgave Ryan for a moment of weakness, but if she never got confirmation that that was all it was, she never would have let it go. 

Jane might have felt like she is the only one struggling, but it was a great idea on the writers' part to acknowledge Ryan's struggle too.

Yes, Ryan did the hurting, but Jane isn't the only one who needed to do some forgiving. Ryan needs to forgive himself too. 

JaneStripe will get there, it is just going to take some more time, but they are worth it.

New couples aren't the only ones struggling.

Jacqueline and Ian's continued decline is hard to watch as an avid Jacqueline fan. 

Jacqueline is an idol to viewers of The Bold Type, so admitting that she is largely to blame for their issues is tough. 

Even just looking at the past few episodes, it is clear why Ian is tired. Jacqueline has gotten so used to putting her career and her own needs first that she doesn't even think anything of it anymore. 

Jacqueline may be Scarlet's Editor-In-Chief, but Oliver has handled many photoshoots on his own with his team.

Did she need to be there for the marathon photoshoot? No, she is just so worried about her position that she isn't willing to relinquish control, no matter what the cost.

Her and Ian admitting they aren't happy is a huge step. It is also a necessary one. If they aren't honest with each other, nothing can ever be fixed.

Their time apart while he is in Ukraine is going to give them the space they need to figure out if they still want to fight for their marriage. 

Without having Ian's help, Jacqueline is going to see just how much he has sacrificed for her and their family, and just how much she has missed out on. Jacqueline is going to try to make things right. Hopefully it won't be too late.

Kat's search for things that ignite her passion since losing the election has been inspiring to watch. Chloe's cause is the perfect mix of political cause and great for clicks. 

The fact that they can deny Chloe access to a marathon that she qualified for over a discrepancy on paperwork, that they easily could resolve, is just yet another example of the injustices that people of the trans community face. 

The New York City Marathon is supposed to be this beacon of light, joy, and inspiration, so to deny someone that experience who deserves it? It goes against what the marathon stands for. 

Having watched Brittany Runs a Marathon, and now this, I still can't fathom what the excitement behind a marathon is. I would be more like The Bold Babes on the sidelines drinking and trying to join in on the fun.

Chloe isn't me, though. This is her passion and she deserves to get to live out her dream.

Chloe refusing to do the marathon if she couldn't do it as herself makes complete sense.

It is impossible to imagine the struggles she has had to go through and how hard she has had to work not only to accept herself but to be accepted by others. 

If she ran the marathon as someone else, it would almost be like she was accepting people's insensitivity and she shouldn't have to. 

Kat likes to preach to Jane about not being culturally sensitive, but Kat also has some learning to do. We all do, and that is okay. Like Chloe told them, it is the intention behind the sentiments that matter. 

Chloe getting her moment in the sun, as herself, running the marathon is such a moment of triumph, not only for her but for Kat.

Kat needs to see what a difference she can make with the platform she has. Yes, getting to be a local Council Woman would have been great, but there is also a lot of red-tape that comes with holding a political position. 

Kat could have all the great ideas in the world, but that is no guarantee she could make them happen in a position like that.

As the Director of Social Media at Scarlet she has a lot more freedom to make a difference. 

It has always seemed clear that someone like Jane would become Editor-In-Chief down the road when Jacqueline inevitably leaves.

With that move seeming like it may come sooner rather than later and the splash that Kat is making in this move to digital, she is looking like a real possibility of who could become Jacqueline's successor. 

How would Jane handle that? Her best friend who has voiced many times that she wants to move on from Scarlet coming in and interfering with her destiny? 

It would be fascinating to see how The Bold Babes friendships weather something like that.

Other thoughts:

• Richard, with stubble, is far too sexy to handle. He is lucky that Sutton is across the country because she would be mauling him. 

• I am very on board with this Andrew and Alex blossoming friendship. Both of them get sidelined way too often, so fingers crossed this brings them more screentime.

• Jacqueline kicking ass at flip cup? As if we needed another reason to love her.

How did you feel about "Marathon" Fanatics?

Which of The Bold Babes' own marathons were you most interested in?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below and watch The Bold Type online!

Meaghan Frey was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2020.