The Flash is going strong after four seasons on The CW, and Barry Allen is poised to speed his way into brand new territory when he returns for Season 5 in the fall. The show has won a loyal following of fans, but that doesn't mean fans don't have the occasional bone to pick with some of the ways the show works. Specifically, some fans have taken issue with how people -- villains and allies alike -- have managed to just wander into STAR Labs when there logically should have been some tight security. Tom Cavanagh, who plays the many versions of Harrison Wells to appear so far, explained why STAR Labs has such terrible security, and it was hilarious:
What you don't know is what happens after we say 'cut.' And back when OG Harrison Wells, we had a lot of money. We had a lot of security. But then, since then, we've had this guy named Gunther, so he's down there, but he's always sleeping on the job. People can just walk in and walk out. Which is fine for us, but the thing that really gets to us is how great the acoustics are in the hallway, because as soon as somebody says one thing, someone walks right in from outside and goes, 'And another thing, if you're thinking about that!' So maybe we could write a character, Todd, where he's a security guy and nobody gets in and we shorten the season to maybe five episodes.
According to Tom Cavanagh at San Diego Comic-Con's Flash panel, Barry and Team Flash are not to blame for the terrible security at STAR Labs despite the fact that Barry technically owns the building. The team just doesn't have the same funds at their disposal as they did back in Season 1, when Original Recipe Wells (a.k.a. Eobard Thawne in disguise) was in charge, and Gunther the security guy is the best they can afford. Apparently, you get what you pay for in Central City, and when you can't pay for the best security, you don't get a very secure superhero headquarters.
Of course, Gunther can't be blamed for those acoustics that accommodate a surprising number of dramatic reveals and exposition drops in the hallways of STAR Labs. Maybe the architect who built STAR Labs in the first place simply didn't count on the facility someday being operated by a group that keeps a lot of secrets that tend to be outed at the most inconvenient times. Hey, at least that ought to mean that the brain squad that stays behind at STAR Labs during missions should be able to hear the intruders coming from quite a distance, right? Right?
In all seriousness, Tom Cavanagh's explanation about Gunther and suggestion that a real security guard named Todd join the show indicate that the security at STAR Labs is another one of those things we really shouldn't overthink about The Flash. If the show needs a climactic showdown or two to go down in STAR Labs each season, then we can just pretend that the security at the facility is just fine and the villains all just happen to have the same knack for breaking through.
It's not like this is a problem unique to The Flash. Team Arrow over in Star City has had its various secret lairs broken into on such a regular basis that Malcolm Merlyn even made a joke about it. Even the time-traveling Waverider over on Legends of Tomorrow is no stranger to intruders. Maybe the folks of Earth-1 need to take a trip to Earth-38 to get some security pointers from the D.E.O. If we can suspend our disbelief enough to watch a show about a guy who got superpowers after being struck by lightning, we can do our best to suspend disbelief about the STAR Labs security.
Team Flash may have larger concerns than STAR Labs security when the show returns in the fall, however, due to the arrival of Nora West-Allen, the developments on the Killer Frost front, and everything the trailer (which you can watch here) promises. Check out our summer TV schedule for what you can watch while we wait for The Flash to return on Tuesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
