Pretty Little Liars delighted fans for years. Yet it also confused them. From some of the character’s decisions to their personalities to plot twists that just made no sense. One character whose decisions often didn’t make sense was Spencer Hastings. Everyone’s favorite bookish Liar makes some confusing decisions. And aspects of her personality didn’t always make sense either. For example, how is she so intelligent and perceptive? She is unrealistically so for a teenager. Her relationships didn’t always make sense either. From Wren to Ian to Caleb. Pretty much the only one that made sense was her relationship with Toby.
Did the writers of Pretty Little Liars mean for Spencer to make no sense? Probably not. She is one of the main characters and protagonists after all. We, as the audience, are supposed to root for her, not be left confused at her decisions. And for the most part, we do. Yet there are 25 things on this list that make no sense. That’s quite a lot. In the writers’ defense, Pretty Little Liars ran for seven seasons. There are bound to be some mistakes made in such a long-running show. Still, it’s worth it to figure out just how many things don’t make sense with her character and to attempt to figure out why. Why did the writers make these decisions? We will attempt to offer some explanation, though that may be hard in some cases. But it’s worth it to try.
Here are 25 Things That Don’t Make Sense About Spencer Hastings.
Being friends with Alison in the first place
Now, Alison is very charismatic. I’ll give Spencer–and the writers–that. However, you would think Spencer would not want to be friends with someone like Alison. Far too much drama involved. Someone as intelligent as Spencer should steer clear of such things. And Alison is definitely the competitive type. You would think Spencer would get enough competition at home with her sister Melissa. Apparently not. Does she just love the competition? Maybe. That’s a possible explanation for Spencer’s behavior. Or perhaps she sensed another genius in Alison and was hoping that some of that genius would rub off on her. That’s also possible.
How she’s so easily fooled by “A” to go into the haunted house in season 1
Given how intelligent she is, you’d think she wouldn’t fall so easily for A’s tricks. Yet she does. Why? Well, in Spencer’s defense, she did think the text was from Toby. Yet you’d think she’d be more on edge, given the presence of “A” in her life. More suspicious of random texts. Yet, apparently not. One possible reason for this is that the writers wanted to create the biggest amount of drama. And what better way than to trap Spencer in a haunted house? It’s just the right amount of spooky and dramatic. Poor Spencer, though. Her intelligence decreased a little for plot reasons.
She accepted Alison’s offer to fix the Race
During a flashback in season two, it is revealed that Alison offered to fix the class presidential elections so that Spencer would win. Spencer accepts, not wanting to disappoint her parents or look bad in front of Melissa. But why? Surely Spencer should be smart enough to know that cheaters never really win. In the end, winning the honest way is the only way to go about it. Yet Spencer agrees to let Alison fix the election. One possible explanation for this is that it shows how much Spencer cares about her family’s opinions. Another is that it demonstrates how manipulative and cunning Alison can be.
Her breakdown after she thinks Toby is gone
Now, the girl was due a breakdown. But it’s interesting that this is what pushed her over the edge. After everything Spencer’s been through, what it took to break her was thinking her boyfriend had passed away. Now that is a traumatic experience, but with how many traumatic experiences Spencer has been through you’d think she’d somewhat get used to them. And that while she might have a mini breakdown, she wouldn’t break down fully. One possible explanation for this decision by the writers is that it shows how much Spencer cares about Toby. He’s her safe place, where she doesn’t have to worry about all the “A” drama.
Her dark side not lasting longer
According to Troian Bellisario herself, Spencer’s dark side was supposed to last longer, which would have made sense. The fact that it didn’t is what many fans likely can’t understand. If you’re going to do a storyline with one of the main characters turning dark, you should try your best to milk it for all it’s worth, right? To get the maximum amount of drama out of it? Well, apparently not if you’re the Pretty Little Liars writers. One possible reason for this is that the writers were worried about fan reactions. After all, Spencer is one of the protagonists of the show. Her turning dark is going to be devastating to many fans.
Her parents don’t trust her
Mr. and Mrs. Hastings don’t seem to trust Spencer, which makes no sense. Spencer is a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. She’s not likely – at least not most of the time – to be impulsive and make stupid mistakes. She knows what’s good for her and what’s not. Yet Mr. and Mrs. Hastings always take Melissa’s side. Why? Sure, Melissa’s the oldest. She’s their first child and yeah, Spencer is adopted. But if the Hastings parents were truly good parents, that wouldn’t matter to them. Especially since Mr. Hastings is Spencer’s biological father. That should count for something.
She takes one of the pills “A” gave her
Why, Spencer, why? She definitely would be smarter than that, withdrawal or not. The pills are from “A”, for goodness’ sakes. That means they can’t be good. Spencer trusting anything that comes from “A” doesn’t make sense. After all, “A” is the antagonist of the story, the villain. “A” does not have Spencer’s best interests in mind. And Spencer knows that. If the meds had come from any other source, it would have made sense, but “A?” Really? Spencer doing anything that “A” would want doesn’t make sense. One possible explanation for her giving in is to show how much her addiction is affecting her.
Her participation in “The Jenna Thing”
Yes, all the Liars participated. And it does make sense for the others, in a way. After all, it’s hard to stand up to someone like Alison. Yet Spencer had no problem doing so most of the time. So why not this time? Why didn’t Spencer stand up to Alison? Did she have something against Toby–or Jenna–at the time too? That seems unlikely. So why didn’t Spencer refuse to participate? Well, one possible explanation is that the writers wanted the Liars to have this big secret uniting them. That makes sense, especially for the beginning of the show when the friends have been apart for a little while.
Her relationship with Wren
Sorry Spencer and Wren fans, it’s true. Her relationship with Wren makes no sense. He’s dating her sister and yet she tries to be with him? That’s taking sisterly competition to a whole new level. And, besides that, he’s how much older than her? What is with this show and age gaps? First Aria and Ezra, now this? Why Pretty Little Liars, why? Not only is it incredibly unhealthy for underage girls to date grown men, but it also makes no sense. No matter how much drama high school boys may cause and no matter how strange they may be, surely Spencer would be smart enough to go after someone her own age? Luckily for the fans, she eventually does.
Her intelligence in general
She’s a smart girl, sure. That’s easy enough to believe. Yet, how smart she is surprises many fans. She’s incredibly smart and well-adjusted for a teenager. Sure, she comes from a family of intelligent people, but it’s still hard to believe. One possible explanation for this from the writers’ perspective is that they needed one of the girls to stand up to evil genius Alison. In order to do so, that person would need to be a genius herself. That’s where Spencer comes in. Her intelligence may work slightly differently from Alison’s and she’s definitely not as manipulative as the queen bee. Still, she’s more than a match for her.
Her relationship with Ian
This is another relationship with an age gap. Again, why Pretty Little Liars? Why? And this is also a case of Spencer being with her sister’s boyfriends. What is with that? As if the two sisters don’t have enough to argue about. One possible explanation for this is that the Hastings sisters are competitive and always want what the other one has. Yet you’d think that wouldn’t extend to people. Another possible explanation is that the writers wanted to cause some drama between Alison and Spencer and this is what they thought of. Something that would cause the maximum amount of drama.
Her relationship with her sister Melissa
The Hastings sisters in Pretty Little Liars have a complicated relationship, to say the least. The two of them are kind of hot and cold with each other: sometimes they get along and other times they don’t. Despite this complicated relationship, Spencer regularly defends her sister to her friends when they think she’s “A.” Spencer doesn’t believe that her sister would do such a thing. But why? Melissa isn’t exactly the best sister. In a way, it would’ve made sense if she was “A.” Not only would it take the sisterly competition to a new level, but it would also have the added bonus of bothering Spencer’s friends as well.
She supports Aria’s relationship with Ezra
You’d think Spencer would be smarter than that. Yes, she’s had relationships with age gaps herself but you’d think she’d draw the line at her friend dating their teacher. Age gaps like this one, where one part of the relationship is underage, are not the healthiest as it is, but add in the power unbalance when one part of the relationship has authority over the other part and you’ve got Ezra and Aria’s situation. So Spencer should know better than to support such a relationship. One possible reason for Spencer’s support, from the writers’ perspectives, is that they want the audience to root for Ezra and Aria.
Her guts and determination
How is Spencer so gutsy after everything she’s been through? You’d think all the “A” stuff would wear her down. Yet she still remains gutsy. Good for her. It doesn’t quite make sense, though. She’d most likely be at least a little more cautious given everything that “A” has put her through. Yet she isn’t. At least not to the extent you’d think she would be. One possible explanation for this is that Spencer is a main character and one of the protagonists of Pretty Little Liars. We’re meant to root for her. And people are more likely to root for someone with a lot of guts than someone who is scared and cautious all the time.
She is able to outsmart Mona
Now, this wouldn’t be extraordinary if Mona weren’t a genius herself. Don’t forget, Mona was “A” for quite a while and always managed to be one step ahead of Spencer and the rest of the Pretty Little Liars protagonists. So outsmarting her is a big deal. It doesn’t fully make sense if you really think about it. Yet there are some possible explanations. One explanation is that Spencer needed to outsmart Mona for plot reasons. Another is that the writers really believe Spencer is smarter than Mona, despite Mona’s impressive time as “A.”
She stops her friends from confronting Jenna
During season three episode two, the Liars witness Jenna looking at an earring, proving that she can see. Emily, Hanna, and Aria want to confront her but Spencer stops them, claiming they can use this information against Jenna. But why not use it right away? It might be the smart thing to do in some situations but not likely in this one. After all, the longer they wait the more time it gives “A” to somehow interfere, as “A” often does. One possible explanation for this is that the writers didn’t want the Liars to confront Jenna right away because of plot reasons.
She thinks Paige is A
Now this one really makes no sense. With how intelligent Spencer is you’d think she’d realize that. First of all, why would Paige be “A?” What would her motive be? Sure, she didn’t get along with Alison but she doesn’t seem like the type to take it out on Alison’s friends. Especially Emily, who she has feelings for. So why bother Emily and the rest of the Liars, then? We’re thinking that Spencer didn’t fully think this one through. One possible reason for Spencer’s suspicion is that the writers were not sure for a while of the identity of “A” and wanted to bring up a few possible suspects, possibly to see how fans would react.
Spencer the oversharer?
She doesn’t seem like the type to overshare, yet she includes in her college admissions essays information about her time in Radley, the psychiatric hospital, and her struggles with mental illness in general. She is later advised by Ezra not to do so, yet she doesn’t think not being honest will help her. While it is often true that honesty is better than dishonesty, sometimes there is such a thing as too much honesty. One possible explanation for Spencer’s oversharing is to show how much stress she is under at the time. She may not be thinking completely clearly.
How perceptive she is
Again, she’s extraordinarily so for a teenager. Just like with her intelligence, this doesn’t seem to make sense. She can even sense when others are lying, even adults. That seems a bit outlandish to some fans. Does Spencer have some kind of magical powers or something? No. Though that would explain her perception. Another possible explanation is that the writers want one of the main characters to be able to unravel the mysteries of the show. So they made Spencer perhaps a bit unrealistically intelligent and perceptive. Another possible explanation is that the writers wanted her to be a match for Alison, able to stand up to the queen bee of Rosewood.
Her believing Mrs. Grunwald that Alison is alive
Spencer seems like she’d be the skeptical type. Especially about things like psychics. So when Mrs. Grunwald says that Alison is alive, why does Spencer believe her so easily? Of course, in Spencer’s defense, she happens to be right. Alison is alive. Yet, it still seems strange for many fans that Spencer believes Mrs. Grunwald so easily. One possible reason why the writers went this route is because they were planning on revealing Alison being alive anyway. So they didn’t feel like spending time with Spencer questioning Mrs. Grunwald. Yet, many fans might think Spencer is out of character because she’s not skeptical at all.
