The relationship between Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan) and Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) is one of the sweetest parts of All American, and they break up for a tragic but important reason. Spencer meets Olivia, the twin sister of Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), when he begins attending Beverly Hills High School in season 1, and the couple becomes close friends before admitting their feelings in season 3. In season 5, the characters attend Golden Angeles University, with Spencer playing football and Olivia working for the LA Tribune, which she hopes will help her future reporting career. While there are many romances on the show, these characters truly understand one another.
While football is the focus of the show, the best characters on All American have both personal and professional plotlines, as they care deeply about the people in their lives but also want to further their sports dreams. Olivia from All American's sad split from Spencer drives home the show's ability to craft emotional moments that have staying power.
Spencer Breaks Up With Olivia For Writing A Controversial Article
Spencer ends his relationship with Olivia in All American season 5, episode 1, "Ludacrismas," at a holiday party, which is one of the most emotional moments of the entire season. He breaks up with Olivia because of an article she writes about his Golden Angeles University coach, Ivan Garrett (Sean Carrigan), and how he's been encouraging his players to intentionally injure those on the opposing team. This powerful All American bountygate storyline speaks to the pressure that coaches put on their athletes to win, no matter the cost. Later, in episode 6, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," Coach Garrett quits before he can be fired.
Olivia and Spencer's split is particularly moving because the series makes it clear that even though Olivia is making life hard for the Golden Angeles University team, her now ex-boyfriend understands why she wrote the story. Olivia wants to follow her writing dreams, and Spencer tells her, “You love your dream more, and that’s okay. I would never ask you to give up anything for me, just like you never asked me to walk away from football."
Spencer & Olivia Are Still In Love
In All American season 3, Olivia and Spencer develop feelings, and those feelings are still present in season 5, despite them going their separate ways. While Olivia pursues her writing goals and moves forward with a tough story that makes waves in the college football community, she tells Spencer that she knows they can be together again in the future. This is an important detail, as it proves that the characters still have strong feelings for one another and that they wish that they didn't have to be apart.
Olivia never stops caring about Spencer, and from the pilot episode when she offers him a friendly and compassionate welcome to school, she has made it clear that she will be there for him. While the break-up is somber, it shows that Spencer wants Olivia to follow her heart, even if it leads her away from him for a period of time.