While the characters on Pretty Little Liars are all fascinating, as fans watch them come of age and deal with the mysterious threat of "A," Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) is arguably the most chill. He sometimes sits on the sidelines, not as rebellious as Caleb Rivers (Tyler Blackburn) or literary as Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding). But he's a beloved love interest for Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) and the show would seem strange without him.
Rosewood isn't exactly an easy place to live, even with its big mansions and beautiful streets. It's fun to grab a coffee at The Brew or walk through the landscaped neighborhoods... but as the characters on PLL all know, evil is never far behind. There are definitely some problems with Toby's character, even if he's always fun to watch.
His Backstory Doesn't Fit The Character
Fans know that Toby was manipulated by his half-sister Jenna Marshall (Tammin Sursok) into to sleeping with her, and it's not a very pleasant thing to think about. But does that backstory really fit the character that viewers have grown to love?
Toby is a tough person who has been through a lot and it doesn't seem like he would actually do that. Instead, he would tell Jenna to leave him alone and he wouldn't care about the consequences. This is one major problem with his character.
He Would Never Marry Someone Who Wasn't Spencer
Toby and Spencer have one of the most popular relationships on the show, which is why it was such a shock that he would marry Yvonne Phillips (Kara Royster).
It doesn't work for Toby to fall so deeply in love with someone else and actually marry them. From the very start, he has always been interested in Spencer, so this was a weird storyline for the character to have. It's just one example of a way that he got worse as Pretty Little Liars progressed.
His Working With The A Team Fell Flat
"A" is the mysterious figure at the core of PLL and for a while, fans thought that Toby was on the A Team. Talk about a crazy realization for Spencer and her friends.
But since Toby later said that he was on the A Team for a legit reason, this storyline fell flat, and it didn't work at all. It's yet another way that this character kept deteriorating. He should have been all good or all evil, as this show doesn't leave much room for a gray area in terms of morality.
His Character Is Creepy At The Beginning, Then Totally Normal
Just like a pilot can seem so different from the remainder of the series, a character can start off one way and then completely change.
In Toby's case, he seems really creepy when the show starts, and the other girls really don't like him. It's hard to reconcile the vibe that he gives off with how sweet and normal he seems later on. This seems like a major inconsistency with the character.
He Doesn't Seem Like A Cop (And He Seems To Get Hired Too Young)
Toby isn't perfect and it's also very strange when he becomes a cop. He seems too young to get hired and it happens in the blink of an eye.
The main problem with Toby having this profession? He just doesn't come across as someone who would go into law enforcement. It seems like he would do something with his hands, like building and renovating houses, or he would become a social worker and help people. This was confusing.
He Should Be Able To Tell Alex Drake Wasn't Really Spencer
It's pretty wild that Toby and Alex Drake kiss, as it seems like Toby would definitely be able to tell that she isn't Spencer but her evil twin.
If Toby is so smart and perceptive, as he's been a cop and also a member of the A Team for his own reasons and motivations, wouldn't he have a bad feeling about this?
The Characters Falsely Think That He Died
If Toby passed away on PLL, it would definitely be considered an emotional death, but the other characters only think that he died in the third season of the show.
It turns out that it was someone else's body that the characters saw, not Toby's. Why was this necessary? There are so many false deaths and red herrings on the show that it grew pretty tiresome.
Toby's Storylines All Wrap Up Too Easily
It seems like no matter what Toby has going on, things get wrapped up rather easily and quickly. This is true of him falling for someone who isn't Spencer, as Yvonne ends up passing away. This is also true of him being on the A Team, as it turns out that he didn't do it for evil reasons.
This is one way that the character got worse and worse because that's just not the way that life works. It feels totally unrealistic, especially in a town like Rosewood where no one is happy.
He's Not Given As Much Screen Time As The Other Guys
It feels like when comparing screentime for the major love interests on PLL, Ezra and Caleb are given the most. These characters are always around, creating or responding to drama and conflict, and they're some of the most popular on the show.
But Toby sometimes seems like he's off in his own world, and Spencer spends a lot of time on her own.
He's Not Given Much To Do In The Final Season
Besides marrying Yvonne and then dealing with her death, what does Toby really do in the seventh and final season?
It feels like a big mistake that he doesn't really seem to be doing anything interesting. Since no fan wanted to see him with someone who wasn't Spencer, the Yvonne storyline wasn't compelling, and it would have been better to see Toby occupied with something else.