One of the special things about Pretty Little Liars is that it focuses on a group of female friends. The show’s storylines devote equal screen time to the characters, and the show would lack dynamic chemistry if one of the characters was missing.
However, Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) seems to be the core of the show. Many of the storylines revolve around her or her family. Essentially, she’s truly the main character of the show. The storylines lead back to her, and her actions have serious consequences that affect the other characters. The show wouldn’t be the same without her.
She Supports Her Friends
One of the best traits about Spencer is that she’s very passionate about the people she loves. Whether it’s romantic or friendly relationships, she pours her heart into these relationships. She is always available to help her friends, even when she’s emotionally exhausted.
Spencer is committed to helping people—mostly because she knows that if she doesn’t help, something could go wrong. She’s an important tool in the hunt for “A.” Spencer is aware of this; therefore, she always makes herself available to assist people. She would do anything for them.
Leader Of The Group
Everyone thinks that Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) is the leader of the group of friends, but this might not be the case. Before she disappeared, the Liars followed Alison. She was the cool, popular girl, but also a bully. Despite this, they still wanted to be accepted by her.
However, throughout the seasons of the show, Spencer is the true leader of the Liars. Because she’s smart and clever, she uses her intelligence to figure out important clues about “A.” She can decipher codes, including when something is written in a foreign language. The Liars follow her advice and instinct. In addition, she's also the rational voice of the group. While most of the girls jump to conclusions, Spencer grounds them and reminds them to think logically before moving forward.
Always Determined To Find “A”
When Spencer sets her mind on something, she doesn’t give up until she succeeds. This is her competitive nature, but it’s beneficial when the Liars are trying to find “A.” Spencer doesn’t rest until she solves the clues. She often stresses herself to an unhealthy state, and she suffers from anxiety.
On many occasions, it seems she cares more about solving the mystery than the rest of her friends. They’re supposed to be a united team, but Spencer is often working alone. She didn’t care if she put herself in danger. She has to know what happened.
She Can’t Leave Rosewood
Throughout the show, Spencer expresses her desire to leave the show’s fictional town, Rosewood, Pennsylvania. When she’s dating her long-term boyfriend, Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen), she wishes they could leave and never return to Rosewood.
However, Spencer is closely linked to Rosewood. Even when she leaves for college, she eventually returns during the show’s sixth season. At first, she assists with her mother’s senatorial campaign, but then she stays in town after Charlotte “CeCe” Drake (Vanessa Ray) is murdered. Spencer doesn’t have to stay in Rosewood, but she can’t seem to leave. She has to be in Rosewood.
Suspected For Killing Bethany Young
During the show’s fifth season, everyone in Rosewood suspects Spencer for the murder of Bethany Young, a young girl who was buried alive instead of Alison. Spencer was wrongfully accused of this crime, but she was still arrested.
Spencer seems to be tied to every murder trial in Rosewood. At the beginning of the show, she was the “good girl” who focused solely on her academics. Then, she changed and became the lead suspect in the Bethany Young murder trial. The public changed their opinion of her, and the show’s storyline centers on her.
She’s A Flawed Character
Main characters are often flawed individuals. This describes Spencer Hastings. While she seems perfect to everyone else, she has many personal dilemmas. She lies, has questionable romantic relationships, suffers from PTSD (especially after the Liars were trapped in A’s Dollhouse), and she has a drug addiction.
During the show’s fourth season, she starts abusing pills after she’s too stressed. She doesn’t sleep properly, and she doesn’t realize her addiction is serious. She’s imperfect, which makes her one of the most realistic characters on the show.
She Has A Flawed Family
The Hastings family is a mess in Rosewood. Spencer’s older sister, Melissa (Torrey DeVitto), is involved in nearly every case in town. Spencer’s father, Peter (Nolan North), had an affair with Alison’s mother, Jessica DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker), which resulted in the birth of the DiLaurentis’ son, Jason (Drew Van Acker). Meanwhile, her father also had an affair with Jessica’s twin sister, Mary Drake (also played by Parker).
Many of the problems in Rosewood lead back to Peter Hastings, as he is the cause of many problems. Everything in the show’s plot goes back to Spencer and her family.
Her Mom Is Mary Drake
During the show’s final season, Spencer learns that she was actually adopted. Her birth mother is Mary Drake. The Hastings kept this secret from her for her entire life; therefore, she doesn’t know her true identity and place in the confusing Hastings-DiLaurentis-Drake family.
Mary Drake is responsible for a majority of the show’s drama. Unfortunately, Spencer finds out that her birth mother—a part of her identity—is the reason for so much pain and violence in her life.
“A” Is Her Half-Sister
After the identity of “A” is revealed to be CeCe Drake, the Liars find out that Mary Drake is CeCe’s mother. Because Mary is also Spencer’s birth mother, this means that CeCe is Spencer’s half-sister.
It has to be difficult for Spencer to know that her half-sister tortured her and her friends for years. Her half-sister also trapped her in the Dollhouse. Because the show’s antagonist is a part of her family, it makes sense for Spencer to be the main character.
She Has An Evil Twin Sister
After CeCe is murdered, the Liars think they are finally free from torture. This is the case until they start receiving messages from a new villain, “A.D.” They have a new game to play, and “A.D.” is sometimes eviler than “A.”
As a shocking twist in the series finale, Spencer finds out that “A.D.” is her long-lost twin sister, Alex Drake. She has been abducted by her evil twin, who wants to replace Spencer and cause more chaos in Rosewood. Once again, Spencer is linked to the trauma and violence in Rosewood against her free will. The show’s major storylines and events happen in relevance to Spencer, which is troubling for her to accept.