Spoby

"Spoby" is the couple name for Spencer Hastings and Toby Cavanaugh. The relationship between the pair starts out less-than-friendly, as Toby's sexual involvement with his step-sister Jenna, his being a rumored nut-case/peeping-Tom, and the Liars' previous mistaken belief that Toby killed Alison causes distrust from Spencer's end. Things change when Spencer tutors Toby in French and they begin to spend more time together, at first to seek out information, but they soon bond over their shared feelings of persecution. Despite the disapproval of her mother and sister, their relationship grows and she is in a serious relationship with him by the end of the first season.

Season 1
During much of Season 1, Spencer shows nothing but disdain for Toby. She believes he spied on them through windows while Ali was alive, forced himself on his step-sister Jenna, attacked Emily at the Homecoming dance, momentarily believes he ran over Hanna, and she even believes him to be Alison's secret boyfriend and murderer, along with the rest of Rosewood, and "A" for a while. Her feelings begin to change after the girls clear him of being "A" and find a new suspect in Alison's murder.

In "Know Your Frenemies," while Toby was out of prison on bail, and Spencer is out for a run, she sees Toby across the street and crouches down next to a car and watches the awful way people in Rosewood treat him. After some little kids run away from him, truly frightened, he runs into an alley to cry, and Spencer seems to pity him for once.

In "Je Suis Une Amie," at Emily's one day, Spencer notices Toby cleaning up the remains of his mailbox which had been vandalized, a common occurrence of late. She apologizes to Emily for badmouthing him, but Emily thinks she is directing the apology to the wrong person. Spencer seems to take this to heart. Later, at school, they spot a flier calling for a French tutor for a home-schooled student, obviously Toby, who is currently on house arrest. Spencer pulls down the flier, hoping she can share information with Toby and learn who is framing them both.

At the Cavanaugh home, Spencer stoops to pick up the mail, which has been unceremoniously dropped on the ground in the absence of a mailbox. When Toby opens the door, she hands him the mail, and he wordlessly takes it. Before he shuts the door again, she informs him that she is there to tutor him, as per the school's advertisement. He accepts her offer to meet on the porch, since he can't leave his property, but also doesn't want to study with Spencer in the house, too close to Jenna.

Spencer goes to Toby's house and gives Toby a French translation of "Catcher in the Rye," explaining the best way to learn another language is to read a book you have already read, but in that other language. He asks how she knows that he's read the book before, and she confesses that she noticed him reading it at the Apple Rose Grille. He then questions Spencer's motives in helping him, seeing her behavior as a complete reversal. Spencer confides that she thinks that he was framed and now believes that she is being framed too. They commiserate together, and Spencer properly apologizes for suspecting him. When they start discussing the evidence from the day Alison disappeared, they are startled by someone (Jenna) suddenly shutting a window and Toby heads back inside, thanking her for the book. Back in Emily's room, Spencer plays the scene with Toby over and over again in her mind.

Spencer then shows up to Toby's home and is nonplussed when he tells her to leave with barely any explanation. He hands her the French textbook and closes the door behind him, leaving her on the doorstep. She later spots a note tucked in the book. It is a rubbing of a message he found in Jenna's room.

In "The New Normal", Spencer, upset the message Toby gave her appears to be nonsense, goes to his house to confront him. He tells her she is reading it wrong and to come back Saturday morning when Jenna will be away at her flute lesson. Later, she has an epiphany and is able to decipher the code.

Spencer visits Toby's home again, and finding the door open, goes snooping in Jenna’s room until Toby warns her to stop. Toby had been on the phone with the District Attorney and learned the charges are being dropped, as the blood evidence they collected was corrupted, and they can’t go to trial with it. Thus, Toby is no longer under house arrest for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis. He can have his tracking anklet removed as soon as he goes to the Rosewood Police Department. Spencer offers Toby a ride to the station, and he accepts, leaving Jenna rebuffed when he turns down her ride in a taxi with him.

After leaving the Rosewood Police Department, Spencer takes Toby to the town limits, where the non-vandalized Rosewood population sign stands. She wants him to be able to enjoy his newfound freedom. Spencer also informs Toby that she figured out the Braille message he left her "214." Toby doesn't know what it means, but he did overhear Jenna talking about Spencer when she printed out that embossed message. Toby posits that Jenna is afraid of Spencer and the girls. Later, she drives him home, passing the motel.

In "The Badass Seed," Toby and Spencer talk at her house to discuss the meeting she witnessed between Jenna and Ian that day at school. Spencer demands that Toby steal Jenna's phone so that they can uncover what he's hiding. She convinces him that if he doesn't, he is liable to be framed for murder again.

The next morning, Spencer makes Toby breakfast, even though he had breakfast plans with Emily, and he hands her Jenna's phone, which he stole the night before. He is afraid of Jenna's reaction. Spencer uses the opportunity to ask Toby why Alison had been so sure that Toby was the one spying on them. He doesn't know, but is firm that he never spied on anyone.

Spencer and her friends discover a piece of evidence at school which they believe proves Ian killed Alison and turn it over to the police. Emily can sense Spencer's growing friendship with Toby and encourages her to be the one to tell him the good news.

Toby and Spencer's friendship develops into something more in "A Person of Interest." Toby is staying at the motel to escape Jenna's wrath, who knows he went in her room and stole her cell phone. While dropping him off, Spencer hears flute music coming from Room 214 - the braille numbers! When she peeks through the window into the room, she sees a bag from "Neufelds," the same exact bag Ian mysteriously gave Jenna.

After school, Spencer goes to keep Toby company in his hotel room, not too keen on returning home to her own accusing parents. Now she is the one being framed for Alison's murder, giving her incentive to step up this investigation with Toby. When Spencer sees a housekeeper pass by in the hallway, she gets an idea and offers her $20 to let them into Room 214. There, they find Jenna's glasses on the floor, and the shopping bag in the closet, unfortunately empty.

Sure that Jenna's staying in the motel, Toby and Spencer stake the room out from the room next door. Spencer is hopped up on caffeine, and brings board games to keep them entertained, and also shows Toby an app on her phone which will enable them to listen through the walls. Toby joyfully beats Spencer at Scrabble, and since Spencer's staying overnight was not planned, Toby gives her his shirt to sleep in, keeping the trousers for himself. As he changes in the bathroom, Spencer sees him through the broken door and admires his abs. Later that night, after Toby has fallen asleep, Spencer changes, then gingerly curls up next to him.

In the morning, Spencer wakes up first, finding herself wrapped around Toby. She disengages herself and leaves the bed before Toby wakes up, leaving him thinking that they slept far apart from each other. They hear noise from the ice machine outside then flute music coming from 214, but when they open the door, they see it was only an audio recording, and they soon realize it‘s just another set-up by the nefarious "A." The notorious Neufeld's shopping bag is filled with ice, with a note from "A" telling them they're ice cold. It may be a set up, but it definitely brings these two closer.

Spencer and Toby part in the parking lot of the motel. Toby is planning to stay another night, and invites Spencer to come back. The two share an unexpected first kiss.

In "Someone to Watch Over Me," Toby comes over and informs Spencer the cops are outside watching. He is all too familiar with the feeling of being suspected by the police and coaches Spencer accordingly, urging her to serve the cops coffee in a bold move acknowledging their presence, yet not being afraid.

Later, Toby and Spencer spend comforting time sitting alone in her house. He apologizes for Jenna's involvement in hurting Hanna (by using Caleb), feeling partially responsible. Spencer wonders if it's too late to run away. She recounts a story from her childhood. When she was 7, she and Melissa got into a huge fight and their parents sided with Melissa. Spencer was so upset, she made herself a tuna-salad sandwich and ran away... to the movies, where she watched an animated princess film. She returned home when she got lonely only to find that no one even noticed she was missing. Toby then says that if she ever has the urge to run away again to call him first, and he takes her hand.

In "Monsters in the End," Spencer's mother tells her not to see Toby anymore. Blatantly ignoring this, Spencer goes to Toby, who is fixing his motorcycle. Toby knows that Spencer is innocent, but when he sees a cop car pull up closely, he suggests that she leave and offers to visit her in her home later. He picks up on the fact that her parents would rather he not come around, though. So, they agree to meet up at the festival at 7 PM instead. Jenna comes out of the house, then, and calls Toby to drive her to school.

At the festival, Spencer gets a text from Toby, telling her to meet him in the funhouse. The text, however, was not really from Toby, it was a set-up from "A." Spencer gets trapped in the funhouse until Ian and her family show up and free her. Then Spencer gets a real text from Toby asking where she is. She is shaken, but unharmed. Spencer exits the fun house and soon spots Toby waiting for her. Her mother demands that she follows her home, but after a moment's hesitation, Spencer runs into Toby's arms. They embrace tightly and then kiss in front of Spencer's mother and sister and nosey church lady Mrs. Ackard.

In "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Toby and Spencer are seen in her room reading and studying, respectively, until Toby calls Spencer over to sit on his lap by the window; where she soon falls asleep. After a while, Spencer gets a text from her sister, saying that she needs a ride home from the church. Toby tells Spencer that he'll keep Jenna busy like she wants him to, but he wishes he was going with her instead. She tells him that he's helping her by finding out if Jenna's involved in Alison's murder. She then tells him that he is her safe place to land, and that she wants him to stay safe. They kiss again.

Season 2
In "It's Alive," Toby goes to the Hastings' house asking if Spencer is alright. Spencer's father keeps Toby from seeing Spencer saying "she's not alright" and "keep away from my daughter." Later that night, Spencer hears a branch break outside her house and immediately locks all the doors she can, turns off the lights, and hides behind the kitchen counter, armed with a butcher knife. Turns out it's just Toby. He explains "I had to see you" and she cries in his arms. Toby stays and they talk for a while and he then leaves telling Spencer to "lock the doors." Spencer smiles and responds with " Yes sir" as she watches him leave.

In "The Goodbye Look," Toby shows up at school and tells Spencer he is going to get a GED; he has scored a job at a construction company. Spencer is proud of him, but slightly depressed about the possibility of Toby leaving Rosewood. He soothes her concerns by telling her she is the reason he'll stay. Spencer sits in her car and watches what appears to be Toby being laid-off. He approached her and says the customer saw him and told them they'd fire the company if he wasn't removed. Spencer seems furious by this, declaring, "He cannot do that." Toby asks her to drop the matter. Toby comes to Spencer's house later that evening. Toby seems upset that Spencer did not tell him of Ian texting Melissa. She doesn't think telling him would have changed the circumstances; he tells her that he would have tried to help, regardless. The two watch over Rosewood, and Spencer tells Toby she'll go to the police if that's what he would like her to do. He wraps an arm around her, and she rests her head against his chest.

In "My Name Is Trouble," Toby comes to the school to drop off his GED paperwork and he tells Spencer he has another construction job with Jason. Spencer is wary, so she makes him promise he won't go inside Jason's house, since the girls don't trust Jason. He says "promises" and kisses her. Spencer comes to visit Toby at work and tries to get him to quit, but he tells her he needs the money. Spencer finds the engagement ring that Melissa had been looking for and she sells it to a pawn shop. She uses the money supplied from pawning her sister's ring in order to purchase the truck Toby needed to begin a different construction job. Toby is stunned and happy, and he tells her he loves her "so much"; to which Spencer replies "I wanted to say that first". The two then kiss.

In "Never Letting Go," Toby walks Spencer home. It seems the two can't keep their hands off each other. Toby kisses her in the Hastings' doorway, and they bid each other good night. Later at the fashion show, Spencer goes backstage to talk to Toby while he works on the lighting. He calms her down after she gets worked up from Mona's attitude. The two then giggle and kiss again. Later on in the fashion show while Spencer is giving out swag bags Toby comes talk to her and compliment her appearance. When Mona interrupts their conversation to issue orders to Spencer, Toby again reminds her to take a breath.

In "Surface Tension," Spencer's dad hires Toby at Spencer's suggestion to do work in the yard after the fence Jason was working on was stopped. Spencer goes to the backyard finding Toby and begins to flirt with him. After Toby finds the field hockey stick, he tells Spencer, whose father believes she set up the entire thing for attention. Toby comforts Spencer at night when she tells him about her dad.

In "Touched by an 'A'-ngel," Spencer fills in Toby on the developments between Garrett and Jenna. The two of them blow off the school college fair to sort through Ian's leftover belongings. Toby spots Ian's yearbook among a crate of his books. They open up to Ian's page; the caption under his picture reads: "Captain Lacrosse Team, Honors Society, Drama Club, N.A.T. Club." Spencer, who's sure that she is familiar with every single club on campus, is befuddled. They flip through the yearbook index of clubs to check for a description of the club, but there is none, leading them to believe that it was some sort of prank. They do find two other members with similar captions, though: Garrett Reynolds and Jason DiLaurentis.

In "I Must Confess," Toby and Spencer make out in Toby's truck near Spencer's house until Toby catches sight of someone in Jason's house. Spencer then sees two figures and assumes it's Jason and his friends voyeuristically spying on the two lovers' make out session. Spencer gets out of the car to storm up to the house, while Toby buttons up his shirt and tries to stop her. She is stopped in her tracks when her father comes out. When Spencer questions him, he deflects her questions, and when Toby steps in to defend his girlfriend, he gets yelled at and threatened by Peter. Spencer ignores her father's order to return home and gets in Toby's car before he drives away from her irate father.

In "Over My Dead Body," Spencer's doll says "Keep Toby safe," and Spencer realizes that the only way to do that would be to stay away from him. She reluctantly breaks up with him, and quickly runs away before he can react. Finally, she stops by a tree and starts crying like never before. Later on, Toby goes down to the police station to support Spencer. When he sees her, he is restrained by three police officers, and he calls out to her, telling her that he loves her. Spencer walks away, teary-eyed, unable to say anything thanks to the villainous "A."

In "Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares," Toby tries to win Spencer back, but she constantly rejects him, worrying about his safety. He waits outside her house while she is walking home from school. He asks about her family, and after a slightly awkward, but friendly conversation, Toby shows her the gift he made her - a rocking chair. Although Spencer likes it, she says that she can't accept his gift, and the tone of their meeting changes dramatically. Spencer tells him to forget about her and worry about Jenna and Garrett instead, which angers and upsets Toby, and he leaves.

Later in the episode, Toby witnesses the fight between Spencer, Hanna, and Aria and Emily over the box Jason gave Aria after the swim meet. Toby comes to Spencer's house that night to tell her that he's not going to "sit around and watch two people I care about rip into each other like that." Spencer tries to leave her house to meet the other girls at the greenhouse, but Toby insists on knowing what is going on. He tells her that he never believed Jenna when she said that Spencer was trying to replace Alison until now seeing how she acted with Emily. Spencer, still trying to keep him safe from A and needing to meet Emily at the greenhouse, tells him to leave and she will explain everything the next day. When he asks what difference one night is going to make, she tells him that "It could change everything."

Toby and Spencer seem to be moving closer to reconciling in "A Hot Piece of A." Spencer talks to Toby in his truck during the episode and tells him, "Shutting you out is killing me." Toby then asks her, "So you came here to tell me than you can't be here?" After hearing Toby say that, Spencer begins to laugh, as does Toby, and he soon pulls her in for a kiss, which quickly turns into a make-out session that is quickly interrupted by Garrett, who is speaking to Jenna angrily over the phone. Toby quickly fills Spencer in on what is happening between the two of them, although he is as clueless as Spencer about what (and who) they are really arguing about.

In "The Blond Leading the Blind," Toby thinks he and Spencer are dating. He shows up at her house to get his stuff and he even calls her. Before he showed up, A sent Spencer a text saying "I WARNED YOU!" with a picture of them kissing in his car. Worried what A might do, Spencer has Emily take the call. She lies and says shes not here but he knows Spencer is there.

Later, Toby goes to the work site to take down the scaffolding when it "gave way" and he fell. Spencer's mom had taken him to the hospital and called Spencer during school. Later at the hospital, Toby is okay and he only has a broken arm. Spencer and him talk about what happened and how he fell when Wren appears. Wren makes it obvious that something happened with him and Spencer in the past and Toby catches on. After Wren leaves he asked her if there was something he should know. Before she could say anything A sends her a message saying "Almost got him! Next time Toby wont be so lucky!" This clearly worries her.

Then Jenna comes and visits Toby and says he shouldn't have gone back to that house and that no one will ever care about him the way she does. He says Spencer does but Jenna says shes haunted. When Jenna leaves, Emily comes in while Spencer gets off the elevator. Spencer hears the conversation between Jenna and Emily saying how everyone close to them gets hurt. While Emily goes in with Toby, who's asleep, she notices that Spencer is looking in with tears in her eyes. Emily goes out to check on her and Spencer says she needs to keep Toby safe. She asks Emily to do her a favor and Emily says yes.

Spencer leaves the hospital and Emily goes in the room with Toby. Toby notices that Emily looks sad and he asks her what's wrong. Emily says that before he and Spencer got together she was with someone and it wasn't right and now its not right again. Emily also says that Spencer wanted to tell him for a long time, but she couldn't. Toby wants to know who it was but Emily doesn't say. Emily goes to Spencer's house where she finds Spencer in her room crying because she loves Toby and wants to keep him safe from A.

Later Wren comes back to Toby's room and Toby wants to know what happened between the two of them. Wren says he kissed Spencer and she told him it was over between them. Toby gets angry and wants him to leave before he hits him.

Later, Toby leaves his truck in Spencer's yard. He leaves a note but the only thing she says is "He's gone" with tears in her eyes.

In "A Kiss Before Lying," Spencer and Aria are in Spencer's house discussing their relationship issues. Aria asks what happened to Toby's truck and Spencer says she drove it back to his house but she sat in it for a while and listened to the radio,possibley to remember all their good times and make-out sessions they had, but she begins to cry because she misses him. Aria then hugs her. Later while the girls are at school, Hanna notices that a white t-shirt is sticking out of her sweater. Spencer than says that its Toby's. When Hanna and Spencer hang out, Hanna asks if they could watch The Notebook, but Spencer says she's trying to weigh herself off of that but then agrees to watch it possibly so she can cry more about losing Toby.

In "Father Knows Best," after a fight with her dad Spencer leaves the dance and goes outside. She is clearly upset as someone on a motorcycle comes around the corner. She says "Toby" but the person just stares at her and then leaves. She runs a little bit after him. This implies that she not only misses him but also needs him because she would tell him the truth about her family.

In "Eye of the Beholder," Toby returns with a new haircut and a new attitude. Spencer is with Aria, Emily and Hanna getting coffee when Jenna gets out of a cab with Toby. Spencer sees them and she stands up and she smiles at him because she is happy that is back. But Toby is shooting her an evil eye because he still thinks she cheated on him. Later at school, Spencer sees Toby with Jenna. When Jenna goes in a room, Spencer talks to Toby. The conversation is really awkward and when Spencer mentions that Toby is back to guiding Jenna around he defends Jenna and says that you(meaning Spencer) better get used to things coming to an end. Spencer tells him that she has been thinking a lot about them, but he tells her its to late. Spencer gets a cut on her hand from the fire and she is at the hospital. When she leaves the room that she got her bandage on her hand, Toby comes and says that Jenna wants to talk to them meaning her, Hanna, Emily and Aria. She says okay and starts to walk away. But Toby asks her if she is okay with a conerned look on his face. She replied with "I think so." By Toby asking her, this proves that he still cares about her.

In "If These Dolls Could Talk," Spencer, Hanna, Emily and Aria are at school looking at the old newspapers they found when Jenna comes up to them. Jenna is with Toby and he sets her down at the table the girls are at. He locks eyes with Spencer but he is glaring at her. She seems like she wants to say something but he walks away still believing that she cheated on him.

In "UnmAsked," After Spencer drops her friends off at their houses, she finds Toby cleaning up from the fire at Jason's house. She tries to talk to him about Jenna but he is still cold toward her. She then asks if he'll ever be able to forgive her. After Spencer leaves, Toby gets a call from Dr. Sullivan. After 'A's identity has been revealed Doctor Sullivan arrives and talk to the girls about 'A's personality disorder. She tells them that she only came back to Rosewood because a friend of theirs showed up and he helped her get over her fears. The 'friend' is then identified as Toby who is waiting outside the police station with his truck. Toby and Spencer both walk towards each other and Toby tells her that "Pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done." Spencer goes to slap him but he grabs her hand and pulls her closer to him. They look at each other for a moment before exploding into a series of passionate kisses.

Trivia
In interviews, Troian Bellisario and Keegan Allen have speculated the writers decided to make their characters a couple because they are such good friends on set.

Music in Spoby scenes

 * "Brittle Winter" by Gemma Hayes (played while Spencer sees Toby cry in the alley in "Know Your Frenemies.")
 * "Sit With Me Tonight" by Garrison Starr (played while Spencer arrives at Toby's house and he tells her that she cant tutor him anymore in Je Suis une Amie.")


 * "Try" by Zach Berkman (played while Spencer drives Toby home and glance at each other in "The New Normal.")


 * "Glitter In the Air" by Pink (played as Spencer sleeps next to a shirtless Toby in a motel room in "A Person of Interest.")


 * "Sea Of Love" by Cat Power (played while Spencer and Toby talk about running away and Toby takes her hand in "Someone to Watch Over Me.")


 * "Far Far" by Yael Naim (played as Spencer tells Toby that he is her safe place to land and they kiss again in "For Whom the Bell Tolls.")


 * "Add My Effort" by The Weepies (played when Spencer checks on Toby at work and he tells her he got fired in "The Goodbye Look.")


 * "How Good We Had It" by Hayley Taylor (played when Spencer gives Toby the truck and they exchange "I Love You's" in "My Name Is Trouble.")


 * "Call it the Same" by Madi Diaz (played while Toby helps Spencer pack up Ian's things in "Touched by an 'A'-ngel.")
 * "Wrap My Mind Around You" by Trent Dabbs (played while Toby brings Spencer to school and they kiss before she leaves in "I Must Confess.")


 * "Posion and Wine" by The Civil Wars (played while Spencer and Toby make out in his truck in "I Must Confess.")


 * "I Will Let You Go" by Daniel Ahearn (played while Spencer crys out her window because Toby got hurt and she had to end things with him in "The Blond Leading the Blind.")


 * "Our Song (One Day At a Time)" by Graham Colton (played while Toby asks Spencer if she is alright in "Eye of the Beholder.")

Threats To Spoby

 * Wren: He comes back into town to be with Spencer, still tries to go out for coffee and kiss her though Spencer is with Toby.
 * A: A forced Spencer to keep him safe by not being with him. A also caused Toby to fall off scaffolding.
 * Spencer's parents: They disapprove of their relationship. Spencer's father agrees to give him a job, only to fire him later on..
 * Jenna: She has a grudge against Spencer. She is also believed to still have feelings for Toby and reminds him of it every chance she gets.