#Sprina Will Happen One Way Or Another… But Maybe Not How You Expect
Trina has been at the center of Spencer’s return.
The decision to have Spencer enter the scene the way he did- secretly arriving in town and menacing Ava for weeks with the help of Esme- was clever but not entirely surprising for viewers. What other way could Spencer have pulled off his plans without getting his hands visibly dirty?
The writers, however, chose to place Trina smack dab in the middle of things. Spencer and Trina’s meeting was deliberate by the writers. Spencer’s decision to keep his identity secret and taking this opportunity to spend time with her has laid the groundwork. Spencer had nothing to gain by hanging out with Trina. The fact that he simply enjoyed her company is proof that the intention of the writers has been for the two teens to end up together. Spencer could have had his stalking storyline play out with Ava and Nikolas without Trina. But Trina has been part of the story every step of the way- and that tells me that #Sprina is a real thing.
Esme as Trina’s rival as opposed to Joss means #Sprina is the endgame.
The introduction of Esme, as infuriating as she has become for viewers, is another example of #Sprina being the direction the story is going in. The addition of Esme as an obstacle for the couple was a good move by writers. Many fans feared that Esme would be redeemed and Trina would get cut out of the storyline and I get that worry. But as frustrating as the wait has been, Esme’s machinations have given the audience a compelling opposing force to add conflict. The other option would have been Joss and Trina fighting over Spencer and Cameron in a love quadrangle. This would have created a dynamic where Trina potentially ends up with Cameron, which would suck for #Sprina fans. And as many viewers recall, Trina would be in a precarious position not unlike the one her Aunt Gia ended up fifteen years ago.
If viewers remember, Gia was involved in an epic affair with Spencer’s father Nikolas. The two were even engaged, before her aunt lost Nikolas’ heart to Emily. Gia would get involved with Zander out of a desire to make Nik and Em pay. Zander, was infatuated with Emily but instead of exploring things with Gia for drama, the writers felt the conflict was not strong enough. The writers shifted Zander’s focus to Elizabeth in his efforts to make Emily jealous, which had added dimensions due to the character’s history on the show. Since, Gia lacked that history with either man, there was less of a necessity for her character and she was left to fade off-canvas. Gia’s exit was hastened by the poor reception to the new actress in the role, which was due in no small part to racist attitudes. (Keep that in mind for part two of this post.)
The story could have played out like Gia’s did- I don’t see that happening.
Joss has a long history with both Spencer and Cameron-there’s enough material with the characters with Trina alone if that were the goal of the writing team. In fact, Esme’s addition would make that scenario dangerous for Trina’s character, with Joss becoming focal and Trina being unnecessary. She’d be in position similar to her aunt’s all those years ago. Fortunately, Spencer has shown little interest in Josslyn and vice versa. He barely shows any in Esme- at least not compared to Trina- and that’s his girlfriend.
On top of all this, the writers have played all the beats between Trina and Spencer:
- Trina and Spencer have shown mutual attraction- from the time she thought he was Victor and also every way that Spencer has looked at her since
- Trina felt betrayed by his lies, Spencer felt remorse for hurting her.
- Trina was defensive of Ava , Spencer doubled down on his view of his step-mother
- When Trina called out his privilege, and he took it to heart, then rejected his fortune
- Trina showed him grace when Spencer needed it most
- and, the list really goes on.
In contrast, the writers have not written Esme as viewing anybody but Trina as a threat to her. Nor have they shown Joss having any actual response to Spencer that is romantic in nature at all. The writers could have made it a dimension of the story if they intended to and likely would have. That’s not the case and that tells me the path for Spencer and Trina is set.