In this episode of Grace and Frankie, Frankie is mentally “down” being that it is the night of Robert and Sol’s Bachelor party. Grace is happy in her relationship, so she is sympathetic towards Frankie. Grace tells Frankie that she will do anything to make her happy. Frankie convinces Grace to participate in a “yes night” with her, hoping that it will cheer her up.

 

Grace and Frankie “The Bachelor Party” passes the Bechdel Test by including…

  1. Two women who are named Grace and Frankie
  2. Conversations where the women talk to one another
  3. Grace and Frankie have a conversation in this episode about their “yes night” and all that it entails.

 

Grace Skolka (Hanson)

Masculine Traits:

  • Defends own beliefs
    • Grace defends herself to Frankie in regards to Guy. She tells Frankie her feelings towards Guy, not letting Frankie stand in the middle of their relationship.
  • Assertive
    • When the women are getting ready for their “yes night”, Grace tells Frankie that she cannot wear what she is wearing. In response, Grace decides that she will dress Frankie herself.
  • Willing to take risks
    • When they get to the bar, they challenge each other to eat exotic foods.
  • Dominant
    • Frankie tries to convince Grace that they can’t do anything together because Grace told Guy she would pick him up from the airport. Grace dominants both relationships by telling her that Guy is a “grown man” and he can get a cab.
  • Masculine
    • The women begin to dance on the bar, causing a scene and getting yelled at by a man at the bar.
  • Willing to take a stand
    • Even though Guy told Grace that he loved her, Grace didn’t tell him that she loved him. She doesn’t want to say anything she doesn’t mean.

Feminine Traits:

  • Yielding
    • Grace is yielding her night to Frankie in order to be there for her.
  • Cheerful
    • The women were very giggly and cheerful after getting kicked out of the bar.
  • Shy
    • Grace yells at Frankie, who is approaching a homeless man, saying, “Don’t talk to him, he’s homeless!”.
  • Sensitive to others’ needs
    • Grace doesn’t tell Frankie that Guy loves her because she doesn’t want Frankie to feel bad about her relationship status.
    • Grace shows interest in the women’s “yes night”. Grace asks Frankie how it went compared to all of her “yes nights” with Sol.
  • Compassionate
    • Grace is very compassionate towards Frankie when Frankie says she is “down”.
  • Soft-spoken
    • When the women receive whiskey from some men at the bar, Grace is very polite and says that it was a sweet gesture.
  • Childlike
    • By participating in the “yes night” the women act very childish and immature.

Frankie Bergestein

Masculine Traits:

  • Forceful
    • When they are at the bar, a man comes up and tries to talk to them. Frankie yells at him and yells at him saying that  he is fake!
  • Willing to take risks
    • When they get to the bar, they challenge each other to eat exotic foods.
  • Self-sufficient
    • Frankie is starting to realize that she needs to start to find a life without Grace. Grace has found a man and Frankie is still grieving, feeling lonely.
  • Masculine
    • The women begin to dance on the bar, causing a scene and getting yelled at by a man at the bar.
  • Willing to take a stand
    • Frankie gets upset towards Grace and yells, “I have a right to be down. I’m not your project!”.
  • Aggressive
    • In contrast to Grace, Frankie says that the whiskey gesture from the men was very “pretentious”.
  • Individualistic
    • Frankie considers herself her own therapist. She videos herself talking to herself as a coping mechanism.
  • Susceptible to flattery
    • Frankie is very happy towards Grace who is flattering her during the “yes night”.

Feminine Traits:

  • Cheerful
    • The women were very giggly and cheerful after getting kicked out of the bar.
  • Sensitive to others’ needs
    • Frankie is sensitive towards her own needs and decides to take off her own wedding ring.
  • Understanding
    • Frankie is understanding of Grace’s relationship with Guy. She tells Grace that she doesn’t need Grace to be there for her; Grace doesn’t need to be there to take care of her.
  • Compassionate
    • Frankie shows compassion towards Bud who is frazzled by the thought of planning Robert and Sol’s Bachelor Party.
  • Childlike
    • By participating in the “yes night” the women act very childish and immature.
  • Sensitive
    • Frankie was very hurt by Grace when she found out that Guy told Grace he loved her, but Grace never told Frankie.

 

In this episode of Grace and Frankie, Grace is more feminine while Frankie is more masculine. Grace is happy and cheerful in her relationship with Guy. The relationship is taking off and Grace is very pleased although she doesn’t want to rub it in Frankie’s face. By doing so, she is showing compassion towards Frankie. Frankie shows her masculine side by being aggressive and dominant towards people at the bar and Grace. She is starting to realize that she needs to be more self-sufficient and to do so, she is starting to become more forceful with others.

Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 1, Episode 12 (approximately 21:00)