In this episode, an earthquake comes through that terrifies Frankie who is very fearful of earthquakes and all that goes along with them. Because of this, Sol drops everything to come comfort her. Frankie ends up asking Sol questions about how things started with Robert and the conversation ends up being quite emotional. Grace goes on a date with a man who copies her every move. She ends up leaving the man and comes home to one of Frankie’s art students; they have a “moment”.
Grace and Frankie “The Earthquake” passes the Bechdel Test by including…
- Two women named Grace and Frankie
- The episode includes conversations where the women are talking to one another
- Throughout the episode they have conversations that are about something other than men. In this episode, they have a conversation about the earthquake that comes through.
Grace Skolka (Hanson)
Masculine Traits:
- Forceful
- When Frankie is trying to convince Grace to go on a date, Grace gets very aggressive and forceful with her. Eventually she snaps at Frankie and wonders why she is rushing her into this.
- Masculine
- Grace channels a masculine characteristic of hers when Frankie is under the table after the earthquake. Grace says to her, “I’m not a coddler… so get the hell off of the floor!”
- Willing to take a stand
- Also, while Frankie is under the table, she tries convincing Grace to do the same. Grace refuses and insists that she is not getting under the table.
Feminine Traits:
- Shy
- Grace is shy and nervous when it comes to going on a date. She is very leery about the whole situation.
- Not susceptible to flattery
- The man she goes on a date with tries to be the perfect man for Grace. She, in turn, is very stand-offish and is not falling for this man’s charm.
- Feminine
- When Frankie is trying to convince Grace to go on the date, Grace’s reason for not wanting to go is that her “eyes are puffy” and her “hairs not cooperating”.
- Eager to soothe hurt feelings
- Initially after the earthquake when Grace finds Frankie under the table, she is very concerned and wonders if Frankie is okay.
- Soft-spoken
- While on the date, Grace is very soft-spoken in the restaurant. She even asks the man she is on a date with to quiet his voice as well.
- Tender
- When Grace comes home to Frankie’s art student sitting at the counter, she is very tender towards him. In fact, they even end up kissing.
- Gentle
- At the end of the episode, when Grace hears about Frankie’s conversation with Sol Grace is very gentle and comforting towards Frankie.
Franke Bergestein
Masculine Traits:
- Defends own beliefs
- When Frankie is talking to Grace about going on the date, Frankie gives her some condoms. Grace refuses, but Frankie goes onto explain and defend her beliefs about STDs among the elderly population.
- Forceful
- After Sol comforts her after the earthquake, Frankie realizes that her life with Sol is over. She gets very forceful and adamant that he leaves.
- Masculine
- Throughout the episode, Frankie swears quite often.
- Aggressive
- When Sol is talking about his relationship with Robert, he tries to comfort Frankie. She doesn’t like this and yells “don’t do that!” in public.
Feminine Traits:
- Yielding
- When the earthquake strikes, Frankie yields her whole day to it. She doesn’t feel comfortable if she’s not under the table.
- Not susceptible to flattery
- Sol tries to compliment her and Frankie does not take it well. She doesn’t like that he still tries to be her person.
- Sensitive to others’ needs
- Once Sol starts to explain his relationship with Robert, Frankie realizes that Sol needed Robert and had a stronger connection with him.
- Understanding
- Frankie attempts to understand Sol and Robert’s relationship by asking questions and actually listening to Sol’s answers.
- Soft-spoken
- While having the tough conversation with Sol, Frankie stays very soft-spoken even though it is a very sensitive topic for her.
- Childlike
- In the beginning of the episode, while doing the dishes, Frankie dances and sings like a young child might do.
- Sensitive
- After her conversation with Sol, Frankie breaks down and begins to cry. This is when she starts to realize how happy Sol is, but it hurts her nevertheless.
In episode 6, Grace and Frankie are both quite feminine throughout. Because of Frankie’s fear of earthquakes she acts very childlike and fearful during the episode. Additionally, during her encounter with Sol she faces an emotional conversation. Because Grace has a date in this episode, she too, is very feminine because she is nervous and concerned by her appearance. After she finds out how Frankie’s day went, she is very gentle and caring towards her as well.
Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 1, Episode 6 (approximately 5:45)