In this episode, Frankie convinces Grace to go on a road trip to find her former flame, Phil, who Grace hasn’t seen in years. While on their way, the women get pulled over and Frankie comes to realize her license has expired. Grace, who was drinking on the ride, was forced to drive instead. When they reach Phil’s house, they come up with a plan to lure him out of his house. He ends up approaching his house and sees Grace. Grace and Phil’s reunion does not go well and Grace leaves his house with a heavy heart. On the other hand, Robert is home from the hospital and Sol is still struggling with the guilt of his affair with Frankie.
Grace and Frankie “The Road Trip” passes the Bechdel Test by including…
- The two women who are named Grace and Frankie
- Conversations that take place between Grace and Frankie
- They have many conversations that aren’t about men throughout the episode. One example of this is their conversation about the “new” Frankie.
Grace Skolka (Hanson)
Masculine Traits:
- Forceful
- Early in the episode, when Grace got frustrated with Frankie about her lack of cleaning habits, Grace snaps and says she will not clean up after Frankie!
- Makes decisions easily
- When Frankie first tried to convince Grace to see Phil, she was adamant about not going.
- Willing to take a stand
- When the women got to Phil’s house, Grace didn’t know what to do and attributed it to her not being in high school anymore.
- Aggressive
- Grace is very upset and short with Frankie after Grace’s reunion with Phil did not go well.
Feminine Traits:
- Cheerful
- Both Grace and Frankie are very giggly and cheerful when Frankie is finally driving on the freeway.
- Shy
- Grace was very nervous and timid to see Phil.
- Feminine
- When Frankie finally convinced Grace to see Phil she started swooning, remembering how she feels around him.
- Before embarking on their road trip, Grace made sure to grab snacks which is a very motherly thing to do.
- Soft-spoken
- Grace was soft-spoken about Phil even though she was very frustrated with Frankie for making her go see him.
- Tender
- Grace tried to explain herself to Phil, but Phil continued to give her the cold shoulder, making her want to leave.
- Sensitive
- She was very sensitive about Phil after leaving his house from a reunion that didn’t go well.
Frankie Bergestein
Masculine Traits:
- Defends own beliefs
- Frankie stood up for herself and knew her rights when she got pulled over on the way to Phil’s house.
- Assertive
- When she got pulled over, she was very assertive in that conversation and didn’t let the police officer take advantage of her.
- Masculine
- When Grace approached Frankie about the cleanliness of their home, Frankie admitted that she did not have to do most of the cleaning in her life with Sol.
- Individualistic
- When the women got to Phil’s house and Grace didn’t know what to do, Frankie had many interesting plans as to how they could approach him.
- Ambitious
- In the beginning of the episode, Frankie was very ambitious to get Grace to see Phil.
Feminine Traits:
- Yielding
- On the way to Phil’s, Frankie was literally yielding to traffic because of her fear to get on the freeway.
- Cheerful
- Both Grace and Frankie are very giggly and cheerful when Frankie is finally driving on the freeway.
- Sensitive to others’ needs
- Frankie knows that Grace has feelings for Phil, so Frankie is wanting to give Grace a chance to see him.
- Compassionate
- When things don’t go well with Phil, Frankie is sure to ask Grace how she is feeling and if she is okay.
- Childlike
- Instead of cleaning, like Grace would like her to do, Frankie spends the day looking at her old yearbooks and other things from her past.
Overall, both of the women in this episode are very androgynous. Grace, although sensitive towards the situation with Phil (feminine), she is also quite bossy and hard on Frankie (masculine). Frankie isn’t pulling her weight in the house and Grace is frustrated by that. Frankie is being compassionate towards Grace because she is hurting because of Phil (feminine). Additionally, she is fairly masculine with Grace while convincing her to go on the road trip and with the police officer who pulled them over.
Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 2, Episode 4 (approximately 12:30)