After Frankie finds out that her drivers license has expired, she hits the books and studies to ensure that she will get her license renewed. Unfortunately, this doesn’t go well for her and she has to turn to unconventional ways of studying in order to succeed. Grace tries to reconnect with her old friends, however she starts to realize that they aren’t who she thought they were. They start to make fun of Frankie and that’s when Grace realizes that she is better than those women.

 

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

  1. Two women: Grace and Frankie
  2. Conversations occur between these two women
  3. There are many conversations in this episode that don’t revolve around men, specifically because this episode was one of growth for both women. For example, one conversation that occurred was about Frankie getting her license.

 

Grace Skolka (Hanson)

Masculine Traits:

  • Defends own beliefs
    • When Grace’s friends start to say mean and disrespectful things about Frankie, Grace stands up for Frankie and then leaves her friends.
  • Independent
    • Grace begins to think that she needs more of a life than just spending time with Frankie, so she turns to her old friends and spends time with them.
  • Assertive
    • Grace told Frankie what to do when Grace’s friends were over for lunch.
  • Forceful
    • Grace was very forceful towards the man working at the DMV because Frankie didn’t get her license, and Grace was late for her lunch with her friends.
  • Aggressive
    • Grace got frustrated and decided she needed to see new people because she only sees Frankie.
  •  Competitive
    • When Grace got invited to bowl with her friends, she got very competitive.
  • Ambitious
    • She was very ambitious to start making friends and seeing new people.

Feminine Traits:

  • Cheerful
    • Grace is very cheerful when she started thinking about her old friends.
    • Once she gets to spend time with her friends, she is very cheerful and happy around them.
  • Loyal
    • Grace is loyal to Frankie even though her friends are being mean to Frankie.
  • Sensitive to others’ needs
    • After her friends tell a story about a recently divorced couple, Grace is very empathetic towards the woman in the relationship.
  • Eager to soothe hurt feelings
    • Grace tries to comfort Frankie after her sons tell her they don’t think she should be driving anymore.
  • Warm
    • Grace acts very warm around her friends, but they are acting awkward in return.
  • Childlike
    • Grace channels her inner child by bowling on the Wii.

Frankie Bergestein

Masculine Traits:

  • Defends own beliefs
    • Frankie defends her beliefs about studying to Grace by explaining the “state-dependent learning” theory.
  • Analytical
    • Frankie is very analytical towards Grace’s friends while they have lunch together. Frankie is taking in all of the awkward social cues that Grace’s friends are giving.
  • Dominant
    • Frankie starts to dominant the conversation with Bud and Coyote after they tell her she shouldn’t drive anymore.
  • Masculine
    • While having lunch with Grace’s friends, Frankie makes comments that she knows will make her stand out amongst the group of women.
  • Individualistic
    • Frankie smokes weed and channels her inner Bob Marley while studying for her drivers license exam.
  • Ambitious
    • Frankie is very ambitious to get her drivers license again.

Feminine Traits:

  • Cheerful
    • Frankie was laughing and giggling while she was taking her drivers license test.
  • Not susceptible to flattery
    • Frankie was not flattered by the “poshness” of Grace’s friend group.
  • Eager to soothe hurt feelings
    • In the beginning of the episode when Grace is sad, Frankie is trying to cheer her up and do anything she needs to be done.
  • Childlike
    • While studying, Frankie channels her inner child by dressing up and listening to Bob Marley.
  • Sensitive
    • Frankie was very sensitive towards the boys telling her she should consider not driving anymore.

 

In this episode, I think both women are androgynous in this particular episode. For Grace, she is excited to be spending time with her old friends again, but she comes to realize that this isn’t a good idea. It is then that she stands up for her own beliefs and portrays a more masculine side. As for Frankie, she is more masculine while trying to prepare for her drivers license test, but when she sees Grace’s situation she shows more of a feminine side.

Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 2, Episode 5 (approximately 6:30)