In this episode, Sol finally admits to Robert that he slept with Frankie and Robert kicks him out of the house. While the men try to figure out their relationship. Grace is going through her clothes to donate to a consignment shop called “A Change of Dress”. Grace comes to find out that this shop also has a mentoring program where they help develop professional skills in young women. Grace takes on this challenge and works to help out a young bartender. Frankie is still working on her deal with Brianna in regards to the yam lubricant she is selling. Frankie meets with Jacob, her yam supplier, who has eyes for Frankie, but Frankie doesn’t know how to handle it.

 

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

  1. Two women who are named Grace and Frankie
  2. Conversations that occur between both Grace and Frankie
  3. There is a conversation that doesn’t involve men in which Grace and Frankie discuss Grace’s choice to get rid of her clothes and pursue her mentoring work.

 

Grace Skolka (Hanson)

Masculine Traits:

  • Forceful
    • Grace was very forceful towards her mentee, Billie, because she wants the best for her.
  • Analytical
    • Grace is able to read Frankie well enough that she can tell that Frankie had spent time with Jacob. Grace knows because Frankie is acting  very skittish.
  • Dominant
    • Grace notices Frankie cleaning and exclaims, “you’re cleaning! You never clean!”.
    • When Frankie tries to turn the conversation on Grace, Grace stands firm and tells her that this is about Frankie, not her.
  • Willing to take a stand
    • When Billie makes a comment about how easy Grace has had it, Grace stands up for herself and tells Billie all of the times she has to work so hard to get to where she is today.
  •  Aggressive
    • When Grace wakes up, Frankie offers to make her something with kale for breakfast; Grace aggressively declines and insults Frankie’s cooking.

Feminine Traits:

  • Yielding
    • After Grace critiques Billie on how she is making Grace’s martini, Grace has to admit that the martini she made was the best Grace had tasted.
  • Cheerful
    • While Grace is talking to the “A Change of Dress” employee, a woman comes up to try on one of Grace’s blazers. Grace is very cheerful and tells her she looks good in it!
  • Feminine
    • After Grace compliments the woman in the jacket, she gives her some tips for her upcoming interview.
  • Soft-spoken
    • Grace, when talking to Brianna about Billie, was very soft-spoken, not showing her frustrations.
  • Gentle
    • Grace is very gentle and optimistic about Billie.

Frankie Bergestein

Masculine Traits:

  • Defends own beliefs
    • When Brianna starts to look at Frankie’s painting with a critical eye on it, Frankie defends it and says it’s one of her best pieces of work.
  • Forceful
    • When Grace makes comments about Frankie cleaning, Frankie snaps back and says she cleans when she’s upset.
  • Willing to take risks
    • While Frankie is in Brianna’s office, Barry (Brianna’s accountant) walks in and Frankie can tell that the two are hooking up. Instead of staying silent she says something about the two which makes them uncomfortable.
  • Dominant
    • When Grace brings up Jacob, Frankie quickly dominates the conversation and doesn’t want to hear it.
  • Individualistic
    • The episode begins with Frankie Tuvan throat singing over the PA system at Jacob’s farm.

Feminine Traits:

  • Cheerful
    • When Grace wakes up, Frankie cheerfully says “good morning Grace!”.
  •  Not susceptible to flattery
    • Frankie was not taking Jacob’s affection and flirting very well. She didn’t want to hear it from him and didn’t know what to do in return.
  • Warm
    • Frankie was warm towards Jacob while they had dinner together.
  •  Childlike
    • Frankie acts very childlike when it comes to starting a new relationship with Jacob. She doesn’t know how to act.
  • Sensitive
    • When Frankie found out that Jacob thought their dinner together was a date, Frankie got very emotional and was sensitive towards him.

 

Overall, in this episode Grace and Frankie are both fairly androgynous. Grace gets to show her feminine side when she works to be a mentor for Billie, the women who is the bartender. On the other hand, Grace is harsh with Frankie per usual. As for Frankie, she is very feminine towards the situation with Jacob because she doesn’t know how to act in relationships anymore. On the other hand, she portrays a more masculine side in her conversations with Brianna and Grace.

Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 2, Episode 6 (approximately 3:05)