On Wayward Pines, “Where Paradise Is Home,” Special Agent Ethan Burke searched for two missing agents, but when he wound up in a car accident in middle of his search, he get stuck in a city called Wayward Pines where strange things were amok.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

“Where Paradise Is Home” did not pass the Bechdel, Russo or race test. The episode failed to pass all three of the diversity tests because there were no LGBTI characters in the episode, and because while there were named women and non-White characters in the episode, women never actually talked to each other and non-White characters never talked to each other.

*The Bechdel test entails three requirements:
1. It has to have at least two (named) women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

**The Vito Russo test entails three requirements:
1. The show contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and/or transgender
2. The character must not be solely or predominately defined by her sexual orientation, gender identity and/or as being intersex
3.The character must be tied into the plot in such a way that her removal would have a significant effect

***The race or people of color (POC) test has three requirements:
1. It has two people of color in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than a White person

****Just because a show passes the Bechdel, Russo and race test does not mean that it is not sexist, heterosexist, racist and/or cissexist, etc. The Bechdel, Russo and race test is only a bare minimum qualifier for the representation of LGBTI individuals, women and people of color in television. The failure to pass these tests also does not identify whether the central character was a woman, a person of color or a LGBTQI individual and it does not dictate the quality of the show.