On A Witch’s Romance, episode 12, Dong-Ha’s father was part of a hospital scandal; Ji-Yeon didn’t confess to Dong-Ha; and Shi-Hoon realized that Ji-Yeon was lying to him so he broke off his engagement with her.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 12 of A Witch’s Romance passed the Bechdel and race test but did not pass the Russo test.

Named women talked to each other several times in episode 12, and because there were a couple of occasions where these named women talked to each other without mentioning men (e.g., Ji-Yeon talked business with Rin-Ji, and Ji-Yeon talked to Na-Rae about taking selfies), the episode passed the Bechdel test.

Episode 12 also passed the race test, and the episode easily passed this test because there was never an instance where non-White characters didn’t talk to each other without mentioning White people. However, while episode 12 passed the Bechdel and race test, it did not pass the Russo test, and episode 12 did not pass this test because there were no LGBTI characters in the episode.

*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.