The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: A Witch’s Romance – Season 1, Episode 13

Ji-Yeon was a bit of a mess after Shi-Hoon broke off their engagement, and she got sick and missed work in A Witch’s Romance, episode 13.

As to Dong-Ha, in episode 13, he visited his father and he learned that Ji-Yeon wasn’t getting married and that she cared for him.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 13 passed the Bechdel and race test but did not pass the Russo test.

There were a couple of occasions in episode 13 where named women talked to each other without mentioning men (e.g., Ji-Yeon gave Eun-Chae work orders and Eun-Chae and Rin-Ji talked about work), and the entire cast was Asian and White people were never mentioned by any of the characters so episode 13 passed both the Bechdel and race test. The episode did not, however, pass the Russo test, and the episode did not pass this test because there were no LGBTI characters in episode 13.

*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.