The Time That I Loved You, 7000 Days, a new Korean drama, has begun. In the first episode, Ha-Na, a successful career woman, was dumped by her two-timing boyfriend on her birthday. Ha-Na’s old childhood friend Won tried to console Ha-Na, and he was successful to a certain extent, but several huge disasters occurred due to his efforts, and the episode ended with the two of them making a bet. The bet? Whoever married first by the end of the year would be paid a large sum of money.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 1 passed the Bechdel and race test but did not pass the Russo test.

There were several named women in episode 1 and there were several occasions where the named women talked to each other without mentioning men so the episode passed the Bechdel test. Episode 1 also passed the race test, and the episode passed this test because the entire cast was Asian and White were never mentioned by any of the characters.

As to the Russo test, episode 1 did not pass this test, and the episode 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.