On Hannibal, “Digestivo,” Will and Hannibal were captured by Mason who immediately set his plans in motion. And what did Mason’s plans involve? Torturing Hannibal and removing and transferring Will’s face to his own face.

Margot and Alana, in the meanwhile, scrambled in “Digestivo” to rescue Will and Hannibal from Mason’s nefarious grasp.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

“Digestivo” passed the Russo test but did not pass the Bechdel or race test.

Two LGBTI characters, Alana and Margot, were in “Digestivo”; they were both important to the plot of the episode and it would have been impossible to remove them from the episode without causing a significant change to occur since they were the ones who rescued Will and Hannibal and killed Mason; and neither Margot nor Alana were solely defined by their sexual orientation (e.g., Margot and Alana were also planners, rescuers and vengeance-seekers) so the episode passed the Russo test. However, while “Digestivo” passed the Russo test, it did not pass the Bechdel or race test.

“Digestivo” did not pass the Bechdel test because in the two instances that named women talked (which, by the way, was the only time women, whether named or unnamed, ever talked) men and boys were mentioned (e.g., Alana and Margot talked to each other on two separate occasions and on the first occasion they talked about Mason, Will and Hannibal and on the second occasion Margot asked Alana whether her male fetus was alive).

As to why the episode did not pass the race test, while there were two non-White characters in the episode (Jack and Chiyo) and there was one occasion where these non-White characters talked to each other (e.g., Chiyo asked Jack where Will and Hannibal had been taken), White people were mentioned in their conversation so the episode did not pass the race test.

*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.