The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Twenty Again – Season 1, Episode 9

In Twenty Again, episode 9, No-Ra performed at her college’s festival. This caused both Hyun-Suk and Woo-Chul to reminiscent over their past with No-Ra and remember her first and only public performance.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 9 passed the Bechdel and race test but did not pass the Russo test.

Hyun-Suk and No-Ra write messages to each other and place them in a time capsule.

Named women talked to each other a couple of times in episode 9, and in almost every instance, men were not mentioned in their conversations so episode 9 passed the Bechdel test. The episode also passed the race test, and the episode passed this test because while White people were mentioned a couple of times, the entire cast was Asian so there were plenty of times where non-White actors talked to each other without mentioning White people.

As to the Russo test, episode 9 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.