Clarke was given an opportunity to kill Lexa on The 100 “Ye Who Enter Here,” but she found that she could not bring herself to kill her. So what did she do instead? She aided both Lexa and her own people by convincing her mother to join Lexa’s collation.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

“Ye Who Enter Here” passed the Bechdel, Russo and race test.

Named women talked to each other several times in “Ye Who Enter Here,” and of the many times that named women talked to each other, there were three instances where men weren’t mentioned (e.g., Abigail demanded to see her daughter; Lexa apologized to Clarke; and Clarke told her mother that she was going to stay behind with Lexa). The episode thus passed the Bechdel test, and “Ye Who Enter Here” also passed the Russo and race test.

There were two LGBTI characters in “Ye Who Enter Here,” Clarke and Lexa, and because they were not solely defined by their sexual orientation (e.g., Clarke and Lexa were also defined as being leaders) and because their removal from “Ye Who Enter Here” would have significantly affected the plot of the episode (e.g., their removal from the episode would have significantly affected the episode’s plot because the episode largely revolved around Clarke and Lexa and their relationship with one another), the episode passed the Russo test.

“Ye Who Enter Here” passed the race test because there were several non-White individuals in the episode and there were many instances in “Ye Who Enter Here” where the non-White individuals in the episode talked to each other and they did so without mentioning White people.

*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.