Carter and Jarvis escaped from Frost on Agent Carter, “A Little Song and Dance,” and once Carter was reunited with Jack and Sousa, the trio came up with a plan to disable Frost once and for all.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

“A Little Song and Dance” passed the Bechdel test but it did not pass the Russo or race test.

 

There were a couple of named women in “A Little Song and Dance,” and they rarely ever interacted with one another. Nonetheless, “A Little Song and Dance” passed the Bechdel test, and the episode passed this test because there were a few instances where some of the named women in the episode not only talked to each other but they talked to each other without mentioning men (e.g., Carter asked Angie and Dottie, on two separate occasions, why they were in her dream). “A Little Song and Dance” did not, however, pass the Russo or race test.

“A Little Song and Dance” did not pass the Russo test because there were no LGBTI characters in the episode. The episode did not pass the race test because there was only one non-White individual (Wilkes) in “A Little Song and Dance.”

*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.