The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Beautiful Mind – Season 1, Episode 13

Jin-Sung discovered that she had a lung disease on Beautiful Mind, episode 13, and when Young-O found out about her condition, he decided to take matters into his own hands and donate his lung to Jin-Sung to ensure her survival.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 13 passed the race test but it did not pass the Bechdel or Russo test.

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It is revealed that Gun-Myung witnessed his colleague suffer a horrendous fall and that he abandoned him (his colleague) in his moment of need.

The entire cast of episode 13 was Asian and because none of the characters ever mentioned White people, there were numerous instances where non-White individuals talked to each other without mentioning White people so the episode easily passed the race test. However, while episode 13 managed to pass this one diversity test, it passed no other.

Episode 13 did not pass the Bechdel test, and the episode did not pass this diversity test because while there were a few named women in episode 13, none of these women ever talked to each other. The episode also failed to pass the Russo test, and episode 13 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.