The second episode of Grace and Frankie begins by showing how Grace and Frankie are adjusting to their new life with each other. They are finding themselves comforted by two of Frankie’s friends who decide to take them to lunch. It is there that they discover Robert and Sol have blocked their credit cards which leaves them extremely upset. These leads them to start discussing the idea of lawyers. Their children are there to support them and try to learn to accept the situation. Frankie tries to move back home now that Sol is moved in with Robert, in the end she decided to stay at the beach house with Grace so they can continue to be there for each other.
Grace and Frankie “The Credit Cards” passes the Bechdel Test by including…
- Two named female characters: Grace and Frankie
- Two named females having a conversation: Grace and Frankie have many conversations with one another during the episode.
- Two named females having a conversation about something other than men: Grace and Frankie have conversations with each other about their self care: whether to wash their hair or not. Additionally, they talk about going to lunch with Frankie’s friends. Both of these topics are not in regards to men.
To further analyze the episode, “The Credit Cards” was looked at through the lens of a Sex Role Analysis. The Sex Role Analysis process includes identifying characteristics of the female characters and whether they are considered to be stereotypically masculine or feminine traits.
Grace Skolka (Hanson)
Masculine Traits:
- Independent
- Grace is seemingly almost trying to be too independent. She is trying to accomplish and do things that her daughters are willing to help her with.
- Dominant
- Grace exemplifies dominance in the episode when she dominants the conversation with Robert, telling him how she’s going to act towards him, telling him that he has no control of her actions any longer.
- Cold
- She acts very cold towards Frankie’s friends and the idea of going to lunch with them. She doesn’t want to go out in public because she hasn’t yet accepted the reality that her (ex-)husband is gay. She knows that people will recognize her and she will be shameful if it happens.
- Aggressive
- Grace acts very aggressive towards Frankie in the beginning of the episode when she snaps at her asking “ARE YOU STILL HERE?”. Grace hasn’t yet come to the conclusion that she is selfish in thinking that she can kick Frankie out of a house that she still has ownership of.
Feminine Traits:
- Yielding
- Grace yields to her emotions and is still acting very distraught about the situation with Robert. The episode begins with both women looking very disheveled and needing some self care.
- Shy
- Grace proceeds in public trying to disguise herself with neutral colored clothes and sunglasses. She doesn’t want to be recognized by others in public.
- Warm
- Although Grace was cold towards Frankie’s friends in this episode, she also warmed up to Frankie by genuinely asking if she was okay. This sparked a deep and emotional conversation between both women.
Frankie Bergestein
Masculine Traits:
- Assertive
- Frankie shows assertiveness through silence. She blatantly ignores/rejects Sol’s presence. By doing so she asserting dominance over Sol, proving to him that he will not get the best of her.
- Willing to take risks
- Frankie takes a risk by opening up and letting friends in. She could continue to keep herself closed off to only Grace and her two sons, but instead she welcomes the support of two close friends. By doing so, she also risks being humiliated by people in public or even her friends.
- Aggressive
- Frankie exemplifies aggressiveness when she answers the phone and yells at Sol to “stop calling” her.
- Ambitious
- Frankie shows ambition when it comes to taking her house back. Now that Sol is moved in with Robert, she believes that she should be able stay there and tells viewers this by proclaiming “I’M TAKING MY HOUSE BACK!”.
Feminine Traits:
- Yielding
- Like Grace, Frankie yields to her emotions, acting distraught about the situation with Robert and Sol. The episode begins with both women looking very disheveled and needing some self care.
- Naive
- When Grace realizes that Robert has froze her credit cards, she tries to tell Frankie that Sol has done the same to her. However, Frankie is naive and assumes that “Sol would never do that” to her. She is wrong in thinking so, and she comes to find out that he has indeed froze her credit cards as well.
- Soft-spoken
- When Frankie does come to the realization that she needs to sit down and have a conversation with Sol, she isn’t aggressive or assertive. Instead, surprisingly, she is very soft-spoken and calm towards him.
- Sensitive
- Frankie, unlike Grace, is very sensitive toward the situation. She has more compassion towards Sol and is trying her best to keep herself held together. It is in this episode when viewers start to realize that Frankie and Sol were truly happy and in love, in contrast Grace and Robert’s relationship was very materialistic and superficial.
In this episode, Grace and Frankie exemplify more masculinity than femininity. I think this comes from the fact that they are now having to accept the fact that their (ex-)husbands are gay. Additionally, they are having to argue to for the right to their belongings which sparks more aggressiveness and assertiveness.
Shared by: Reegan Haines
Image Credit: Grace and Frankie Season 1, Episode 2 (approximately 1:00)