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Enzo Queirolo

Mr. Adam

Humanities

February 18th, 2021

Bechdel Test Essay

Television shows, movies, and books often fail a simple test regardless of budget,

popularity, or content. Oodles of Hollywood movies don’t pass the Bechdel test which has only

three criteria. ​Saturday Night Live​ is a well-renowned broadcast that has a good chance of

passing the exam. Over its 46 seasons, the show has had over 800 episodes. The newest episode

aired on February 13th, 2021. But does the most recent episode of ​SNL​ and its sketches meet the

requirements of the Bechdel test? Do the episode, acts, and monologue pass the test? How

should this affect my liking of the show?

This show started with a cold opening about president Trump’s acquittal, proceeded by

Regina King’s monologue. The cold opening and monologue flunk the Bechdel test; neither of

them has more than two women in it. The monologue has only one woman, Regina King, and

the test requires that there are at least two, and they talk about something other than a man. So

far, this is not looking so good for ​Saturday Night Live​, but how is the rest of the episode?

The first skit after the start is ​Gorilla Glue​. In this act, there are multiple women, but they

do not talk to each other. They have to communicate with each other to pass the test; the talking

must also not be about a man. This reason makes the skits ​What’s Your Type?​ and ​Kyle and

Friends​ fail the test​.​ The first skit to pass the test is ​Women’s Theater​; this act passes the test

from the women in the audience talking about something other than men. Following this, the

sketches ​ 70s Green Room​,​ Pelotaut,​ and​ The Negotiator​ pass the test because they meet all the
criteria. An essential part of the show is ​The Weekend Update,​ hosted by the head writers.

Should the writers be held accountable for failing the Bechdel test?

The Weekend Update​ is a small segment of the show hosted by writers Collin Jost and

Micheal Che. This section seldom passes the Bechdel test. In this episode, ​The Weekend Update

did not pass the test; this radiates light on a question. Should the writers be held accountable for

their failures to meet the Bechdel test? My answer is no; writers deserve creative freedom in the

pieces that they write. Micheal and Collin failed the test three times in this episode, but that

should not matter. The writers deserve to have the creative freedom of the pieces they write.

Though how does ​SNL​ stand up to the Bechdel test after all this?

I would conclude that ​SNL​ does pass the Bechdel test by a wide margin. Some acts don’t

meet the requirements because the show is a live performance with a limited cast. Due to the

limited time, the show cannot have enough actors to make each sketch pass the Bechdel test.

Each skit is unique; some may or may not get through the Bechdel test. Regardless the Bechdel

test does not determine the quality of the material or affects whether you should like or dislike

Saturday Night Live​.