Bechdel Test: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons 1 & 2)

All right, at this point in these write-ups, you might be thinking I’m trying to sabotage the test.  The reality is that I’m still unpacking from a move, and the series that are coming out are rather male-dominated.  Eventually there are going to be series that are female-dominated, but for now, it seems it’s a “man’s, man’s, man’s, man’s world,” to paraphrase James Brown.

But to prove Brown right, “it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl,” and in this case, I will readily admit that my favorite character on this show is Sweet Dee.  While in the first couple seasons, if you can recall, Sweet Dee had a conscience (something that slowly subsided, though she’s always had a teensy bit of moral high ground on the guys throughout the show), and unlike some other male-dominated shows, Sweet Dee gets to have her own storylines, occasionally free from the guys, but definitely involved, so we may see more passes than you’d expect.  Let’s investigate…

As a reminder, these are the criteria for passing the Bechdel Test:

1.     The show needs to have two named female characters.

2.     The two characters need to talk to each other.

3.     The conversation needs to last thirty seconds and be about something other than a man.  This thirty second rule is something that has been added specifically at the Many Rantings of John to ensure that a simple “hello”/”hello back” conversation doesn’t get a show an accidental pass.

  

The Gang Gets Racist (#1.1)

We are introduced to Sweet Dee and to “the Waitress.”  I’m really undecided about whether to count the Waitress as a named character or not.  She did have the only conversation with a female character, Charlie’s date Janell, but it was about Charlie and lasted less than thirty seconds to boot, so once again, we start out with a FAIL.  Despite that fact, I’ve always thought this pilot was brilliant-with all four characters getting solid and interesting depictions of their characters.  I know that it’s blasphemous to say, but I kind of liked the series better without Frank adding an additional manic element that took away from Dee as the voice of reason.

Charlie Wants an Abortion (#1.2)

All right, I’m going to count the Waitress as a named character, and I wanted to do it before it would give me a pass.  The reason being that through the years she’s become a very fleshed-out character, and the lack of a name is more about a comic device (you would count Comic Book Guy, for example, as a character if we were doing a reverse Bechdel Test on The Simpsons) and should count.  Either way, though, this episode is another FAIL, with Sweet Dee, the Waitress, and Megan (Mac’s date) all avoiding conversation with each other, and the only chat happening between Sweet Dee and an unnamed character.

Underage Drinking: A National Concern (#1.3)

Once again we have a FAILURE, with Sweet Dee, as well as the two high school students Tammy and Sara, all are on-screen, but we once again do not have them interacting.

Charlie Has Cancer (#1.4)

Artemis and Sweet Dee talk about Artemis’s acting and her classes, which gives us a definite PASS, our first of the series.  Artemis is such a fun character on the show, I wish she showed up more often.  We also had Carmen and the Waitress appearing in what was our most female-centered episode so far.

Gun Fever (#1.5)

One episode after four women show up, this episode only Sweet Dee has a speaking part amongst the women in the episode, so FAIL.  I will say that, as a longtime fan of this series, it’s a little bit sad to watch some of these earlier episodes, where it wasn’t preordained that certain people would always lose (ie Sweet Dee and Charlie), in this case Sweet Dee occasionally winning arguments against the guys.

The Gang Finds a Dead Guy (#1.6)

Again, we have a FAIL, with Sweet Dee and Rebecca only sharing one scene, in which they discuss Rebecca’s grandfather.  Otherwise, the episode revolves almost entirely around the guys.  In my mind, I’ve oftentimes compared this show to Seinfeld, with the characters as cold as ice, but I have to believe that even Jerry and the gang would have stopped short of profiteering off of Nazi memorabilia.

Charlie Gets Molested (#1.7)

We have two named female characters talking long enough to hit the thirty second mark, but Sweet Dee and Mrs. Kelly both end up discussing Charlie for the entire time, so this appears to be a no dice situation. FAIL

Charlie Gets Crippled (#2.1)

We start season two off with a FAIL, with both of the strippers speaking to each other, but since neither get a name, we can’t call this one a success.

The Gang Goes Jihad (#2.2)

While Barbara and Dee discuss Frank and Dennis, they also spend enough time discussing Sweet Dee’s shortcomings and her stealing her mother’s stuff to get another PASS.

The Gang Gives Back (#2.3)

The Waitress and Dee are both in this episode, but they don’t speak to each other, so FAIL.

Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare (#2.4)

This is one of those moments where you are certainly aware that you are watching Always Sunny, because there is no other show on television where the characters would get addicted to crack just so that they can go on welfare.  The episode includes Dee pretending to be mentally-handicapped to try to convince a female welfare officer that she should be on welfare, which is the only interaction between two women, but the welfare officer doesn’t get a name, so FAIL.

Mac Bangs Dennis Mom (#2.5)

This one barely PASSES, despite a strong presence of multiple women (all of the principle four characters’ mothers, plus Sweet Dee and the Waitress).  The only conversation that actually passes the Bechdel Test though is between the Waitress and Sweet Dee, when, after discussing Dennis, Sweet Dee has a comic interaction with the waitress about a phone call she’s getting, and how she needs to leave the car.

The Gang Runs for America (#2.6)

Not your best moment, feminism-wise.  Dee is the only prominent female role in the episode (at least the only named one), and dresses like a prostitute for most of it, so epic FAIL.

Hundred Dollar Baby (#2.7)

We officially have a PASS.  It isn’t from Sweet Dee chatting with a female drug dealer (who never actually gets a name), but instead from the smack-talking conversation between Brianna and Dee in this episode that is inspired by Million Dollar Baby.

Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s Ass (#2.8)

For the first time this season we have a back-to-back PASS, with Artemis and Dee passing this multiple times, first in a conversation about acting and then later in a street performance.

The Gang Exploits a Miracle (#2.9)

The streak FAILS to hit three in a row, with only Sweet Dee once again amongst the speaking females, though at least we get the return of the great recurring character Rickety Cricket.

Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad (#2.10)

In a nice turn, though, we end with a PASS, with Barbara and Dee (and Dennis) discussing their aversion to working in a pediatric ward for cancer patients with Dee and Dennis’s biological father agog in horror.

Final Scorecard

Bechdel Test: 6/17 (35%)

Bechdel Grade: F

So we continue our F-grades, but surprisingly this one actually did better than I expected it to, considering Dee is the only major female character on the show.  I mean, New Girl, with a female character as the title character, as well as another major female character actually had a lower pass percentage than the first two seasons of this series.  Considering that in subsequent seasons there are considerably more female side characters, this could be one to watch at some point in the process.