These Six Episodes Are the Reason We Love ‘Gravity Falls’
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The resolution to Gravity Falls’ Weirdmageddon arc will be revealed in the series finale of the Disney XD animated series airing Monday, February 15. As the show comes to an end, we're celebrating our six favorites from its 40-episode run.
6. Land Before Swine
Episode: Season 1, Episode 18If there was one image to encapsulate what makes this series so great, it would have to be Grunkle Stan punching a pterodactyl in the face, with Waddles strapped to his body. But adding to the awesomeness of that scene is the fact he’s throwing the punch out of love for his niece, Mabel—
5. The Time Traveler’s Pig
Episode: Season 1, Episode 9The heart of Gravity Falls has always been Dipper and Mabel’s relationship. While the recent Weirdmageddon arc has really driven this home—especially to Dipper and Mabel themselves—it’s something viewers noticed all the way back in Season 1, when Dipper forfeited his own happiness to ensure that his sister got the pet pig she’d always wanted. The time traveling allowed the show’s writers to not only introduce the mysterious figure that was Blendin Blenjamin Blandin (along with the rest of the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadron), but also plant clues for future reveals.
4. Soos and the Real Girl
Episode: Season 2, Episode 5While the clumsy-but-lovable Soos often tags along on adventures, this standalone episode puts the Mystery Shack handyman front and center. Soos’ quest for love (and a date to his cousin’s wedding) may seem ordinary, but in true Gravity Falls fashion, it gets weird--and is eventually sabotaged by a malicious artificial intelligence obsessed wth Soos. Within no time at all, Giffany proves to be one of the series’ scarier villains, but even her possession of the arcade’s animatronics are no match for Soos, who eventually saves the day—like any good handyman.
3. Sock Opera
Episode: Season 2, Episode 4Dipper and Mabel had faced off against Bill Cipher a few times before this episode, courtesy of Gideon Gleeful and his designs on the Mystery Shack. But it isn’t until Bill possesses Dipper’s body that we learn the mischievous, triangular being is after Dipper’s journals. Apart from reintroducing Bill and centering him as the series’ main villain, the episode also showcases two other aspects of the series: Dipper’s almost desperate quest for answers (which is what leads him to make a deal with Bill in the first place), and just how well the twins know each other (when Mabel is able to tickle and exhaust Bill out of Dipper’s body.)
2. Not What He Seems
Episode: Season 2, Episode 11All actions have consequences, and in this episode pretty much everyone deals with the fallout of what Stan has done. The townspeople are forced to cope with gravity anomalies, while Stan himself is arrested by law enforcement and taken into custody. But when Dipper and Mabel try and prove his innocence, they discover that their beloved grunkle is indeed guilty of the crimes he’s accused of committing, and that he’s been keeping more than a fair share of secrets from them. It’s the first time the Pines twins’ faith in Stan is tested; as the episode’s harrowing final moments show, realizing you can't trust an adult you love is one of the hardest things that a kid can deal with.
1. A Tale of Two Stans
Episode: Season 2, Episode 12The only thing better than the series’ never-ending mysteries and questions is when it finally presents viewers with answers. And boy did this episode manage to do that and so much more. Not only were viewers introduced to Grunkle Stan’s long-awaited (and long suspected) twin brother—who also happened to be the six-fingered author of the journals—but they were also treated to backstory, allowing for a better understanding of not just Stan, but Ford, a character they'’d only just met. And if the brotherly reunion wasn’t enough, the episode also managed to underscore what might be considered Gravity Falls’ thesis statement: growing up is hard. (And given Mabel’s realization at the end, it’s even harder when you don’t have your twin.)
Honorable Mention: Tourist Trapped
Episode: Season 1, Episode 1Any list of the show’s best episodes would be incomplete without the episode that started it all. While the pilot didn’t introduce some of the show’s more mysterious elements, it did do a stellar job of letting the audience get to know the Mystery Crew, and the town’s overall weirdness.
Honorable Mention: Into the Bunker
Episode: Season 2, Episode 2Dipper’s not-so-secret crush on Wendy was well-known to viewers and almost everyone in his life—including, as this episode revealed, Wendy herself. But instead of belittling the years-younger Dipper’s feelings, the lumberjack-contest-winning teen gently let him down, explaining that she values him as a friend. Not only did this echo Mabel’s various attempts to let down her unwanted suitor Lil’ Gideon, but it reinforced the show’s message that just because you like someone, it doesn’t mean they have to like you back. An added bonus was the episode’s stronger-than-usual fear factor, which showed that the series wasn’t afraid to bring the scares.
Honorable Mention: Weirdmageddon Part 1
Episode: Season 2, Episode 18In almost three fell swoops Gravity Falls managed to do the unthinkable. First, allowing Bill’s plans to succeed, bringing about the end of the world—which actually took place at the end of the previous episode—and then, separating the Pines’ twins both physically and emotionally. Making matters worse: not only has Bill destroyed the journals, but Ford is now a statue, leaving Dipper with no clue as to how he’s going to defeat the all-powerful being. With each step, the show proved that it wasn’t afraid to pull out the stops, which means the stakes couldn't be higher going into Monday’s hour-long series finale.
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