Yep, it's Gravity Falls. First, a little bit of context. Created by Alex Hirsch, Gravity Falls was released during a somewhat brief dark age for Disney Channel. Not Disney itself, mind you, the parent company was doing fine. But Disney Channel was running into a few problems. Namely, over-saturation of cheaply made sitcoms and edutainment shows for preschoolers. Older Disney fans wanting a weekly series to dive into were simply out of luck. But then Alex Hirsch decided to make a two-season Mystery series partially inspired by a summer vacation he had with his sister back when the two of them were kids. And thus Gravity Falls was born, becoming a massive hit, both in terms of critical praise as well as ratings. The show only ran for two seasons despite its success. The reason being that Alex Hirsch wanted to tell a story, one that would take two seasons of episodes to tell. Once the main story arc was over, Hirsch felt no need to continue the show, fearing that if he did continue to work on it, the show's quality to begin to decline (Even if the quality did stay consistent, Hirsch was also aware of the problem that any new story arc he makes will be unfairly judged against the original story). Considering other long-running shows do more often than not run into this problem, I can say that Hirsch (probably) dodged a bullet there.
Gravity Falls follows the misadventures of twin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines, who are sent by their parents to spend the summer with their Great Uncle, Stanford Pines (called Grunkle Stand for short), over to a quiet rustic town known as Gravity Falls, Oregon. Only problem is that Gravity Falls is a metaphorical goldmine for the supernatural and the strange. In the very first episode, Dipper finds a mysterious journal depicting a six-fingered hand and the number three. Said journal contains information on how to deal with all of the supernatural phenomena in the show. The first season of the show is largely episodic, with the formula generally going "Dipper/Mabel/Both Twins want to do something, said something attracts the attention of a supernatural entity, said entity causes a problem, the Twins use the Journal to get rid of the problem, and Dipper/Mabel/Both Twins learn a valuable life lesson from the whole experience". There is obviously more to the show than that. Namely there's a whole mystery element to the series, with hidden message scattered in each episode, saying things like "Bill is Watching" or "Stan is Not who he Seems". Most of these hidden messages are a very clever, blink-and-you'll-miss-it form of foreshadowing. I wasn't even aware the hidden messages even existed until doing research for the review.
I never watched watched the show when it first aired. But thanks to the magical power of the Disney+ Streaming Service, you can binge-watch the whole series. Note that the Disney+ version of Gravity Falls is slightly censored from the original version. What did they censor? The Fish Symbol on Grunkle Stan's hat. Because it apparently resembled something from Islamic culture and Disney was afraid that Grunkle Stan (who is a con artist trying to get rich quick) would be misinterpreted as a negative stereotype of Islamic people. That is a really strange thing to censor, especially considering that Gravity Falls is a show that was definitely written with an older audience in mind, and contains plenty of jokes and imagery far more offensive than a fish symbol. In fact, censoring Stan's hat actually hurts the show more than it helps, since the fish symbol on Stan's hat is actually important to the plot. ...To be fair, Gravity Falls is a show where EVERYTHING is important to the plot. There is (thankfully) no such thing as Gravity Falls filler episode, and everything comes back with some greater importance later on in the show.
Gravity Falls has a really strong opening episode, and for a story-driven show, it's important to hook a potential audience as early as possible. In it, the Twins move into Gravity Falls (the town), and in the episode's opening minutes it wastes no time establishing the Twins' characterization. Mabel is hyperactive and more than a little goofy, refusing to let any negativity bother her. She is also at the point in her life when a young girl has only one thing on her mind; Boys. Dipper, meanwhile, is calmer and more analytical. He serves mostly as the only sane man keeping Mabel's never ending optimism and excitement (not to mention her obsessive boy-craze) in check. Grunkle Stan runs the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap profiting off of the numerous fake myths surrounding Gravity Falls. Things get strange when Mabel asks out a suspicious goth in a hoodie. Things get stranger when Dipper finds the Journal while doing chores for Stan, reads it, and realizes that the goth matches up with all of the identifying characteristics of an undead creature. Naturally, Dipper goes off to warn Mabel that her new boyfriend is probably a zombie... Only to reveal that the "zombie" is actually a dozen gnomes all pretending to be one person. Turns out the whole thing was a plan to make Mabel the new queen of the gnomes. This right here sets the tone of the show. Mildly creepy, and usually putting a comedic or bizarre twist on a familiar concept. After a surprisingly exciting action sequence where Dipper and Mabel outrun the gnomes (who have fused into a giant King Kong-esque monster), Mabel defeats the gnomes by blowing them away with a leaf blower. While that does sound somewhat like a Deus Ex Machina (writing term for a convenient coincidence that aids the protagonists), it actually isn't. There was a gag earlier in the episode of Mabel using a leaf blower for "kissing practice" (yes, you read that correctly), and the only reason she even thought to use the leaf blower was because of the injuries she got from the leaf blower earlier in the episode. Which would instead make this a Chekhov's Gun, a writing technique of casually introducing an object or character, initially treat them as an unimportant gag or background prop, and have become useful later on. Gravity Falls is especially fond of Chekhov's Guns. So much so that there is at least one item or character in each episode that is brought back for a later point in the overall story. Anyway, the episode ends with Dipper and Mabel looking forward to whatever strange mysteries Gravity Falls has in store, and we get a mysterious, theory-spawning scene of Grunkle Stan sneaking into a hidden door behind the Mystery Shack's vending machine.
The next few episodes follow the pattern I just described. From Dipper training with the Man-Oh-Taurs (read: Manly Minotaurs) to become more "manly", to the Twins catching a sea monster that turned out to be a mecha piloted by a lonely hillbilly, the kinds of shenanigans Dipper and Mabel find themselves in get increasingly bizarre. And overall, the first episodes are fantastic. They are all self-contained adventures, but have a surprising amount of continuity. Characters directly reference the events of previous episodes in conversation. Wear-and-tear done to the Mystery Shack (such as the "S" in "Shack" getting knocked off the sign) stays for the rest of the show. If I had to make a criticism of the show it would be the dynamic between Dipper and the Mystery Shack's cashier, Wendy.
Now, keep in mind that I don't have a problem with Wendy. In fact, she's probably my favorite supporting character right behind Grunkle Stan . It's just that Wendy-focused episodes tend to be a little repetitive. You see, Dipper has a crush on Wendy. And a lot of the Wendy-focused episodes usually revolve around Dipper trying to hook up with her. Ignoring the massive age gap between them (Dipper is 12 and Wendy is I believe 16), this sub-plot also runs into a cliche that I personally dislike; The Love Triangle. Now, the Love Triangle is a trope that is not inherently bad, but it shows up a LOT in entertainment. But anyway, Dipper wants to be with Wendy, who he later acknowledges is WAY out of his league, and brooding emo teen Robbie also wants to hook up with Wendy. They actually bring a close to the sub-plot at the beginning of Season 2, which basically involves Wendy friend-zoning Dipper, while completely dumping Robbie. Which is definitely the best way to end the Love Triangle. Dipper can't get the girl because of the age gap, and Robbie doesn't get the girl because he's a scum-bag of a human being. Seriously, Robbie is a jerk. Out of all the characters in the show, Robbie might be the weakest in terms of story-writing. While he does mellow out in time for the finale, most of the show is spent with Robbie being a bully to Dipper (and sometimes Mabel), and treats his interactions with Wendy far too seriously. Like, dude, Dipper is a small child who hasn't even hit puberty yet. There's no way he can steal your girl. But the good news is the Love Triangle side-plot is pretty much the ONLY thing I don't like about the show. But anyway, I really like Wendy herself. She is a laid-back tomboy who would rather goof off than do her job, and she possesses a fair amount of wisdom and life-experience, often serving a mentor-style role to the Twins and ESPECIALLY Mabel. She actually reminds me a lot of Marceline the Vampire Queen from Adventure Time. Both are independent tomboys who like goofing off with their friends and both of them usually use some kind of axe when fighting. If only Wendy got as many solo adventures as Marcie...
Before we continue I just want to say something. Gravity Falls bares quite a few similarities to Adventure Time. While Gravity Falls does its own thing, it can't be denied that Adventure Time had a major influence on the animation industry. But if I was to make a comparison, I would say Gravity Falls shares more in common with Seasons 3-5 of Adventure Time (when that show focused less on silly random exploits and more on character development and the relationships between the main cast), rather than Seasons 1-2 (which was almost entirely silly random exploits). But anyway, Soos! I love Soos (pictured above, the guy on the right). He's great. He's a dopey handyman who loves nerdy things like video games and anime, but is clumsy to a fault and more than a bit scatterbrained. Also, he's voiced by Alex Hirsch himself. Anyway, Soos is the main source of comic relief throughout the show. His jokes usually range from lamp-shading various cliches and tropes (in case you didn't know, a lamp-shade is when a character in a story verbally acknowledges the use of a cliche or a trope). Or him making a reference to an obscure franchise that only nerds know even exists. And unlike Wendy, he gets plenty of episodes focusing on him as a character that don't have the same feeling of repetitiveness that Wendy-focused episodes get.
Something I find impressive about Gravity Falls is its ability to make even the most minor of background extras memorable. From the pair of sheriffs who like corny things like friendship bracelets and scrapbooks, to the crazy hillbilly with an uncanny talent for advanced robotics known as Old Man McGucket, to the hilariously over-the-top lumberjack Manly Dan (who is apparently Wendy's father), the town of Gravity Falls has a very charming cast of side characters. It reminds me a lot of the early days of Spongebob, while there is no question that Spongebob, Patrick, and Squidward are the three main characters, the supporting cast from that series is memorable and distinct.
The main antagonist of Season 1 is Lil' Gideon, a pompous super-star who is an even bigger con artist than Grunkle Stan. Gideon possesses a Journal just like the one Dipper and Mabel have, but Gideon uses the information inside for his own selfish purposes. Initially all he cares about is getting rich, but his motive changes when he becomes immediately smitten with Mabel. And despite Mabel going through the boy-craze part of her life, even she is smart enough to know that Gideon is bad news. And it's true! Gideon is a villain that bounces between acting sweet and innocent one moment, and then gets dark and morbid the next. The dude literally threatens to sell his own parents, who seem to have been traumatized into being his hapless slaves. Gideon is a disturbing character. His lust for Mabel, cut-throat business practices and ability to wield some very powerful magic make him a dangerous stalker who definitely deserves to be thrown into Alcatraz (or something similar). But his disturbing characteristics make him a fun and engaging villain for the Twins to match wits with.
Another recurring antagonist is Pacifica Northwest. Pacifica is nowhere near as evil or creepy as Lil' Gideon, and I'd say she functions more as a rival than as a full-on villain. Still, she's a vain, arrogant, high-class spoiled brat and seems to take great pleasure in humiliating others. She's given a redemption arc in Season 2, and not only does the redemption arc redeem her morally, it also redeems her as a character. Before the redemption arc, Pacifica mostly just existed as the one thing that can get under Mabel's skin. Someone to indirectly motivate her into doing something, usually with the goal of putting Pacifica's ego in its place. Kind of cliche, but it works. Then you learn that her parents have ingrained this philosophy that the rich MUST treat the poor like dirt; and that it's okay to do horrible, amoral things like lying, cheating and stealing if it makes you richer, because money is power, and power is to be hoarded. Her family's greed goes back for decades, and the reason Pacifica is the way she is, is simply because she legitimately doesn't know any better. I find that to be a unique and refreshing twist on the "Arrogant blonde rival chick" archetype.
The overall story of Season 1 focuses mostly on Dipper (who is really into paranormal stuff) trying to find the identity of the Journal Author, while Lil' Gideon tries to buy out the Mystery Shack (the reason he wants to is because he believes the other Journals are hidden either inside or underneath the Mystery Shack, and each Journal only has a fraction of the Author's full knowledge. Get all the Journals and you get access to pretty much infinite knowledge of the universe). Also, can we just talk about how Gideon trying to get to deed to the Mystery Shack is eerily similar to Plankton trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula? Seriously, every time Gideon got close to the deed, only for Grunkle Stan (and the Twins) to pull the rug out from under him, I kept half-expecting Gideon to say "I WENT TO COLLEGE!!!" as he's chased out. He doesn't though. He does summon a demonic triangle to steal the Mystery Shack deed from Grunkle Stan's mind, though. And when that fails, he just tears down the whole property, legal issues be danged, and builds a theme park on top of it. Which leads to Gideon realizing that the Twins have the last Journal he needs before he becomes omniscient. So he chases them down in mecha built in his likeness. One awesome action sequence later, Gideon is exposed for the criminal he is, he's sent off to prison, and Grunkle Stan gets the Mystery Shack back. Happy Ending for everyone! The finale of Season 1 ends with one of my favorite scenes from the whole show. Mirroring the ending of the pilot episode, Grunkle Stan (now "borrowing" the Twins' Journal) goes down into the secret room behind the vending machine, revealing a huge, sophisticated, almost alien laboratory. Stan says "Finally, after all these years..." as we're treated to a scene of Stan putting all three of the Journals on a pedestal. "I have them all." This was the first big hint towards Stan's true motivations and goals. For most of the show he's a greedy, but well-meaning uncle who firmly believes in the concept of "tough love". But this scene is the first real hint at what the hidden message reading "Stan is Not who he Seems" actually means.
...Except that was all Season 1. Season 2 begins with Dipper accidentally creating a horde of the undead. When the Pines family has no choice but to make a last stand on the roof of the Mystery Shack, Grunkle Stan (who has been denying the existence of supernatural creatures since the beginning) reveals that he's always been aware of the weird stuff in Gravity Falls. He figured that if he lied about it the Twins would stop messing with paranormal activity. I think that literally anyone with five brain cells knew that Stan knew about the hidden weirdness of Gravity Falls. There were some moments in Season 1 where Stan looked like he was lying through his teeth when telling Dipper that "There's no such thing as ghosts" or "Dinosaurs aren't supernatural. They can be explained with science."
The rest of Season 2 is similar to Season 1, but with what I feel is a faster pace, at least when it comes to the overall story. Yeah, you still have Season 1-esque moments such as Mabel falling head over heels over a pretty boy who turns out to be more trouble than they're worth, or Grunkle Stan trying to swindle more money out of gullible tourists, but the show seems to keep gently pushing away the status quo little by little. Then you realize "Oh wait what they trashed the status quo!? In a DISNEY property!?" The aforementioned redemption arc for Pacifica, the reveal of how Old Man McGucket got his skills as an engineer and robotics expert despite being a stereotypical hillbilly, and repeatedly dropping hints to Stan's dubious past. It all comes to a head halfway through the season, in the episode aptly titled, Not Who He Seems. In this episode, Stan is caught by the FBI stealing radioactive waste from a nuclear power plant. The Twins try to clear his name... But all the evidence points to him being guilty. Worse still, Dipper and Mabel find dozens of fake IDs, and even an old newspaper stating that Stanford Pines was killed in a freak accident. The Twins, naturally, begin questioning who their beloved uncle really is. This creates some very emotional drama as the device in Stan's lab finally prepares to fulfill its hidden purpose, the Twins (and Soos) being unsure if the man they've spent the summer with is even trustworthy anymore, and Stan frantically trying to keep the device under control. After a brilliant "fight" scene in zero gravity (which consisted of Stan playing keep away with the device's shut off switch), Mabel decides that to trust Stan one more time, and lets the device fully activate. A portal opens, and out comes a VERY spoiler-filled character. In fact, it's safe to assume that from this point forward, there WILL be spoilers.
Stanford Pines. The REAL Stanford Pines. The next episode, titled A Tale of Two Stans, is devoted entirely to explaining, in flashback form, the origin story of Stanford Pines. Long story short, the Stanford Pines we've grown to know and love is actually Stanley Pines. The two of them are twins, with the only real difference between them being that Stanford has a birth defect that gave him six fingers instead of five like everyone else. Whereas Stanley was physically strong and able to solve most problems with brute force, Stanford (who, for simplicity's sake, shall be called Ford for the remainder of the review) was a thinking man, dealing with problems using brains instead of brawn. The two brothers had a deep bond, vowing to stick together forever. Of course, life happens, things didn't go their way, and Stanley accidentally broke the machine that would allow Ford to enter a college that would finally get the Pines family out of poverty. Stanley was kicked out of his own home because of this, his brotherly friendship with Ford forever ruined. Stanley became a con artist who had to change his identity several times to avoid custody. Ford worked hard to became the greatest cryptozoologist in America. Eventually his search for the supernatural lead him to building a rustic home in Gravity Falls, Oregon. He documented every weird, supernatural thing in Gravity Falls, filling up three Journals, signed with his own six-fingered hand print. Years later, with increasing concern of evil forces getting their hands on the Journals, Ford invites Stanley over, hands him Volume 1 of the Journals, and orders him to get as far away from Gravity Falls as he can. Stanley was ticked off at this, since Ford led him to believe that all Ford wanted was to repair their relationship they had as kids. One argument led to another, a fight broke out, and net thing you know, Ford gets sucked into a portal to another dimension. Stanley adopted his brother's identity so the rest of the Pines family wouldn't worry about the rising star prodigy, and converted Ford's house into what would eventually become the Mystery Shack.
Oh, and Ford is voiced by J. K. Simmons. And whenever he talks all I hear is J. K. Simmons. And I can't the mental image of Ford saying "I want Pictures! Pictures of Spider-Man!" or doing the J. Jonah Jameson laugh (you know the one). Anyway, now's a good time to share my thoughts on the Stans. I love them both. Before watching Season 2, my favorite character was Grunkle Stan, partly because of the buildup to the Big Reveal, and partly because I love the shenanigans he gets up to. That, and just about everything that comes out of his mouth is quotable to a fault. "Traffic laws, prepare to BE IGNORED!" and "There is nothing about this I understand." are still my favorite quotes from the show. But I also absolutely adore Ford, and not just because of J. K. Simmons doing a fantastic job bringing the character to life. I love Ford because he is, in essence, the pay-off for watching the show up until this point. Almost every major mystery traces back to him. Hence his status as a walking spoiler. But he's still a great character in his own right. An intelligent, nerdy, socially awkward character who develops a fatherly bond with Dipper, who shares his love for all things weird and supernatural. This dynamic is also used for some very emotional drama between both generations of the Pines Twins. It doesn't take long for Mabel to notice the uncanny similarities between Stan and Ford's childhood and the relationship she has with Dipper currently. She begins to fear that she'll end up like Stan and Ford; forced by life into separation and constantly arguing when they do reunite.
And now it's time to talk about Bill Cipher. Having been teased since episode 1 of Season 1, Bill Cipher made his first official appearance when Lil' Gideon employed his services in stealing the deed to the Mystery Shack. Bill is an enigmatic creature, existing beyond mortal comprehension, and not abiding by the laws of reality. A cunning trickster, the only thing holding Bill back from bringing about the apocalypse is the fact that he can only interact with people spiritually. He cannot enter the physical world unless someone from the physical world lets him in. In case you haven't figured it out yet, Bill takes over the role of main antagonist from Lil' Gideon once Season 2 starts. Bill Cipher manages to be just as disturbing as Lil' Gideon, in fact, Bill might be even more disturbing. Morality is a foreign concept to him. His ultimate goal is to spread chaos and "weirdness" wherever he goes. He reminds me of the Joker from Batman. A Chaotic being who lives in the moment and makes stuff up as he goes along. Bill is a fantastic villain, and proof that not every antagonist needs to have a deep, complicated backstory with a reasonable goal that makes them more sympathetic. He exists to cause trouble. But his swagger and charisma is as mind-boggling as his illusions. Also, the animation team clearly had too much fun animating Bill. He causes the world itself to start acting, for lack of a better term, trippy. Almost as if he came right out of a fever dream. Highlights include when he flipped the world upside down by tipping his hat, morphing the stars into furniture, and rearranging a man's facial features (this is just as nightmare-inducing as it sounds).
The next few episodes focus mostly on the main cast preparing for an inevitable confrontation with Bill Cipher, while still squeezing in a few more self-contained adventures. Then comes the beginning of a four part finale. The end of the summer draws near, as does the Twins' birthday. Mabel, ever the optimist, begins plans for the biggest party ever. Dipper meanwhile goes off with Ford to find what can best be described as space glue to fix a cracked sphere containing an inter-dimensional gateway. Dipper and Ford have a fantastic adventure, but everything that could go wrong with Mabel's birthday planning does. Wendy confirms that high-school is not as fun as TV Shows make it out to be, Mabel's best friends Candy and Grenda will be moving out of town by the time the party arrives. And Mabel's worst fear seemingly comes to pass. Thanks to walkie-talkie shenanigans, Mabel overhears Dipper telling Ford that he wants to stay in Gravity Falls even after the summer to follow in Ford's footsteps. Dipper and Mabel have an emotional argument that not genuinely hits you in the feels, but also mirrors the argument that led to the disconnect between Stan and Ford.
During the fight, Mabel and Dipper's backpacks get mixed up. And the same sphere that Dipper spent all day repairing was in his backpack. And the defenses Ford put up to protect the sphere only apply to the Mystery Shack. You see where this is going, don't you? Yep, Bill Cipher tricks Mabel into smashing the sphere, creating a doorway letting Bill into the physical world, and he wastes no time bringing about "Weirdmageddon" (a weird Armageddon). The next two episodes are spent with Dipper and Wendy trying to survive a post-apocalyptic version of Gravity Falls. But this is pretty much the Darkest Hour of the show. All three Journals are destroyed, Ford is turned into a golden statue, and the whole town is overrun by eldritch horrors that look like they came straight out of The Cthulhu Mythos. This is the bleakest situation the main cast ever had to deal with. Not even Lil' Gideon (who weaseled his way into becoming Bill Cipher's enforcer/second-in-command) managed to break the Twins, much less the entire cast, the way Bill has. Yet they find the strength to persevere, the gang's only hope being that Ford mentioned right before he was "frozen" that Bill has exactly one weakness that can be used against him. So Dipper and Wendy set off on a Mad Max style road trip, rounding up as many of their friends and allies as possible, and planning a last stand against Bill at his full power.
A good chunk of the finale is spent with Dipper, Wendy, and Soos trying to convince Mabel to leave the irresistible paradise prison Bill cooked up just for her. Which is easier said than done since Mabel is still upset at Dipper for "betraying" her, and is disillusioned by the negativity (or, maybe, the inevitability) of maturity and growing up. Mabel at this point has given up on reality, and just wants to stay a cheerful 12-year-old forever. So Dipper has to pull out all the stops to remind Mabel that as bad as life is, there's always a beautiful and wonderful day to look forward to in the future. And I really like that. One could make the argument that Mabel was too selfish during this whole arc, but honestly I didn't have a problem with it. Mabel spent her whole life with Dipper, and has grown accustomed to spending her life with him (NOT ROMANTICALLY!!! Get your head out of the gutter!). Plus, Mabel is not exactly a rational thinker, and since the beginning she always made choices based on her personal feelings rather than any form of planning or logic. What makes her a fun and engaging co-protagonist is precisely because of her (intended) flaws as a person. Same with Dipper! Yeah, he's smart, brave, and a great strategist, but he's just as flawed as his sister, namely his control freak tendencies and compulsive desire to prove a point no matter what has gotten him in just as much trouble as Mabel's impulsive "Act first, plan later" philosophy.
Anyway, one reunion with every single named character in the whole show later, and the Twins are ready to take the fight to Bill. So they round up their friends and have them all work together to turn the Mystery Shack into a giant mecha (yes) to run up to Bill and beat the tar out of him (also yes). While this is going on, the Twins plan a rescue operation to free Ford from his golden prison. Oh, and Lil' Gideon makes a last minute Heel-Face Turn and rebels against Bill. The now unfrozen Ford then prepares a magic circle with runes. But not just any magic circle. During the opening of each episode (except the four part finale, which is hijacked by Bill to serve as 40 whole seconds of raw ego stroking), there's an image of Bill Cipher surrounded by various symbols. Ford reveals that they all correspond to each of the main characters. A Pine Tree for Dipper, a Shooting Star for Mabel, etc. This is why the censorship hurts the show somewhat. The symbol that corresponds with Grunkle Stan is the same fish symbol on his hat. Curiously, the fish symbol on the magic circle is left untouched. But it creates this feeling of awkwardness as you try to figure out why Grunkle Stan would be associated with fish. If the censors were truly concerned by fish symbols potentially stereotyping Islamic people, they should have gone all out and replaced the symbol in the magic circle with something else. Maybe a dollar sign, to reflect Grunkle Stan's status as a penny pincher. It isn't the biggest deal in the world, and people who aren't aware of the censorship probably won't care anyway, but once you know the show has been censored, moments like this make it stick out like a sore thumb.
Anyway, the magic circle ultimately doesn't work due to Stan and Ford arguing last minute. Bill trashes the circle, recaptures everyone except the Twins, and mutates into a demonic pyramid creature. But while Bill is chasing Dipper and Mabel, Stan and Ford, come up with a clever plan to destroy Bill. Now Bill may be an incredibly powerful entity, but his strongest power, the ability to possess people, only works if the victim willingly shakes Bill's hand. Ford agrees to let Bill into his mind so he can leave Gravity Falls and spread his madness to the rest of the globe (an enchantment set up early in the series is keeping Bill from leaving the borders of the town). But when exploring Ford's mind, Bill discovers that he just got bamboozled. He was in Stanley's mind instead. Yes, the original Pines Twins swapped their clothes as part of a sneaky backup plan. The real Ford blasts Stanley with Old Man McGucket's Memory Erasure Gun, which destroys Bill permanently, at the cost of Stanley's memories. It was a genuinely heartbreaking moment. Just imagine seeing this old man, down on his luck and his relationship with his family torn apart forever, finally given a chance to be a part of a family again by taking care of Dipper and Mabel, only to lose himself in the name of the greater good. It's undermined somewhat by the epilogue which, in addition to tying up every possible loose end (which, mind you, is a good thing), also shows that Stanley might recover his memories thanks to the POWER OF LOVE!!! Honestly I feel that having Stanley get his memories backs downplays the emotion behind his sacrifice. While I do believe it is possible for Stanley to get his memories back eventually (Old Man McGucket erased his whole mind and still managed to eventually figure out who he was), in Stanley's case it felt a little too easy for him. He just skimmed through Mabel's scrap-book and almost instantly remembers who he was. I feel like if they wanted Stanley to get his memories back, they should have had him get his memory back slowly, over the course of the next three days (since that was when Dipper and Mabel have to head home because their summer vacation ended). But aside from not really committing to Stan's sacrifice, the finale was great. It brought back almost every major character in the show, all the recurring characters had satisfactory conclusions to their individual plot arcs. And most importantly, even though the finale is the bleakest part of the show, it never forgot the quirky, UNDERTALE-esque humor and writing.
In terms of presentation, Gravity Falls is a show that looks amazing. The character designs are great. The animation is fluid and smooth. It has some of the best lighting I've ever seen in a children's cartoon. The backgrounds are vibrant and contrast nicely with the characters. I will say something that you kind of got to get used to is how because of the way most of the characters are drawn, they have a slight under bite that is admittedly only really notable from certain angles. But when you notice it, it looks strangely pronounced. This isn't a bad thing, mind you, just something I noticed. Also in regards to presentation, I love how the show, despite being a Disney property marketed to 10-year-old kids, can get surprisingly dark with its imagery. Characters actually bleed in this show. It's not a whole lot of blood, and most of it is weirdly colored supernatural blood, but it doesn't change the fact that Gravity Falls has the audacity to put blood in a kids' show. And I respect that audacity. In terms of music and voice acting, Gravity Falls has a distinct soundtrack that combines the mellow country beats of a rustic town with some hype-inducing techno tunes. The opening theme song is so amazing that when the intro got shortened in Season 2 to save time, I was legitimately frustrated because the Gravity Falls theme song is so good that I always listen to the full version (it makes doing chores much more bearable). The voice acting is also great, especially when you realize over half of the main cast is voiced by Alex Hirsch himself (Soos, Old Man McGucket, Grunkle Stan, the Man-Oh-Taurs, etc). Did I mention they got J.K. Simmons to voice Ford?
In conclusion, Gravity Falls is an incredible show, well worth watching at least once in your life time. That said, and I can't be the only person who thinks this, but this show does remind me a fair amount of UNDERTALE. The quirky, subversive writing, pleasantly weird concepts, and emphasis on character interaction for the bulk of the story is very reminiscent of Toby Fox's work. Which is not a problem, UNDERTALE is a game with a great story and characters. But I'll try not to gush about Gravity Falls too much on this blog. I've learned my lesson from when I was OBSESSED with all things UNDERTALE and that was a period of my life that I don't look at too fondly now. But with all this being said, I give Gravity Falls 9 ominous triangles out of 10.
P.S. One day, I will right a review that won't spoil a 8 year old cartoon. The only reason I put spoilers in this review is because, let's be real here, most of the people thinking about checking the show out probably have done so already. Plus, most of praise/criticisms I have of the show are spoilers in and of themselves, and the point of a review is to share your opinion on a creative work, discussing everything you like and don't like about it.
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