Top 10 Gravity Falls Episodes

Yep. You knew this was coming, sooner or later. lol

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I think it’s pretty well established that I’m a Gravity Falls fan at this point. Anyone who has followed my DA profile in recent years will know that I’ve been dedicating countless fan art to this show ever since its television debut in 2012.

What can I say that hasn’t been said already? Gravity Falls is, hands down, my favorite Disney animated series of all time! Even though it only ran for only two seasons over the expansion of four years, it shall forever hold a special place in my heart as one of my all-time favorite television series. I even listed it in the #5 spot in my Top 10 Best Animated Series meme. It’s a show, not only for the kids, but one that adults can enjoy, as well. It’s the quintessential series the whole family can enjoy. It’s imaginative, entertaining, intriguing, it’s funny as hell, and has a genuine sense of mystery and suspense that’ll keep you guessing until the end.

Now that the series is finally over, I’ve decided to reflect upon the series as a whole and list my favorite episodes and share my own opinions.
_{I know I’m a few months late to be doing this, but I guess it’s better late than never. xD}


SPOILER WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS SHOW OR WATCHED CERTAIN EPISODES, YOU MAY WANT TO BEFORE READING THIS LIST!


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So, without further delay, here are my “Top 10 Gravity Falls Episodes!”

#10 - Tourist Trapped - What better way to kick off this list than with the first official episode that started it all. When twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are sent off to live with their Great Uncle Stan for the summer in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, Dipper comes across a mysterious journal, containing entries foretelling the strange secrets the unusual town holds. Later, Mabel becomes obsessed with finding a boy in town to date her, but soon finds a rather grim looking guy named Norman. Utilizing his newfound journal, Dipper soon comes to the conclusion that Norman is actually a zombie. But when he tries to warn his sister, both are stunned when it’s revealed that Norman is, in fact, a group of gnomes in disguise, who, in turn, want to wed Mabel as their gnome queen! While it may not be as good as some the episodes that would follow, it more than deserves its place on the list, since, being the series opener, it got us all hooked on this show and set the stage for things to come. Not to mention, it’s the episode that spawned this amusing internet gif: youtu.be/aVqC7LBUPDQ


#9 - The Deep End - This was a pretty cute episode, I must say! When the twins and the gang visit the public pool, Mabel befriends (and falls in love with) a merman named Mermando, who explains to her that he’s trapped in the pool with no way out. Meanwhile, Dipper becomes a lifeguard for the pool in order to get close to Wendy, who’s also a lifeguard. Later that night, Mabel breaks Mermando out of the public pool while Dipper does the nightshift, and the episode comes to a thrilling climax with Dipper pursuing Mabel and Mermando in pool carts. I do legitimately like the chemistry between Mabel and Mermando. I like how super dramatic Mermando gets at times and the bits with the kid in the pool prison is hilarious. I also liked the Free Willy (1993) reference at the end, especially since that was a movie I grew up with. On top of that, I also think Wendy looks really cute in her lifeguard uniform.


#8 - Soos and the Real Girl - When Soos is pressured by his grandmother to find a girlfriend to bring to his cousin’s engagement party, Dipper and Mabel do their best to help Soos find a date. But when they learn that Soos has trouble talking to girls, the twins resort to having Soos learn to through a dating simulation game, where he meets an obsessive A.I. named Giffany. When Soos soon becomes acquainted with a nice girl named Melody, Giffany goes berserk and attacks Soos, Melody, and the twins via pizza joint animatronics at the mall. Like with Mabel and Mermando, I really like the chemistry between Soos and Melody. You definitely get the sense that the two of them complete one another. However, the big highlight here is the character Giffany. I loved the pixel animation utilized with her and how she’s able to possess and manifest herself in various electronic devices, like how in the climax, she possesses one of the animatronics and walks passed the arcade machines, her side profile is shown on the screens as if she were walking passed a bunch of mirrors. I also liked her over-the-top mannerisms, playing up various anime cliches.


#7 - Summerween - When the residents of Gravity Falls celebrate their annual second celebration of Halloween, under the name “Summerween,” the twins and their friends are confronted by a festive ghoul known as the Summerween Trickster. The Trickster strikes a deal with them that if they can collect a thousand pieces of candy before the last melon-lantern burns out, he will spare them their lives. However, Dipper is conflicted when he’s invited to a Summerween party that Wendy is attending and tries to sneak away from trick-or-treating with Mabel and her friend. Mabel soon finds out about this and gets angry at Dipper. The first time they announced this episode, I was pretty skeptical about it. At first, I thought it was gonna be like Phineas and Ferb, where they were just shoehorned in various holiday themed episodes, even though the events of both series take place in the summer (No offense to Phineas and Ferb fans )! But, thankfully, this wasn’t like that. In fact, I actually really liked this episode! So much so, that I can actually see myself watching this as a Halloween tradition. One of the major things I praise this show for is the sibling relationship between Dipper and Mabel. It’s not like most kids cartoons, where the siblings in question are just constantly bickering with each other over everything. Dipper and Mabel’s sibling relationship depends less on petty rivalry and more on a coexisting bond. As brother and sister, they’re two characters that have a history together, with a relationship built on a foundation of trust and newfound understanding, which makes both of their characters feel all the more genuine and real. This aspect really shines through in this episode. When Mabel tells Dipper how hard it is for her to outgrow trick-or-treating with him, you feel legitimately sorry for her. The fact that this episode has so much character development and emotional impact is more than I can say about most Halloween specials.


#6 - Little Gift Shop of Horrors - As the second anthology episode of the series, this is the one I find the most enjoyment out of. The first anthology episode, Bottomless Pit!, had its moments, though I didn’t consider it all that memorable. In contrast, this episode was a big improvement. It tells three different short stories revolving around Grunkle Stan, who tries to persuade a customer (aka the viewer) into buying one of his nicknacks at The Mystery Shack. The first story involves a hand witch (A witch who conducts spells for hands) who casts a spell on Grunkle Stan’s hands, magically removing his hands from his body. The second story involves Dipper creating a concoction to make himself into a super genius, only to have Mabel’s pet pig, Waddles, to eat it, making him into a super genius. The third and final story involves Mabel overcoming her fear of old-timey stop-motion animation, where she, Dipper, Soos, and Grunkle Stan learn that the monsters from those films are real, having been brought to life by magic. As a whole, I enjoy all three stories for different reasons. I like the first story as a good, standard Gravity Falls storyline. It’s self-contained and I enjoy all the hand-related antics, especially the montage with Grunkle Stan. I like the second story for the guest voice, Neil deGrasse Tyson, who provides the automated voice of Waddle’s Stephen Hawking-esque wheelchair. But my favorite of the three is definitely the last story, where they have the 2-D characters interact with stop-motion characters, which also pay homage to the works of legendary stop-motion animator, Ray Harryhausen, who passed away little over a year after the episode was released. I enjoy the small commentary this short story gives about CGI predominating the market of practical effects. I also like how they acknowledge the expensive costs to produce stop-motion effects by having the characters watch the stop-motion creatures fight with the camera facing the characters, while the monsters’ shadows are silhouetted on the wall. On top of that, I love seeing the cyclops from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and the skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts (1963) designed in Gravity Falls’  style. Especially the cyclops, who looks freakin’ adorable!


#5 - Sock Opera - Now we’re getting the more iconic moments of the series. Continuing the events of the previous episode Into the Bunker, Dipper tries to crack the password to an old laptop that could’ve possibly belonged to the author of the journal, while Mabel conducts a plan to create an amazing puppet show to win over a cute guy she likes, who’s also into puppeteering (Perhaps a bit too much. ). When Dipper fails to crack the code to the computer, the twins’ arch nemesis, Bill Cipher, who previously appeared at the end of Season 1 in the episode Dreamscaperers, appears before Dipper, wanting to strike a deal with him, wanting to “help him” open the laptop. When a time limit starts counting down on the laptop, which threatens to erase all its information, Dipper becomes extremely hesitant and hastily decides to strike a deal with Bill. Of course, Bill tricks Dipper with his offer, possessing his body, destroys the laptop, and set out to destroy the journal, while reducing Dipper to a floating spirit, whom no one can see or hear. Soon, Dipper learns that the only way to warn Mabel is by using one of her puppets as a vessel to communicate with her, with very amusing results (youtu.be/pexZpuTKnuQ). Later, Bill attempts to sabotage Mabel’s puppet show in order to get the journal from her, where she famously dubs him as “Bipper.” The character of Bipper has been a HUGE phenomenon across the Gravity Falls fan community since this episode’s debut. Though, I must admit, the idea of an evil Dipper does sound pretty cool I like this episode because it has a fine balance of high stakes and comedic antics. Mabel’s puppet show is adorably stupid and the things Bill does with Dipper’s body when he first possesses it is pretty damn funny. On top of that, it has one of the funniest uses of the song “Ave Maria” I’ve ever seen in my life!


#4 - Dreamscaperers & Gideon Rises - As the two-part finale of Season 1, they certainly end things on a high note. When Gideon summons the demonic, interdimensional triangle, Bill Cipher, he uses his powers to mess with Grunkle Stan and get the deed to The Mystery Shack. Gideon succeeds and forces the twins to leave Gravity Falls. Gideon also collects Dipper’s journal in the process, so he can combine its secrets with another of the author’s journals he already has. But when Gideon discovers he only has two of the three journals, he chases after Dipper and Mabel via a giant robot in his likeness. The first part, Dreamscaperers, is the first time we’re introduced to Bill Cipher, who would go on to become the main villain for the rest of the series. He’d been hinted at before throughout the season, but this is the first time we see him as an actual character. Between the two episodes, I tend to like the second part more than the first part. While they do some interesting things with Dreamscaperers, playing with memories and the concept of dreams, it has this really contrived conflict with Dipper thinking Grunkle Stan is belittling him, even though it’s painfully obvious it’s just a misunderstanding! I like Gideon Rises more because the stakes feel much higher and there’s a lot more action and momentum that drives the story along, which is appropriate, being the season finale. It also shows a little more violence, like when Dipper starts fighting Gideon inside the robot, Gideon punches him and they show a little bit of blood! The first time I saw this, I was stunned! They actually showed blood on a Disney show! They could NEVER get away with that 10 or 20 years ago! The fact that they got away with that just goes to show that the people who made this series weren’t as uptight about it like so many other Disney shows tend to feel like, which is another thing I commend this series for. It respects its audience well enough that it can exist has its own thing without having to talk down to us to tone things down to absurd levels. If anything, this series stands as a testament of how Disney’s shows are changing for the greater good.


#3 - Into the Bunker - This episode is a definite favorite of mine. When the twins, Wendy, and Soos discover a secret bunker in the middle of the woods, they explore it, hoping to find any clues about the author of the journals. Later, when Wendy and Dipper get separated from Mabel and Soos, they meet a mysterious man, whom they immediately assume to be the author. But they soon discover that the man is actually a shapeshifting monster! What I love about this episode is how it finally has Dipper address his feelings for Wendy. In Season 1, there’s a recurring arc with Dipper having a crush on Wendy, but he’s too shy to tell her. But as the second episode of Season 2, they finally have him express his feelings to her (Inadvertently). Toward the end of the episode, Wendy gets knocked out and Dipper runs over to her. Feeling guilty for not telling her sooner, Dipper has this big, emotional speech about how it was his fault and how he’s in love with her. Easily one of my favorite moments in the whole series (youtu.be/tz_pt8ibJ1I)! I like this moment in the same vein as the Adventure Time episode, Burning Low (Season 4, Episode 16), where they don’t just drag on the arc of the main character having a secret crush on a secondary character to the point where it gets redundant and tired. Plus, I love how the shapeshifter is voiced by one of my all-time favorite voice-actors, Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill is the best! ^^


#2 - The Weirdmageddon Trilogy - Technically, I’m cheating here, since I’m counting three episodes into one spot on the list. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn! These three more than deserve their spot on the list. As the three-part series finale, all I can say is WOW! Disney really ended the series right! While I’m still saddened that the series ended so soon, I am glad that it ended on such a high note. When Bill Cipher takes control of Gravity Falls via “Weirdmageddon,” it’s up to Dipper, Mabel, and the rest of their compatriots to take back the falls. There’s so many good moments in these last three episodes, I honestly can’t do it justice! You just have to see it for yourself!




And my #1 Gravity Falls episode is . . .




Not What He Seems - Oh dear lord! Never have I been so excited over any episode in my ENTIRE LIFE! After Grunkle Stan get’s arrested by government agents, Dipper and Mabel go undercover to unveil what possible secrets their Grunkle has been hiding from them. They soon discover that Grunkle Stan has been hiding A LOT of secrets from them, including an underground laboratory beneath The Mystery Shack, where he’s been working on a portal that could potentially destroy the town. When the twins try to shut it down before the timer goes off, Grunkle Stan escapes and tries stops them at the last minute. When the portal starts causing gravity fluctuations, throwing everyone around the lab. Toward the end of the episode, Mabel is still holding on to the button console. Dipper, now distrusting Grunkle Stan, tries to convince her push the button, whereas Grunkle Stan tries to tell her not to. The conflict soon comes to a heartbreaking decision for Mabel, who lets go of the button console saying the words “Grunkle Stan . . . I trust you.” The timer goes off and the portal activates. The episode ends with a mysterious figure walking coming out of the portal, who is revealed to be the author of the journals: Grunkle Stan’s brother, Ford! HOLY CRAP! This episode was pretty damn good! Like with Gideon Rises, what I love about this episode is how high the stakes feel and how much momentum and action drives the events of the story. On top of that, it FINALLY unveils who the author is! Before the episode was released, there were a number of theories on who the author was. One of them speculated that the author was, in fact, Grunkle Stan’s brother. Well, this episode finally laid those fan theories to rest! When I first saw this episode, I completely lost it! I was just crazed with excitement! In the follow-up episode, A Tale of Two Stans, Grunkle Ford is voiced by J.K. Simmons, who’s mostly famous for playing J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy (2002-2007) and Terence Fletcher in Whiplash (2014). Now, every time I hear his voice in a movie or a commercial, all I’m gonna think about is Grunkle Ford. But regardless, this was an amazing episode, both action-packed and emotionally stirring, and would be the big game-changer for the rest of the series. Hands down, my favorite Gravity Falls episode, if not, one of my all-time favorite episodes from ANY television series, ever!

Another thing worth mentioning, and a moment that I’ll never forget, is that this episode premiered the SAME DAY as the Steven Universe episode, Rose’s Scabbard, which aired earlier that day. I placed Rose’s Scabbard in the #2 spot in my Top 10 Steven Universe Episodes (Season 1) meme. So yeah. That was a pretty good day for me!


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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- Northwest Mansion Mystery

- Boss Mabel

- Land Before Swine

- A Tale of Two Stans

- Bottomless Pit!

- Boyz Crazy

- Dipper and Mabel vs. The Future

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For those who read this entire list, I thank you most admirably. ^^

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Original Meme: fav.me/d7kxk7a

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My Other Top 10’s: