| 1 | For Headscratchers involving ''[[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]]'', [[Headscratchers/GravityFallsJournal3 click here]]. |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | |
| 4 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | [[folder:General]] |
| 7 | * The parents had to know what being with Uncle Stan was like. Who in their right mind would think it was a good idea to leave them in Gravity Falls? Were the parents simply fed up with child-rearing in the off-chance cryptids would come knocking? |
| 8 | ** Maybe the parent whose uncle he is has really fond memories of spending the summer at their cool uncle's place. Also, he's not actually malevolent, and he seems to get along very well with the children. (I'm not entirely sure if they basically meet him for the first time or not.) And maybe he was the only one available. |
| 9 | *** Then why did Stan mention that Dipper and Mabel were the only family he has concern over when talking to Ford? |
| 10 | *** Probably because Stan is not that close to his niece and nephew, though it doesn't explain Shermy... then again, he might not be close to him either or he might've even passed away. |
| 11 | ** In "Gideon Rises", after the events of the prior episode, they do call to check up on the twins and him, so they do care about him. He lies to try and ease their concerns and judging by the way he says "You too," at the end, they probably told him that they loved him. |
| 12 | ** As of "A Tale of Two Stans," we know that Stan has been posing as his brother, who probably would been considered at least a little more trustworthy than Stanley. In addition, it's safe to say they haven't really paid him a whole lot of scrutiny in the past 30 years or they would have noticed it was the wrong twin, so they may not be aware of his con-man tendencies. |
| 13 | *** Journal 3 confirms this. |
| 14 | ** In the game ''Legend of the Gnome Gemulets'', it's said that Stan was present at the twins' birth. If they trusted him enough to invite him and he cared enough to go, I think it's safe to say the family considered him trustworthy enough to send the kids to for a summer. |
| 15 | *** The game also mentions how he wouldn't let their grandfather Shermy hold them. |
| 16 | ** Stand winds up ''fearlessly punching zombies'' in order to keep the kids safe. He's cantankerous, but ultimately he cares about his family. And ultimately, the kids have an amazing summer. Sounds like those parents made the right choice. |
| 17 | ** Alex has stated that canonically, their parents don't know Stan as well as they think they do. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | * When is it canonically stated that Dipper and Mabel's middle names are their parents' first names? It's all over the GF Wiki, and I'm a little confused. |
| 20 | ** The citations say [[http://thatguywhowritesfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/43661236263/i-got-this-in-the-mail-today-fuck-yeah-i-was this fan letter.]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | * A minor one, but why does Dipper only get one character-specific scene in the intro while Mabel & Stan both get two? |
| 23 | ** I always thought the extras were meant to go to Soos and Wendy... But what do I know? |
| 24 | ** This is getting a little close to [[WMG/GravityFalls WMG]], but maybe it has something to do with the fact that both of them have two symbols on [[http://fuckyeahgravityfalls.com/post/47665765423 Bill's circle]] (as of now)? |
| 25 | *** This has been {{Jossed}} -- the second symbols refer to other people despite being connected to Stan and Mabel. It can't have anything to do with the credits. |
| 26 | ** It could be because Dipper's is about twice as long as either of Mabel's or Stan's, meaning that all three of them get roughly the same amount of time. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | * Why does everyone insist on spelling Bill's last name with a "y"? |
| 29 | ** [[XtremeKoolLetterz Xtreme Kool Letterz]], maybe? |
| 30 | ** While it's a legitimate alternate spelling, it's likely because the spelling in question looks somewhat archaic to US viewers. The fact that the "y" essentially introduces an upside-down triangle -- reminiscent of Bill -- may have something to do with it as well. |
| 31 | ** The Caper-Case Caper. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | * Why does the fanbase (particularly on this site, but I've seen it elsewhere) treat this whole "Stan has a twin brother" theory like it's some huge secret or conspiracy? Stan obviously has a brother. That has been implicit since the very first episode. His brother is Dipper and Mabel's grandfather, because that's kind of what a great-uncle is: your grandparent's sibling. And we know that grandparent is a man because Stan and the twins share the same last name. I understand the fun of EpilepticTrees and I don't mean to ruin that, but come on. This one shouldn't be some zany theory. It should just be common sense. |
| 34 | ** The whole secrecy thing about Stans brother/Dipper and Mabel's grandfather isn't that he exists, he obviously must, but that he is involved in the mysteries surrounding Gravity Falls and the hidden Gate beneath the Mystery Shack. |
| 35 | ** We don't know whether whichever of the twins' grandparents is related to Stan was a brother or a sister. Obviously he has at least one sibling because he's the twins' great-uncle, but there's a (very likely) possibility that he has a twin brother connected to the Gravity Falls mysteries and, considering the evidence for his existence in the first place and his absence in the present, he's confronted Bill Cipher in the past and it didn't end well for him. It's a secret because no one in the show has openly acknowledged him. |
| 36 | *** It is almost definitely a brother because they share the same last name. For the same reason, he has to be their paternal grandfather. Maybe we don't know what significance he has, if any, but we do know exactly ''who'' he is. |
| 37 | *** You are aware that he could still have a twin and the grandfather is the younger or older brother right? I mean I have twin cousins named Jade and India with a younger brother and older sister. |
| 38 | *** Stan having a brother wasn't the secret. Stan's brother specifically being a twin was the secret. |
| 39 | ** In "A Tale of Two Stans" Stanford says to Stanley: "they're Shermie's grandkids." Now, whether Shermie is a man or a woman, who knows. And if is a woman why Dipper and Mabel have the same last name? well single mothers exist too, you know? You can see the family tree in the official Wikia [[http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Pines_family here]] |
| 40 | |
| 41 | * So how many fingers do normal people have? Dipper and Mabel have FourFingeredHands but the Author having six fingers is a big deal... |
| 42 | ** It is to believe five, but if you notice how the children are animated, it would fall in the animation reason why four fingers is usually drawn save for the Tale of Two Stans, where Stanley was shown with five fingers to draw contrast to Stanford's six, that and both have the wrist room) and to keep consistency even in close ups, it is still four (as like the Carpet Diem episode, in their universe view, Dipper and Mabel both sound normal as usual as no question is drawn to their voices being different). In short, [[FourFingeredHands this may apply]] but in the sense of wrist to finger size ratio considerations more than anything. |
| 43 | ** ArtisticLicense plays a hand here, as creator Alex Hirsch has said that some characters looked better with four fingers and others better with five. "Just pretend everyone aside from Ford has five fingers", he says. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | * Who puts a peach pit in a soda can, anyway? And for that matter, how do they get it in there? |
| 46 | ** Does it matter? It is prominent amongst the cast that it is [[http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120913012249/gravityfalls/images/thumb/4/48/S1e9_delicious.png/270px-S1e9_delicious.png delicious?]] |
| 47 | ** Putting a pit into a soda can isn't difficult -- drink cans are made with an open end, and the top is sealed into place after it is filled. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | * Bill's usage of the nicknames for those to are represented on the wheel seems inconsistent. He refers to Gideon and Ford by their given names, has called Soos by both his own name and "Question Mark" and ditto with Mabel, and has ''never'' called Dipper anything but Pine Tree. Is this just Bill being Bill, or what? |
| 50 | ** Humans use nicknames or real names depending on the context. Bill's not under any compulsion to refer to someone any particular way. If there is a pattern, it's probably that he ''generally'' uses real names while he's trying to seem harmless or friendly, and ''generally'' brings out nicknames once it's clear he's a monster. Note that he calls Ford by his real name when acting as his muse but calls him "Sixer" during Weirdmageddon. He knew he couldn't completely fool Dipper after "Dreamscaperers," so he timed his arrival for a vulnerable moment (when Dipper would be open to a DealWithTheDevil) instead of trying to pass for a helpful spirit. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | * I fail to understand Bill's defeat. OK I get where they were going with the eraser gun deal to beat Bill but the guys on set really did not think it through: The memory gun erases just that: memories and thoughts. Bill is not a thought/memory, he is a being that lives in the mindscape and manipulates what is inside it. So how would the gun erase him much less weaken him. It would only work unless Bill was a thought to be erased, but he isn't. |
| 53 | ** An apt comparison would be to think of the brain as a computer. All the memories in it being stored in a hard drive and Bill being a malicious program meant to steal those files. By entering his mind Bill basically turned himself into a program inhabiting that hard drive. What the memory eraser gun did was completely wipe everything indiscriminately. |
| 54 | ** I think wipe/delete is an bit of an exaggeration. If Stan was truly erased then no amount of memory jogging could bring him back, an piece of him had to have survived otherwise jogging his memory would not work because there would no memory to jog. So.....what happens to Bill in this case? Was he really defeated, or just temporarily dispersed, or something of the like? |
| 55 | ** I seem to remember that Bill was destroyed before Stan's mind was completely gone. Perhaps Ford stopped the memory eraser gun after Bill was erased, but before Stan was. |
| 56 | ** Nah that wouldn't make sense, they should be getting wiped out at the same time, besides Ford said he completely (or so he thought) wiped Stan's mind. He obviously didn't stop until he thought they were gone. Hmm was it the punch that finished Bill off or did he get erased? I think the gun just weakened him enough to be destroyed, though that revival spell might be an problem later on.]] |
| 57 | ** Bill isn't a memory, but he was ''inside'' one of Stan's memories. If the memory gets erased, Bill goes down with it. |
| 58 | ** Not to get technical here, but Stan's personality, his implicit memories, and his semantic memories survived the erasure and were able to be restored. He still remembered how to walk and talk, he (eventually) remembered people's names, and so forth. There's no indication he ever got his episodic memory back (and from "Dreamscaperers" we knew these are the types of memories Bill deals with). In essence, Stan is the same person he always was, but it's possible he has no memory of how he got to ''be'' that way. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | * For both the combined smarts of Ford and Fiddleford, why does the portal not have leading stairs and rails? Would have solved so many problems, thus averted the prime premise of the series. |
| 61 | ** The main problem was Ford falling for Bill's tricks to build the portal, and it was a good thing Fiddleford caught a glimpse of his plan. Imagine what would've happened if the construction had gone smoothly. |
| 62 | ** If you count deuterocanon, ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' makes it clear that Ford was an arrogant {{Jerkass}} at the time and rushing his research. It's surprising there were any safety precautions at all. |
| 63 | ** NoOSHACompliance is a trope. |
| 64 | ** It's Ford. He's brilliant, but self-absorbed. He probably assumed that he (and Fiddleford) would never be stupid enough to fall into the portal, and never considered the chance that anyone else would ever come down there. Additionally as seen in "The Last Mabelcorn", Ford has an extremely lax approach to safety. |
| 65 | |
| 66 | * Where does it say Bill and his Henchmaniacs participating Globnar? I've seen it in so many fics, yet I've never exactly seen it explained. Or is it just one of those fanon things? |
| 67 | |
| 68 | * Iirc Alex said that Dipper would essentially "bulk up" to become a manly man in the future. Am I misremembering things, or is this canon? |
| 69 | |
| 70 | * What's the point of the axolotl erasing people's memories after they ask him questions? |
| 71 | [[/folder]] |
| 72 | |
| 73 | [[folder:Characters]] |
| 74 | * Why does Robbie feel romantically threatened by a 12-year old? He knows that Dipper isn't serious competition, Wendy wouldn't leave him for Dipper. |
| 75 | ** I think he might be insecure. |
| 76 | *** Evident in the timeline that Dipper won the carnival game. |
| 77 | ** He knows Dipper treats Wendy better than he does. Maybe he's not afraid that'll lead to romance, but just to them hanging out more or her realizing Robbie's a jerk. |
| 78 | *** Well, Robbie isn't a jerk to Wendy, keep in mind. He actually treats her pretty well and definitely likes her. He's arrogant to everyone around him, but Wendy knows him well enough to know that's just how he is. And it should be taken into account how jaded Wendy is to dating if he did treat her wrongly, she'd likely dump him in an instant. Mostly, Robbie sees Dipper as a threat because he's an insecure teenager who struggles with his identity and tries to make a "statement" through his clothing and music, amongst other things. |
| 79 | *** I wouldn't say he treats her well, since it's established in "Boyz Crazy" that he habitually lies to her and does things like stand her up and not apologize for it. And, depending how you read the episode, he also tried to brainwash her to keep her from leaving him. |
| 80 | ** Because he's a stereotypical "teen" character. Teens are thought of, and usually are, not as smart as they think they are, and not as emotionally stable as an adult, as they are still growing. All that jazz. He's jealous of Dipper because it would be weird for the stereotypical teen not to be insanely jealous of everything that even looks at his girlfriend. |
| 81 | ** Overall it's complicated and you have to examine the episodes to track it all: |
| 82 | *** In "The Inconveniencing," they first met. Things began when Dipper pointed out Robbie's explosion graffiti resembled more a muffin and embarrassing him in front of his friends and Wendy. Over the episode, he acts condescending toward Dipper, but simply incites Dipper to try harder. An example is when Robbie fails to get into the store, Dipper then tries. After being teased, Dipper goes and gets them in, embarrassing him further. The episodes ends with them pretty much on neutral terms, him nodding in respect of Dipper ridding the ghosts. |
| 83 | *** In "Double Dipper," Dipper attempts to keep Robbie away by using his clones. Not much interaction, though we see Dipper's view on Robbie. |
| 84 | *** In "The Time Traveler's Pig," the situation intensifies. Dipper keeps trying to win Wendy the stuffed animal, but ultimately fails, leading to Robbie beginning to date Wendy, much to Dipper's chagrin. Here, we see that Robbie doesn't like Dipper or Mabel very much, a typical quality that older teenagers have toward younger kids, the dislike being mutual. |
| 85 | *** Everything is summed up in "The Fight Fighters." Here, we see that while Robbie likes Wendy, he sometimes doesn't pay attention to her. This leads to an argument between him and Dipper resulting in Robbie finding out about Dipper liking Wendy. Before going to try and call her to tell her, Dipper stops him and breaks the phone in process. Finally fed up with Dipper for embarrassing him as well as getting in the way with Wendy, the fight is announced. Matters intensify when Dipper gets Rumble onto Robbie. After Dipper stands to Rumble, Robbie attempts to start the fight, but can no longer find it to hurt Dipper, either out of minor respect for acting like a man or that Dipper was already pounded on to where Robbie feels it isn't worth it. Ultimately, he is forced to come to terms that Dipper is an important guy in Wendy's life and will not go away. Dipper and Robbie agree to 'hate each other in silence.' |
| 86 | *** Ultimately, he views Dipper as a nuisance but later as a threat and someone he just doesn't like. However, he is forced to accept that he will not go away. Dipper's maturity, skills and determination makes him stand out and Robbie acknowledges that. |
| 87 | |
| 88 | * What is up with Dipper's voice? It is really deep! Early puberty much? |
| 89 | ** I wouldn't be surprised if the voice choice is so that listening to dipper's dialogue doesn't make an older audience want to rip their ears out. I mean, c'mon, this show is so out of Disney Channel's character that they have to be aiming for a periphery fanbase. |
| 90 | ** This is hilariously ironic, since "Bottomless Pit" makes it a plot point that Dipper's normal voice is apparently crackly, prepubescent, and girly. |
| 91 | *** Also, that story is told ''by Dipper''. He may think his own voice sounds worse than it actually does -- which is not an uncommon thing for kids that age. |
| 92 | |
| 93 | * Dipper's crush on Wendy seems to be unrealistic and despite being a smart kid this crush raises two questions... 1, does he know that he will eventually go back to Piedmont and will never see Wendy again and 2, if he somehow marries Wendy does he honestly want to have that insane lumberjack Manly Dan Corduroy as a father-in-law? |
| 94 | ** Strong emotions like love don't usually take logic into account. |
| 95 | ** "Never see Wendy again"? Who's to say Dipper and Mabel won't go back to the Shack for subsequent summers, especially given how much the place has grown on them by the end of season 1? |
| 96 | ** He does seem to know that it may ultimately not go anywhere, based on how much he was able to sympathize with Mabel's plight with Mermando. Won't stop him from trying though. |
| 97 | ** Near the end of "Into The Bunker", Wendy reveals she was somewhat aware of Dipper's crush on her. While very flattered, she does let him down gently. Whether the ship has sunk or not is not completely sure, but now it is. |
| 98 | ** Well for the record, his crush is realistic. In reality most first crushes are very irrational and unrealistic in a young person's pubescence and they normally end similarly to how his ended (he was lucky to be let down so easy). In the end, if anything Dipper's crush on Wendy is actually relatable. |
| 99 | |
| 100 | * This troper's been noticing this but why exactly does Pacifica hate Mabel anyway? It's not really explained and she kinda shows an unhealthy unexplained hatred of her... she even keeps a billboard with Mabel's face on it as seen in "Gideon Rises". |
| 101 | ** Some people are just terrible people for no adequately explainable reason. |
| 102 | ** It's been confirmed on Alex Hirsch's twitter she'll get more characterization in season 2. Maybe they'll explain it then? |
| 103 | ** It's a clash of opposites. Pacifica is used to getting her way since she is the popular girl in town. To the town, she's the descendant of the town's founders and well-off regarding wealth. If she snubbed you, you'd probably be screwed in the town. Mabel is her opposite, clashing Pacifica's fashion with her homemade sweaters and being a cheery girl who defies the conventions, and having no power over her. |
| 104 | ** Pacifica's relationship with her parents in "The Golf War" explains everything! |
| 105 | *** To elaborate, Pacifica was brought up in a strict, perfectionist environment by overly-controlling, maybe even unloving parents, and even minor failures on her part likely came with steep consequences. Heck, they conditioned the poor girl with a hand-bell! Contrast this with Mabel, who is allowed to be noisy and silly, wear and say whatever she wants and only ever has to answer to a comparatively lax uncle. "Golf Wars" highlights this, with Stan encouraging Mabel to do her best and Preston telling Pacifica to not lose, in a tone that borders on threatening. Put simply, Pacifica is jealous of Mabel's freedom. |
| 106 | |
| 107 | * If the picture of nine-year-old Mabel is accurate, she's been stuck in braces for almost five years. That's almost unheard-of in this day and age. What kind of quack dentist does she have? Or is the show supposed to be set in the 1980s? |
| 108 | ** Coming from someone who wore braces for almost four years, it seems RealityIsUnrealistic. That said, Mabel's got a definite sweet tooth so it doesn't seem unlikely that she's the type of person who bends or breaks the rules about her braces, and, consequentially, breaks the actual braces. Things like hard candies and gum can break brackets, and that adds up to more time in braces. Plus, we don't know how misaligned Mabel's teeth were when she first got the braces (and we likely never will due to the simplified art style) and that definitely factors into how much time it spent in them. |
| 109 | ** Coming from another person with braces - I had them for roughly six years. No broken brackets, no real problems. I just had really crooked teeth, and a dentist who REALLY wanted to make sure my roots were set before removing them. The length someone wears braces can depend on a lot of different factors. |
| 110 | |
| 111 | * What type of pig is Waddles anyways? If he's a standard farming hog, wouldn't that mean that eventually he'll grow too big for Mabel to keep? |
| 112 | ** Then he's probably not. To my limited knowledge, there are several breeds of pigs that can be kept at roughly small-to-medium-dog-size as long as they're fed properly. |
| 113 | *** There aren't any breeds of pig that have a consistently small size, although some pigs ''are'' genetically predisposed to be smaller than others, which can still be a gamble since they haven't been bred as domestic pets for a long time period and can still end up significantly larger than expected. How big those get has to do with their genetics rather than how much they're fed, though, and extremely small pigs are usually undernourished (some breeders will suggest intentionally undernourishing them to keep them small, which can work but is obviously inhumane). Given that the pig in the show was apparently not intended to be kept as a pet, though, it seems like pigs are either smaller animals in the show's universe, or like it's probably going to be staying in the countryside when the twins leave. |
| 114 | ** It's ''Gravity Falls'', one pig being smaller than usual is ''tame'' in their world. |
| 115 | ** Also remember they have a shrink ray their parents say the pigs too big to keep Mabel say's a quick sorry to the Waddles then a "What do you mean he's to big?" to her parents. |
| 116 | ** Not many people without farm experience know how big pigs actually are. Mabel may be under the common impression that Waddles will end up being the size of a Labrador retriever at full size. That's going to be a bit of a problem when he hits 500 pounds and is capable of ''eating'' a Labrador retriever. |
| 117 | |
| 118 | * Just ''what'' is up with Gideon's relationship with his parents? No, seriously, what ''happened'' between them? Do families like that ever happen in real life? What causes them? Why? I know this is veering close to WMG territory, but his relationship with his parents ''genuinely'' disturbs me on a level that nothing else on the show has reached as of yet. Does anyone else get what I'm getting at, or am I just a really sheltered person who's blind to the way typical dysfunctional families work? |
| 119 | ** Well there isn't really a typical dysfunctional family, is there? Growing up This Troper's sibling was somewhat controlling of the rest of the family, so yeah they happen, but I don't know how frequently. What happened with us was that he was spoiled rotten, then became physically stronger than most everybody, and threw huge fits when he didn't get what he wanted. Gideon's family works in somewhat the same way, Gideon was most likely spoiled by his parents (and got money from the Tent of Telepathy), found the amulet and maybe threatened his parents with it. They would eventually learn not to piss off the little guy. Also, the Gids seems to also be kind of emotionally abusive (like manipulating) to his parents (well his mom, hence the "just keep vacuuming" lines). It's kind of like the perfect storm, and with the circumstances he has he could be '''very''' controlling over his them.[[note]]And I don't think you're sheltered, at least in this aspect. I don't see families like this in TV a lot, except in crime shows, and they portray ''a lot''. Then again, it might be me who's the sheltered one .[[/note]][[note]]Another note, this answer doesn't cover a lot of the aspects of living in a controlled environment like this, and it might be different from ''my'' personal experiences, cause you know, ''amulet'', and no one's experiences are the same. No more notes, I promise[[/note]] |
| 120 | ** Gideon is highly intelligent, psychopathic, yet still emotionally immature. With him being the main money winner of the household, as far as he's concerned his family is nothing without him. As such, he sees it as highly insulting when his parents contradict or try to control him. (coupled with his foul temper and control freak qualities) |
| 121 | |
| 122 | * A very minor one, but what exactly would Bill call Gideon based on the wheel thingy? The obvious answer is "star," but that seems a little too simple, considering that he calls Dipper, Mabel, and Soos "Pine Tree, Shooting Star, and Question Mark" respectively, and it seems kinda dumb to call one character "Shooting Star" and another one just plain old "Star." Maybe "Stationary Star?" |
| 123 | ** (I also have a pet theory that the star doesn't actually represent Gideon, since Bill never once refers to him as such (he always either calls him by his name or "kid"), but even if that's true, the question still applies to whomever the star does refer.) |
| 124 | ** "Pentagram"? |
| 125 | ** It's a star, basically confirmed since [=McGucket=], aka Alex, called it that himself. |
| 126 | |
| 127 | * So... what the heck is Tambry's ethnicity? |
| 128 | ** AmbiguouslyBrown. There's a lot of them in Gravity Falls, possibly adding up to more diversity than you'd normally see in a small Oregon town. |
| 129 | * Why does Mabel wear sweaters during the summer? It is that cold in Oregon? |
| 130 | ** Unlike California, Oregon has more dense forests and a temperate climate that comes into the Pacific Northwest, so it's not uncommon for people to need sweaters in the middle of summer. |
| 131 | ** But never cold enough to necessitate wearing a sweater in the summer, Mabel just likes them despite how uncomfortable they must be. |
| 132 | ** Depends. Given Mabel and Dipper live in Piedmont normally they might not be used to the relatively colder temperatures up in northern latitudes. |
| 133 | ** She's even wearing one in "The Deep End," on the evening of the acknowledged hottest day of the year. She's committed to the sweater. |
| 134 | * In Journal 3, there's one last ShipTease with Pacifica regarding "Northwest Mansion Mystery". How? "Roadside Attraction" takes place after "Northwest Mansion Mystery". The former episode proves that he wasn't attracted to her. He desperately wanted a girlfriend, so why didn't he ever try her? Plus, in that episode he hadn't gotten over Wendy. |
| 135 | ** I think you're VASTLY underestimating how awkward and strange and new all this must be for him. Believe it or not, it's actually fairly common for boys his age to act like idiots when it comes to girls. |
| 136 | ** Well, firstly, there's a lot of ship tease between Dipper and Pacifica in NWMM and Journal 3, but it seems Dipper hasn't quite put his finger on exactly what these weird new feelings he may have for a girl he previously despised are. Secondly, due to everything that went down between Dipper and Pacifica, it's unlikely (even if Dipper was able to come to terms with the fact that he was potentially attracted to her) that he would have the confidence to try asking her out. Third, Dipper didn't ''desperately want'' a girlfriend during Roadside Attraction or he might have worked harder to make something work with Candy. He was just trying to practice flirting to build confidence. Finally, just because he might be developing feelings for someone new doesn't mean the old ones just disappear, particularly since the things that finds attractive about Wendy haven't changed in any way. |
| 137 | |
| 138 | * Why is it that even though Dipper and Mabel interact with Wendy a lot not once did they ever interact with her brothers Kevin, Gus, and Marcus (yes they have names!) I mean they potential in being Dipper's friends that are close to his age and Mabel might flirt with them... this has so much potential! |
| 139 | ** I feel like this might work better as a TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter entry. |
| 140 | |
| 141 | * What is Gideon's backstory? In "Hand That Rocks the Mabel", Stan indicates that Gideon "rolled into town" recently, but him finding one of the journals and appearing as a baby in the flashback in "Blendin's Game" seem to indicate he's a Gravity Falls native, or at least a frequent visitor. And where did he even find Journal 2? |
| 142 | ** ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' states that Ford hid Journal 2 near an elementary school, which is how Gideon found it. |
| 143 | |
| 144 | [[/folder]] |
| 145 | |
| 146 | !!Season 1 |
| 147 | [[folder:Tourist Trapped]] |
| 148 | * If Mabel got her lips caught in the leaf blower, how come the smooch mark appears on her right cheek? |
| 149 | ** Maybe she got it off her mouth but then it got stuck on her cheek? |
| 150 | ** Mabel's not a quitter, it was likely from attempt #2. |
| 151 | ** That or she could've moved the leaf blower away from her mouth, but it was still attached to her, so she had to pull it off her cheek (the suction would've kept the leaf blower attached to her skin). |
| 152 | * So... if he wasn't actually a zombie, why ''was'' "Norman"'s face bleeding? If Jeff just happened to have cut himself, why would he need to lie about it? (Or was it ''really'' jam?) |
| 153 | [[/folder]] |
| 154 | |
| 155 | [[folder:The Legend of the Gobblewonker]] |
| 156 | * If the Crazy Old Man wanted attention, why didn't he drive the mechanical monster to a place where everybody could see it? Why keep it hidden? |
| 157 | ** Cause then he might get caught and held accountable? |
| 158 | ** Or because he's, Y'know, crazy? |
| 159 | ** Would you pay more attention to an article about the life of a common everyday bird, or about possible Bigfoot sightings? |
| 160 | |
| 161 | * What's the timeframe for this episode, if last Family Fun Day had Dipper and Mabel with Grunkle Stan and Dipper had his new hat, but they've only been in Gravity Falls for about a week? |
| 162 | ** According to ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', this episode takes place someday between June fourth and sixth. |
| 163 | ** As of "Tourist Trapped", the kids have already been there for a week or two. By the time they go fishing, it's probably been close to a month. |
| 164 | *** WordOfGod says seasons 1-3 will spread over the first summer, so I'm guessing each season is about a month long, give-or-take. |
| 165 | *** According to ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', season one takes place between June 1st to roughly July 21st and season two takes place from roughly that point to August 31st. |
| 166 | [[/folder]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | [[folder:Headhunters]] |
| 169 | * How did the Sherlock Holmes Wax statue melt so fast when the sun came up? |
| 170 | ** He is also a vampire. |
| 171 | *** ...I'm sorry? |
| 172 | ** He might have been melting already and the intense heat from the sun just made the progress speed up? |
| 173 | ** Dipper deliberately lead him to the "Mystery Shack" sign on the roof. The heat from the big lights illuminating the sign did most of the job. |
| 174 | ** Sherlock said the wax statues were cursed to come alive ''at night'', so presumably exposure to the sun while acting alive would violate the curse and kill him. |
| 175 | ** It was established early in the episode that exposition to sunlight melts the statues ("I'm looking at you, wax John Wilkes Booth"), and then we learned that they only come to life during the night. Basically what should have happened is that Holmes would become just a statue and then gradually melt during the day (rooftops tend to be hotter than other places, anyway). They probably melted him so fast to have him die on-screen and avoid ambiguity. |
| 176 | |
| 177 | * How were there no prints on the axe when Dipper, Soos, AND Mabel have held it without wearing gloves throughout the episode? |
| 178 | ** Probably because the cops just suck at their job. I mean, didn't they just hold a flashlight up to the ax? |
| 179 | *** It was a blacklight, but yeah, they totally suck at their jobs. |
| 180 | ** Dipper said to check the ''extra'' prints, meaning exclude the ones they already knew of. |
| 181 | *** He didn't say "extra", he said "axe for", as in "Check the axe for prints". |
| 182 | ** Wool and Cotton gloves don't leave prints, just fibers. Leather Gloves leave impressions of the animal skin they're made of. Both are like a fingerprint. |
| 183 | *** That still doesn't answer the question. No one throughout the episode held the ax while wearing gloves. |
| 184 | ** Or we can just assume that Dipper meant "Check for prints that aren't ours" which would make sense in context even if he isn't outright saying it and that the two officers understood that and ruled out any false positives. |
| 185 | |
| 186 | * Why didn't Wax Stan come to life like the others? Wasn't he made from the remains of the melted cursed wax that used to be Wax Abraham Lincoln? |
| 187 | ** The implication is melted means death to them or at least breaks the curse that lets them come to life. So he couldn't come to life, cause the wax wasn't cursed any more. |
| 188 | ** It's also possible Mabel might've mixed new wax into the remnants of wax Lincoln (it's not a cert but Stan ''may'' be bulkier than Lincoln), further diluting any curses. |
| 189 | ** It's covered in Mabel's blood, sweat, tears, and other fluids. |
| 190 | |
| 191 | * Why out of all the wax figures: is Coolio there? I checked, he's still alive? |
| 192 | ** Because it's [[{{Pun}} cool]]. |
| 193 | ** There's no rule that wax figures can only depict dead people. Many wax museums (such as Madame Tussauds) also have figures of celebrities who are alive. Besides Coolio, Larry King was also alive when this episode was made; both of them voice themselves in it. |
| 194 | [[/folder]] |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[folder:The Inconveniencing]] |
| 197 | * How did Mabel not get hurt from having her head turn completely around? |
| 198 | ** Maybe because the ghosts didn't want her to be hurt? Either that or blame cartoon physics. |
| 199 | ** The same reason Reagan from ''Film/TheExorcist'' didn't. When you're possessed, you get PowersViaPossession, which apparently includes AbnormalLimbRotationRange. |
| 200 | |
| 201 | * Why is there still food in the store, and how is it still properly edible? The building was condemned, likely around 1995. |
| 202 | ** Foods with a ton of preservatives that have been vacuum packed in plastic stay good for years. That's why they're often found in emergency kits. The thing that REALLY doesn't make sense is that the ice is still in cubes. It would've melted in the time the freezers were shut off, and re-frozen into an ice-blob when Wendy turned the power back on. |
| 203 | ** Haunted places don't have to obey your mortal logic and silly laws of nature. This may actually count as foreshadowing. |
| 204 | ** Given that the electricity still worked, there was still food and machines in the store, the chalk marks were still on the floor and the only notable damage on the place was that there was what looked like a thin layer of dust, I'd hazard a guess that the place hadn't been condemned for a couple of months. A year at best. |
| 205 | *** But the newspaper is dated 1995. How does this fit into your explanation? |
| 206 | *** Perhaps the series takes place in 1995? |
| 207 | *** The show is confirmed to take place in 2012. |
| 208 | *** It is an [[{{AmbiguousTimePeriod}} Ambiguous Time Period]]. No one really knows when the show really takes place. Since the span was [[TheNewTens The New Tens]] it was around that time. And bumper says that it's 50 years which makes sense since 50 years would put us [[TheSixties 196X]] to 201X. Stan and Ford are like the twins' age at the beginning which would make them 62. The calendars don't show a year. We just know that Mabel and Dipper were turning 13 the year it is set on August 31. That doesn't confirm they were born around either an August 31 of somewhere between 1999-2002. Xyler doesn't say respectively October 10, 2006 or 07 or February 14, 2009 or 10 and just says the grades because they want it to be unknown. Even though Director [[Creator/{{MattBraly}} Matt Braly]] [[WordOfGod said on Reddit]] about his show [[WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}} Amphibia]] taking place in 2019 because that's when it premiered is what he thinks. It could've been set when ended, 2022. We just know it's set in the late 2010s/early 2020s because of the technology. |
| 209 | *** But teenagers all have modern phones. |
| 210 | *** It could be an alternate 1995 where technology is a decade or two ahead. |
| 211 | *** They could have kicked the bucket in 1995/1996, some newspapers didn't sell and weren't replaced and gathered dust while they were alive. After they died, and the store was condemned, they used ghost magic or something to basically keep the place frozen in time, which would explain why the frozens weren't melted and the food not expired. |
| 212 | *** Seeing as everything worked in the store, they probably were constantly "waking the store up" to scare off other curious teenagers. On that note that may explain the other hot dogs. |
| 213 | *** There's also the possibility that someone at the power company put a note on their account -- something like "ongoing investigation, do not cut off service" -- and then nobody ever bothered to go back and finish the process. |
| 214 | ** Based on the fashions and "rap" music in the flashback, the shopkeepers did indeed kick off in 1995. |
| 215 | |
| 216 | * Does anyone find it weird that Robbie was never seen attacked/transformed by the ghosts? |
| 217 | ** It's most likely that such a scene was planned but cut for time. |
| 218 | *** Or he's not actually a teen, but something else with a bad attitude and pasty skin. |
| 219 | *** Come to think of it, if he wasn't attacked/transformed, then he would've witnessed Dipper performing "The Lamby Lamby Dance" and know that Wendy was lying about Dipper beating up ghosts. |
| 220 | *** Well, he does seem to know that Dipper's actually 12 years old in Fight Fighters... |
| 221 | |
| 222 | * It's safe to say that the store was closed shortly before the episode took place. Why? There is a fully functional DDR-esque machine that one of the teens was using in the store. |
| 223 | ** Actually, the store was closed in 1995, and the show takes place in 2012, so that's about 17 years, so no. |
| 224 | ** It's safe to say that the Dusk 2 Dawn store creates illusions or contraptions of modern attractions to trap teenagers... or even actively lure them. |
| 225 | |
| 226 | * In the scene where Dipper sees Wendy, Robbie and Tambry's reflections as skeletons, Robbie's reflection isn't reversed and the stitched heart on his hoodie is missing the blood dripping from it. I'd chalk it up as an animation error, but the stitched heart on the Bill Cipher wheel is also missing the blood drops. What's up with that? |
| 227 | ** One of the many mysteries of Gravity Falls that has yet to be revealed? A lot of people have speculated that Robbie is some form of Undead due to him fitting both the look and description of one in the book. The fact that the creators have avoided saying what the 'V' in Robbie V stands for is also suspicious. (vampire, maybe?) |
| 228 | *** The episode "The Love God" has revealed that Robbie's last name is Valentino. But his parents are creepily cheerful morticians that use coffins with dead people in them as tables and joke about death and playing with corpses. There's something up with his family. |
| 229 | [[/folder]] |
| 230 | |
| 231 | [[folder:Dipper vs. Manliness]] |
| 232 | * Apparently, the manotaurs have three Y chromosomes. This is meant to be a joke, but it does raise the question: How the ''heck'' do those things reproduce?! |
| 233 | ** Via mitosis? |
| 234 | *** You mean ''MAN''tosis. |
| 235 | *** Well, we never see any females, so maybe they are just immortal and don't need to reproduce. |
| 236 | *** According to Alex there is ONE Womantaur but she isn't seen. |
| 237 | *** Then where do they keep getting offerings for Leader-ar? |
| 238 | ** Easy, their chromosomal system is different than ours. Lots of organisms follow different inheritance rules, like birds and fruit flies and corn. Even if they're fully sapient and anthropomorphic, they're still supernatural creatures with fists for nipples, six adam's apples and pectoral muscles on their abs. Our biology already doesn't apply. |
| 239 | ** Being single gendered or dual gendered, either they have some form of asexual reproduction like parthenogenesis or they have sex with each other with the baby-carrier determined by some method involved with mating such as uh... private part fencing. Which is something that happens in real life with some creatures. |
| 240 | ** When one Manotaur becomes so manly that his manliness cannot be contained in a single being, his uncontained manliness coalesces into a second, new Manotaur. |
| 241 | * So, if cutting off the head of the Multi-Bear is the final test of manliness, how did all the other Manotaurs get to become official men without performing the task themselves? |
| 242 | ** [[FridgeBrilliance Maybe he used to have a lot more heads than he does now...]] |
| 243 | ** I always just assumed it was the Manotaurs being opportunistic. They have an ongoing feud for whatever reason with the multi-bear and have never been able to thwart him themselves so they send in the kid to do their dirty work for them. If he succeeds, their problem is gone. If not, they haven't lost anything really because it's just some kid they met earlier that day. I don't think anything really implies that this is the same test of manliness they give every single Manotaur, and even if they did say that it doesn't mean they weren't lying. |
| 244 | * During the TrainingMontage, we can see Dipper and Chutzpar in town at night. This is odd because the rest of the episode implies that the events of both Mabel and Dipper parallel plots take place within a single day. In the hot spring Dipper even says "these last few hours...". |
| 245 | ** Unexpected solar eclipse? |
| 246 | ** The Manotaurs told the sun to back off, ''and it did.'' |
| 247 | [[/folder]] |
| 248 | |
| 249 | [[folder:Double Dipper]] |
| 250 | * There's a party going on at the Mystery Shack, so more people than usual are there. At times, there is a clear line of sight between the dance floor and the eight Dippers. At one point, Dipper and Tyrone are ''standing right next to each other'' on the edge of the dance floor. ''How does nobody at the party notice this?'' |
| 251 | ** For the same reason people see multiple instances of the weirdness of Gravity Falls, and yet aren't taken away by the nice men in white coats when trying to prove it. They're used to the weirdness of the town. Or alternatively, they could have thought that Mabel was with Dipper, and that they must look enough alike to be able to pull off such a disguise. |
| 252 | ** It's possible they did notice and their memories have been wiped by the Society of the Blind Eye. |
| 253 | * The Dipper clones were perfectly willing to let themselves be dissolved, and don't find it particularly bad that they are essentially ''dying.'' Is this another hint at the sacrificial lamb thing Dipper has going on? As the clones seemed to just be a heck of a lot more fragile versions of him? |
| 254 | ** Maybe the clones weren't truly alive, but were just echoes of Dipper himself. Like if there were robots programmed with his personality. |
| 255 | ** As the episode's final moments show us, the clones' vulnerability to water is such that they'd die if they ''drink''. Assuming that they're otherwise normal human beings, that means that they know that, if nothing else kills them first, ''they're doomed to a horrible death by thirst within a few days anyway''. They didn't mind being melted now because at least then the pain would be over quick. |
| 256 | ** The clones are aware of their nature, and have no desire whatsoever to try to usurp the original. They just don't seem to care about themselves so long as they can fulfill the plan for the original Dipper. As for their "deaths", they don't really seem to mind. As far as can be seen, they felt no pain while melting, only mild disappointment that it ended without executing the plan. I can only assume that Dipper's fixation on his crush kept any of them from thinking too hard about the implications of their situation beyond the immediate concern of the party. |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:Irrational Treasure]] |
| 260 | * When comparing the document from the book to various sources, a chart of astrological signs is shown and the Cancer symbol isn't the usual ♋ but with a different symbol. Is this some kind of an alternate symbol? |
| 261 | * Who actually made the underground treasure trove? It's implied to be Trembley, but there's also a film projector and government documents dating from the 50s. That would make him 150 when he encased himself in peanut brittle, and he doesn't look 150. Does he periodically come out of hibernation? Is he really an alchemist who discovered the secret of eternal youth? Similarly, it can't be the government who put all that stuff there, because Blubs said their mission was to ''find'' Trembley. And it can't have been the author of the journals, because he was following the clues like Dipper and Mabel were. Unless he found Trembley's resting place and put all the other stuff in there? Or is there some fourth party involved in all this that'll be revealed later on? |
| 262 | ** Possibly the Author of the journals, having found Trembley's resting place, but never updated the details in the journal itself. |
| 263 | |
| 264 | * I'm willing to believe that the two kids and the incompetent cops would be gullible enough to think that Trembley was still President, but... is it actually true? There's nothing in the show to acknowledge that that's ''completely insane.'' Assuming Presidents are still elected in 4-year terms in Gravity Falls' universe, how could he "still be President" hundreds of years later, just because he was missing/presumed dead for that long? |
| 265 | ** Well he never got to complete his term (as he was thrown out of office) but he also was never impeached (I mean you can't just throw the head of the nation out when you get bored with them), while he would no doubt be considered dead after all this time, the fact he turned out not to be puts him in a odd legal loophole, technically he could still be classed as president. |
| 266 | *** There's actually a bit of debate on what exactly is considered an impeachable offense, and there have been arguments by both constitutional scholars and certain founding fathers that you can be impeached and removed even if you did not commit a crime under law. And I do suspect he was impeached and removed, as the video tape about Trembley did say he was "kicked out of office". So he's not president any more. |
| 267 | ** Brief side note is that, actually, yes, it's a legal right of the US people to kick out the president. It's not easy, but the right is there. As for Trembley's situation, surprisingly... we don't know even in real life! It wasn't until 1967 that the courts even clarified what it even meant when a vice president took over for a president. This has been invoked 3 times. However the section that covers incapacity as determined by the VP and the Cabinet (which is what happened here) has never been invoked. So you have a multi part question: how would section 4 be handled in practice, what is the status of a president who comes back out of incapacity, and what would be the legal status of a president elected BEFORE these laws were set in place. That said... either Trembley isn't president cause he was kicked out already. Or it might end up in a situation of the current president becoming 'acting' president in the stead of Trembley while Trembley would be the actual legal president. Trembley would not be given any legal rights as another person is acting in his place and once his term was up, he would become a former president (barring reelection). |
| 268 | *** This does not make sense. United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 1: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected [...]". You get four years as President, assuming you don't die or resign or get removed by Congress. There's nothing in there that says time spent in peanut brittle doesn't count. It ''does'' count, and thus Trembley's term ended right on schedule, many years before he re-emerged. He is definitely not the president as of 2012. And he couldn't possibly become the Acting President, because he's no longer part of the chain of succession. The ending only works because the cops were too dumb to know otherwise. (The only legal issue here is that Trembley's successor didn't properly take office, since technically Trembly was still President at the time. But that really doesn't matter at this point.) |
| 269 | ** Fair point, but like you said at the start...the cops are idiots and Dipper and Mabel are two twelve-year-olds who don't really understand how government works. So it's kind of irrelevant that, if this case were to be taken to a court of law, Trembley would most likely be concluded to not be the president. Everyone in the scenario thinks he is, and in the context of the scene, that's really all that matters. |
| 270 | |
| 271 | * What exactly is accomplished by replacing Trembley as town founder with a "waste-shoveling village idiot"? How is that a better option? |
| 272 | ** The government wanted to erase Trembley's presidency completely. Leaving any trace of him, even as the founder as some small town in Oregon, could be enough to make people look further into his life. Better to erase him completely, thus the need to give the credit to someone else. Who better than the village idiot who won't ask too many questions? |
| 273 | [[/folder]] |
| 274 | |
| 275 | [[folder:The Time Traveler's Pig]] |
| 276 | * Wait, if they go back in time, shouldn't there be two Dippers and two Mabels? |
| 277 | ** I guessing this version of time travel works more like a reset button on a video game where it lets you relive moments of your life as oppose to traveling through time. |
| 278 | *** Dipper says that there's only one timeline where Wendy doesn't get hit in the eye, which means this show runs on Multiverse Theory or something similar. |
| 279 | ** Here's a thought. Whenever Dipper and Mabel time traveled to the fair, they displaced themselves. But when they go back to the events of the first episode, there are 2 Dippers and Mabels, so shouldn't they have displaced themselves from that point in time as well. |
| 280 | *** Possible explanation: Dipper and Mabel wanted to relive the day, so the time travel measuring tape displaced their selves from the original timeline. When they were running through the past back to the future toward the end, they didn't want to relive the day so they didn't displace their selves from the first episode. |
| 281 | *** Another possible explanation: different rules apply depending on how far back you travel. You travel to the same day (which Mabel and Dipper did, repeatedly) you displace yourself. Travel further than that, you don't. |
| 282 | *** Yet another explanation: There were originally two Dippers and Mabels, but they were displaced when something that was the same happened in the timeline. Although the last one shouldn't have been a displacement by this theory for Mabel, maybe just one is needed for a displacement. |
| 283 | |
| 284 | * Why doesn't Dipper just tell Wendy to...I don't know, duck for cover? |
| 285 | ** I assumed he did in a timeline we didn't see. Dipper repeated the day long enough to develop an algorithm of every possible variable, and the ball ALWAYS ricochets as much as it needs to in order to hit Wendy in the eye. |
| 286 | ** Besides, chances are it wouldn't have mattered. Dipper needed to win the toy without hitting Wendy. If he hadn't hit Wendy, Robbie would have come over and asked her out anyway. |
| 287 | ** Wendy will get hit no matter what. So why doesn't he just give her a catcher's mask? Wendy knows Dipper is a Weirdness Magnet so that he could just say "I have a feeling you might need it" and she'd take it at face value. |
| 288 | *** Where would he even get a catcher's mask? Plus, knowing Dipper's luck, the ball would probably hit her at just the right angle so she still injured her eye and Robbie came to help her. |
| 289 | ** Dipper focuses on only one aspect of the situation, not hitting Wendy. There's several things he doesn't try. Protect Wendy's face from the ball. Catcher's mask. Jump in front of Wendy the second the ball leaves his hand so it hits him instead. He wins the stuffie AND gets "my hero" sympathy. Go win Waddles first then have Mabel help him. Delay Pacifica so Mabel still has time to help. Buy a snow cone and then take Wendy to the booth so HE can offer it to her for her eye. He's only taking one variable into account. |
| 290 | |
| 291 | * In the original timeline, it takes until Dipper gets back with the ice for Robbie to get to Wendy. So how/why, in every other iteration, is he practically standing behind the two of them at the prize booth? |
| 292 | ** It was probably quicker to write it that way. |
| 293 | *** Probably the same reason why we never saw the ghosts in the convenience store attack/transform Robbie. |
| 294 | *** Also the same reason why he knows about mind-control music, and the reason why his shirt has a picture on it that appears on Bill's circle. Note also that he spends some time near the Shack, looks like a zombie, has encountered Rumble [=McSkirmish=], and we have no idea if he managed to catch those two Dipper clones. |
| 295 | ** When Dipper goes back the first time, he is in a different location and has to go find Wendy. Maybe in the altered timelines Dipper throws the ball later than he originally did, so Robbie is closer to Wendy? |
| 296 | |
| 297 | * Why didn't Dipper get the ice for Wendy's eye before throwing the ball? Even if it'd seem weird to her, it would prevent Robbie from helping her recover. |
| 298 | ** That would've made it look like he planned for her to get hit in the eye, which would be even worse than a clearly accidental hit. |
| 299 | |
| 300 | * Why didn't Dipper and Mabel just quickly win Waddles and then do the whole "ball throwing skeptic" thing to impress Wendy? |
| 301 | ** Maybe the wind changed just enough in the time it would have taken them to do that. After all, there was supposedly only one universe where the trick works. |
| 302 | |
| 303 | * Why didn't either Dipper or Mabel use the magic copy machine so they could win Waddles and the stuffed animal at the same time? |
| 304 | ** Perhaps Dipper doesn't want to use it again after his clones went rogue. |
| 305 | *** Only the clones ''didn't'' go rogue. Dipper himself went rogue when he attempted to go against the plan. The clones for the most part were completely on board with doing it Dipper's way. |
| 306 | *** Regardless, they ''still'' caused more trouble than they were worth. |
| 307 | *** Alternately, Dipper didn't want to kill another clone (which he inevitably would have to, if not just watch them die from water exposure.) He was pretty upset when Tyrone melted. |
| 308 | |
| 309 | * How come Mabel remembered the last change when she wasn't a part of it? |
| 310 | ** Maybe she was. Of course, that means she's now a month older than Dipper. |
| 311 | *** And a millimeter taller, as shown in "Little Dipper". |
| 312 | ** [[Series/DoctorWho Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey?]] |
| 313 | ** It's cartoon logic. That's like asking "How come Wile E. Coyote can survive an explosion when in real life it would have vaporized him?" |
| 314 | *** Just because it's a cartoon doesn't mean it follows Looney Tunes logic. Looney Tunes is a slapstick comedy. Gravity Falls is a sitcom with fantasy and adventure elements. |
| 315 | *** ... and has also used slapstick violence and blatant cartoon physics. |
| 316 | *** Slapstick works even for live action, so I don't think that suggests regular cartoon logic. Also, what Looney Tunes style cartoon physics have actually been used (outside of blatant supernatural cases)? I have a bad eye for those things. |
| 317 | ** I thought Mabel was immune to the changes because she'd time travelled in the first place. |
| 318 | ** RE: Example of Looney Physics. When learning how to be a man Dipper jumps a gorge and lands on the other side, only to comically knock himself back into a ravine so deep the bottom can't be seen. Next scene he's right back to training. |
| 319 | ** Mabel remembered all the other instances, though, so the last thing she'd remember is Dipper being a jerk about her losing Waddles. It's an easy logical jump from there to "the day's been reset again, Dipper must've stopped being a jerk." |
| 320 | |
| 321 | * Why did Mabel even need to be there to tilt the gutter? Couldn't Dipper have propped it up to that angle ahead of time? |
| 322 | ** There might not have been enough time or maybe the gutter couldn't have remained propped up without someone holding it. |
| 323 | ** It's widely considered that Mabel has some powerful nature she doesn't know about. Among these unknown powers... the ability to manipulate time instead of following destiny, Dipper states that she was the missing variable after all. |
| 324 | ** I always assumed that the Northwest's were in a Bill Cipher-worshipping cult. Pacifica's dad ''did'' immediately offer himself up to be on Bill's side, so he might have assumed that since he worshipped Bill then he would be spared. |
| 325 | |
| 326 | * Or, alternatively, why did Mabel wait around until after the ball finished flying? She had plenty of time to get down from the roof and get Waddles but instead she just stands behind Dipper for a bit. |
| 327 | ** Considering there's only one universe in which Wendy doesn't get hit, maybe Mabel's position is absolutely critical to... wind direction or something. |
| 328 | ** Well Mabel didn't know that Pacifica was going to win Waddles, so she wasn't in a rush. |
| 329 | |
| 330 | * Why didn't they win Waddles, go back in time '''with him''', and make sure Wendy never got hit by the ball? |
| 331 | ** Perhaps the pig farmer would have noticed he was short one pig, leading to even more complications in the timeline? |
| 332 | ** It's also possible the Time-Measure is designed to stop any non-humans (or sapients) from traveling with humans. [[FridgeBrilliance After all, one of the biggest perils of time-travel is bringing deadly germs into time periods not equipped to deal with them]]. |
| 333 | |
| 334 | * Why didn't Dipper just try and block Robbie or Blendin? If they weren't close to Wendy, or Robbie didn't have a snowcone, then Dipper could get the ice. |
| 335 | ** Messing with Robbie or Blendin would lead to a confrontation, which would make him lose his chance with Wendy. |
| 336 | * So, does Pacifica still have her chicken, or what? |
| 337 | ** Yes. It was delicious. |
| 338 | |
| 339 | * Why didn't Mabel just win Waddles first and Dipper hold on an extra 5 minutes before trying to put his plan into action? |
| 340 | ** The conditions would be different. Changes in the wind, maybe Waddles would distract Mabel from doing her part perfectly, maybe Wendy would've lost interest in the toy. The point is, there is only 1 timeline where Robbie and Wendy don't get together at the fair, and Mabel doesn't have Waddles in that timeline. |
| 341 | |
| 342 | * Why would a person raised to wealth and disdainful of common folk like Pacifica even try to win Waddles in the first place? If she wanted pork she'd go to the store. |
| 343 | ** Spoiled people often want things without thinking if they'll really need or use these things. Plus, the pig farmer was an idiot who basically gave away pigs for free, so it's not like it would have been hard for Pacifica to get Waddles. |
| 344 | ** The entire conflict makes no sense when examined closely. Waddles was clearly fighting her while she was trying to drag him, so it's obvious he didn't like her and would have been a pain to take care of. And it's not like she only did it because she saw Mabel eyeing the pigs because, in that timeline, Mabel was nowhere near the pig pen. It's an entirely manufactured conflict that we just have to accept because Dipper somehow figured out the Multiversal Equation that says so. |
| 345 | ** In addition to Pacifica being a spoiled brat, we also know from the final episode, that she has ponies (who she seems genuinely upset about losing) so it could be that she actually likes animals--even if she doesn't like the 'taking care of them' part. |
| 346 | |
| 347 | * Why did Dipper muff his final throw in the eventual timeline? Wendy was going to get hit anyway, so why didn't Dipper at least ''try'' to knock down the bottles. That way, even though Robbie would appear with the snowcone, and Wendy would end up going out with him, Dipper would at least have won her the hippo-duck. |
| 348 | ** He probably got tired, mentally and physically, from all those other times he threw the ball, and just wanted to get it over with, considering at that point, to him, winning Wendy the prize wouldn't make that much of a difference. |
| 349 | |
| 350 | [[/folder]] |
| 351 | |
| 352 | [[folder:Fight Fighters]] |
| 353 | * Why didn't Dipper just use his Manotaur training and open up a can of whoop-ass on Robbie? |
| 354 | ** Maybe his fighting style is specific to giant monsters? |
| 355 | *** Well, it seemed to work just fine against Gideon in the season finale... |
| 356 | *** Dipper opening a can of whoop-ass on Gideon was more of a "parents can lift cars if their kid's under them" thing--some of what he did was learned, but a lot of it was just pure adrenaline over Mabel's kidnapping. Fighting with Robbie is never gonna have that same visceral quality to it, as there's really nothing Robbie can do to him comparable to abducting his sister and best friend. (Or maybe I'm overthinking it and Dipper's just had more time to practice the manotaur stuff over the course of the season than he has in the relatively scant episodes between "Dipper vs. Manliness" and this one.) |
| 357 | *** Gideon is also ''nine''. |
| 358 | ** Dipper can show a lot of guts in a crisis and likely is pretty good in a fight, but he is not fond of violence. Fighting a monster is a lot different from fighting another human, and I can't help but feel Dipper would hold back and get curbstomped if the fight actually went down. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | * At one point, Dipper comments that Robbie posts a really annoying amount of status updates. If Dipper and Robbie aren't friends, why would Dipper be following him to even know that? |
| 361 | ** He spends time with Wendy, she shows him, or checking out the competition. |
| 362 | |
| 363 | * Am I missing what the consequence is for... just not bothering to confront Rumble McSkirmish near the end of the episode? It seems like that Start button lets Dipper control whether or not he wants to fight, but a) Robbie apparently didn't even get a choice like Dipper, b) Dipper would have to be an idiot not to realize that discretion is the better part of valor against this guy, and c) from a video game perspective, it doesn't even make sense that the "bad guy" would get to start the fight. I honestly kinda just get the impression that the Start button was meant for Rumble himself (albeit spawned at an awkward position) and Dipper only presses it because Rumble would've anyway. |
| 364 | ** You're overthinking this. It's a metaphor for Dipper's growth. Yes, video-game logic requires Dipper to actually ''accept'' the challenge before Fighting Rumble for Real, but these are the same writers who initially wrote .GIFfany as being dead after her disc was burned, despite the fact that her electrical curents are her "true form" before retconning her death. Regardless of whether he beat Rumble or not, he confronted his issues without backing-out or having others fight for him ''wink-wink'', and that's what counts. That's the entire point. (Not only that, but he selflessly protected Robbie from Rumble as well. Dipper wanted payback, but even he knows that Robbie doesn't deserve to get killed. That takes guts, bravery and self-sacrifice, which is necessary for Dipper's growth as a person/character.) |
| 365 | ** Dipper probably gets the start button because he's the "player", i.e. the one that summoned Rumble. |
| 366 | [[/folder]] |
| 367 | |
| 368 | [[folder:Little Dipper]] |
| 369 | * Okay, this one is kinda complicated, but I'll do my best: In the opening of the episode, it's made completely clear that the only reason Gideon wanted the Mystery Shack in the first place is to inflict as much pain as possible on them to exact his revenge. He was entirely alone, so he can't have been lying or making up excuses. However, by the end of the episode, he apparently now wants it because it contains something that he wants. So...when exactly did ''this'' happen? The ''only'' way he could have changed his mind would be if he had discovered something about the Mystery Shack that he wanted during his excursion to obtain it, and unless I missed something, he didn't. So, what happened? |
| 370 | ** Maybe it's because of the book? Dipper doesn't show it to him, but Gideon seems to be suspicious. |
| 371 | ** Well, Gideon has his own book, he could have seen said secret there somewhere in-between scenes. And he could have been motivated by ''both'', both pain and destruction and the secret. It's possible he just focused more on the "pain" part because he's completely batshit insane. |
| 372 | *** I was mostly referring to this one scene where Gideon asks Dipper, "Did you read about it in a ''book''?" And considering that his is number 2, he's aware that there are more books, and it's quite likely that he wants the other books too. Dipper didn't answer the question, which Gideon possibly interpreted as a confirmation. |
| 373 | ** Veering into WMG territory Gideon's book may have clues or details on what Grunkle Stan is hiding under the Shack. We know that Stan and Gideon have been antagonistic for a while so this may not necessarily be a new revelation in universe, but rather the first time this has been presented to the audience. |
| 374 | *** Maybe it has something to do with Stan's room behind the vending machine. |
| 375 | *** Confirmed. In Gideon Rises, Book 2 has pages concerning possible hiding places for the other Books. Most of them seem to involve the Mystery Shack. |
| 376 | ** Actually Gideon says it even in the beginning of the episode. "I need to take something from them that would give me ultimate power" ore something on those lines. |
| 377 | [[/folder]] |
| 378 | |
| 379 | [[folder:Summerween]] |
| 380 | * The copy machine was never destroyed. Why not just copy up 499 pieces of candy? |
| 381 | ** Would YOU want the Summerween Trickster to catch you cheating? I don't see that ending well... |
| 382 | ** Whatever type of ink the copy machine uses, it probably won't taste like candy. Not that the Summerween Trickster is a stranger to bad candy, but ink is just pushing it. |
| 383 | |
| 384 | * Why was Dipper so obsessed with getting to the party and so opposed to trick-or-treating, when a monster who just ate a different child right in front of him was planning to eat him too if he didn't collect enough candy in time? |
| 385 | ** The power of love blinding his judgment? |
| 386 | |
| 387 | * Why didn't they just buy the candy? The only reason was that Mabel said it would be more fun to Trick-or-Treat, but they could still Trick-or-Treat and ensure they wouldn't get eaten if they did just buy the candy. |
| 388 | ** Because, again, would you want the Summerween Trickster to catch you cheating? It was never about the candy. It was about the spirit of Summerween. The Trickster was forcing them into Trick or Treat or Die because it was offended by Dipper's lack of Summerween spirit, and [[CuttingTheKnot just running out to buy the candy]] would only have offended him further. |
| 389 | * How is Gorny even alive at the end of that episode? Soos drove right through the Summerween Trickster's body, scattering it to pieces, but Gorny still came out at the end totally unscathed. |
| 390 | ** RuleOfFunny |
| 391 | [[/folder]] |
| 392 | |
| 393 | [[folder:Boss Mabel]] |
| 394 | * How did Dipper manage to capture the goblin-thing? He's a twelve year old boy, and he overpowered a giant monster. HOW!? |
| 395 | ** The same way he overpowered the Multi-Bear? |
| 396 | ** I assumed that he learned about the goblin's weaknesses from the Journal. |
| 397 | ** The published ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' mentions that, like parakeets, Gremloblins fall asleep easily if you throw a cloth over their head. Dipper's complete plan is actually shown in the book. Why he doesn't throw a blanket over its head when it's rampaging in the Shack is another question. |
| 398 | |
| 399 | * Why did the book state that the Gremloblin was weak to water when it clearly made the monster more dangerous? |
| 400 | ** Because it didn't, in fact, say that it was the Gremoblin's weakness. Dipper had to turn the page to see that it was warning '''against''' using water on it. He even points out how odd it's wording was. |
| 401 | ** I'll add the quote: |
| 402 | --> '''Dipper:''' "'Uh, got it! When fighting a Gremloblin, use water...'" |
| 403 | --> ''[Mabel runs out and splashes it with water as Dipper turns the page]'' |
| 404 | --> '''Dipper:''' "'...only as a last resort as water will make him much much scarier!' AH! Who writes sentences like that!?" |
| 405 | ** Short answer: as smart as he is, the Author is also an idiot. |
| 406 | *** If all water does is make the beast scarier, then there’s no point in using it even as a last resort. The author should’ve just wrote ‘Don’t use water under any circumstances on the beast” |
| 407 | |
| 408 | * Who exactly was watching the twins while Stan was on vacation? The only other adult in the Mystery Shack is Soos, who doesn't live there and isn't exactly a qualified caretaker. |
| 409 | ** Mabel. That was kind of the point of their bet. |
| 410 | [[/folder]] |
| 411 | |
| 412 | [[folder:Bottomless Pit!]] |
| 413 | * Did they come out from the same hole because of some unexplained magic bullshit, because they fell so far gravity was sending them back the way they came, or something else? |
| 414 | ** It's suppose to be mysterious like that. |
| 415 | ** -->'''Dipper:''' It must be some kind of wormhole.\ |
| 416 | '''Soos:''' Yeah dude, that sounds science-y enough to be true. |
| 417 | * Wait a second. The ending shows that if you fall down the hole you'll just fall back out the entrance and no time will have elapsed from when you fell in. Plus, Stan has been throwing unwanted stuff in the hole for a while. If that's the case should he have just kept seeing the stuff fall back out almost immediately after throwing them in? |
| 418 | ** Its purpose may actually be as a supernatural garbage disposal, so anything alive may just be spat back out. |
| 419 | ** Inanimate objects aren't capable of telling the truth, so they don't have the escape clause. |
| 420 | |
| 421 | * Pretty sure it's because Mabel's story was the only one that was true, and thus the truth set them free. It was the last story right before they escaped. Grunkle Stan may have started confessing to no one after being convinced he was going to fall forever. The objects can't really talk, so they just fall forever. Got the "truth" thing from the Fridge Brilliance page on Website/TVTropes. |
| 422 | ** Maybe it was when he said 'this is stupid'. |
| 423 | |
| 424 | * If no time passed since when they fell down the hole, and when they were spat back out, why isn't it still stormy outside? |
| 425 | ** ... Magic? |
| 426 | ** Maybe some timey-wimey thing in the pit broke Dipper's watch, and he just came to the wrong conclusion (he does say "I don't ''think'' any time has passed"). |
| 427 | |
| 428 | * Somehow, if (living?) things that go in the pit come out instantly, why did Grunkle Stan not come up after he fell in? |
| 429 | ** Maybe the pit was commenting on his age. |
| 430 | |
| 431 | * If there had been a bottomless pit right outside the mystery shack all that time why wouldn't have Ford have thought to throw his journals in there. |
| 432 | ** Same reason he didn't just let Stan burn one. He can't face the destruction of his research. |
| 433 | ** Ford writes in ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' that he actually considers this, but objects dropped into the Pit do go ''somewhere.'' He's worried that someone might still come across them that way. According to the end notes, after Bill's effect on the town is dispelled the journals are restored too, and Ford does throw them in the pit. Sure enough, the third journal is found in the Oregon woods by the Parks Department a couple of years later. |
| 434 | |
| 435 | * Why doesn't Soos just replay the game? High score tables react one in three different ways when the game is reset. First, nothing can happen. This is the case with modern machines that retain high scores on recordable media or download them from an outside server. The warning on the button indicates this isn't the case for "Tumbleweed Terror." Second, the high score table can be erased and replaced with a "default" high score table with a preset selection of scores. This is what arcade cabinets generally do. But "Tumbleweed Terror" doesn't seem to replace the scores after they're wiped. Third, the high score table can be left blank, with "AAA" or blanks as the names and scores of 0. This seems to be what's happened. But if that's the case, all Soos has to do is play the game one more time, doing as well as he can. Whatever score he gets, even if it's bad, will still be the highest one the game remembers. A machine located in a tourist trap might see a lot of play, but is unlikely to get the kind of constant repeat business that would let players learn the machine; Soos's score, even if it's not as high as his previous one, might stand unbeaten for a LONG time. |
| 436 | ** Of course, given that all but the last story in this episode seem to be made up, Soos may just have figured that a HeroicSacrifice made for a better story. |
| 437 | ** Soos' motivation wasn't just to set the high score: it was to beat the high scores ''that were already there'', thus proving himself to be better than them. He ''could'' replay the game and top the now-empty high score table, but it wouldn't have the same meaning. Where's the fun in topping a leaderboard with only one name on it? |
| 438 | |
| 439 | [[/folder]] |
| 440 | |
| 441 | [[folder:The Deep End]] |
| 442 | * Why was Mabel so determined not to let Dipper find out about the merman until she was practically forced to tell him? |
| 443 | ** Because Mermando told Mabel that his kind must not be seen. |
| 444 | |
| 445 | * How the heck did Mermando get home so quickly? When Mabel receives his bottle-messages, it's obviously the same day--Stan discovers he was glued to the pool chair, Dipper gets fired, Mabel's wearing the same sweater, etc--which means Mermando had to have somehow gotten home in the span of a few hours. The problem with that being Mermando lives in the Gulf of Mexico, and Oregon is on the other side of the United States! |
| 446 | ** Probably the same way he was able to get those bottle messages to Mabel so quickly. Which is also unexplained. |
| 447 | ** Maybe merpeople acquire special powers with experience and/or age, so once he was able to contact his family with the megaphone, they could magically transport him and the bottles. |
| 448 | ** Maybe they're just ''really'' fast swimmers. ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} is fast enough to swim up waterfalls. |
| 449 | |
| 450 | * How did Gideon get into the pool to put glue on the chair? The glue wouldn't remain sticky for very long, so he'd need to have done it shortly before Stan sat down in it. This would involve Gideon either breaking in (which Dipper could very easily have prevented considering Gideon's level of agility) or somehow convincing Dipper to let him in, which would be nigh-on impossible, given their history, and that Dipper was utterly furious with Stan, Soos and Mabel for illegally entering and stealing pool property. |
| 451 | ** Gideon owns Journal 2, maybe there was something in there that would have helped him learn how to make glue sticky for longer. |
| 452 | |
| 453 | * Do megaphones even work underwater? |
| 454 | ** Probably not, but he's a mermaid. He made it work. |
| 455 | |
| 456 | * How do Mermando's gills work? It's heavily implied they're on either side of his face, because when Mabel grabs his face he complains about her covering his gills, and that he couldn't breathe. It seems, however, that he could breathe regardless of whether his gills were underwater or not, as long as part of him was submerged (e.g. all the time he's talking to Mabel). The problem comes in when he exclaims 'I can't breathe' as the water begins draining out of the cooler, although his lower half was still in water, implying that suddenly needed to have his head underwater to breathe. |
| 457 | [[/folder]] |
| 458 | |
| 459 | [[folder:Carpet Diem]] |
| 460 | * With the message of "Stan is not what he seems." in mind, his seemingly innocent moment of tempting fate about secret rooms becomes something more. Did he want them to find that room? He immediately took what looked like a pair of glasses and hid them from view, these never become relevant in the episode. Or was he perhaps wanting them to search for other hidden rooms?...Did he want them to find whatever the hell he has behind the snack machine? |
| 461 | ** The glasses could become relevant in a later episode. They belonged to his twin brother Ford. |
| 462 | |
| 463 | * Did they forget that there is an empty room where the wax figures used to be? |
| 464 | ** Would you want to live in a room where you killed formerly alive and CURSED wax figures who's souls may still haunt the room? I would like to keep my head while I'm sleeping, or at least wake up in the morning, thank you very much. |
| 465 | ** The shag carpeting is obviously a dealbreaker. |
| 466 | ** There's new attractions in the Mystery Shack all the time; I could easily see Grunkle Stan having already filled the wax figure room with more new attractions and rendering it no longer empty. |
| 467 | |
| 468 | * Just...what '''is''' the Mystery Shack? It has all of these secret rooms, and multiple instances of working magical/futuristic objects. Are they even trying to hide that Stan knows ''way'' more than he is letting on? |
| 469 | ** I don't think they're trying to hide it so much as they're playing it down for the time being. Letting it simmer in the background, as it were. The question isn't so much whether the man has secrets as it is what those secrets entail. |
| 470 | ** Revealed later in the show: the Mystery Shack was originally Ford's lab. Stuff like the carpet and the cloning-printer were some of his experiments. |
| 471 | |
| 472 | * Why didn't Dipper use the President's key to get in? It seems to fall under many other cases of AesopAmnesia , like about why the copier hasn't been used either. |
| 473 | ** Does Dipper even believe that the key works? He got it from Quentin Trembley. Who was confused on why it wouldn't work on a wall. Hell, does it even work on every lock? We won't know for sure until they use it. Also, Grunkle Stan would probably count it as cheating. (Which just might impress him, but Dipper doesn't know that.) |
| 474 | *** He knew it worked when they freed Stan in that same episode. |
| 475 | ** Who says they even still have the key? It certainly looked like Mabel gave it to the Gremloblin in ''Boss Mabel'' for his "five minute break." Perhaps the creature still has it (or ate it), or it was lost in the destruction, or whatever. |
| 476 | *** Given Mabel's disposition to casually take things without Dipper's permission (as shown later in Sock Opera) she definitely took the cage's key. And clearly both scenes involving either the President's key and the cage's key show them to be visually dissimilar. Dipper would have had the key... However the key was possibly only for locks made up to the President's key's existence and any lock made after would have at least maintained a short compatibility window with it... Stan's shack was well constructed past the pioneer times and thus locking mechanisms possibly phased out "old" President's key uses but not the old timey shackles. And if she was able to take the President's key and it works on present day locks, she certainly would have used it in Boyz Crazy rather than a hairpin. |
| 477 | ** This is answered by the book, which says the key only works on locks made before it. |
| 478 | |
| 479 | * A small one, but in "Carpet Diem", Dipper and Mabel switches bodies via an electric carpet. Makes sense in itself, but note also that they switch voices; technically, they wouldn't switch voices because the vocal cords are still intact in their respective bodies. So if it would be more logical, with Dipper and Mabel switching minds, Dipper would be talking with Mabel's voice and vice versa. |
| 480 | ** It was likely done to avoid viewer confusion. Considering how no one else reacted to the voice change, it likely didn't happen in-universe. Similar with Bipper's voice/creepy eyes. |
| 481 | *** Few television shows have ever done the body swap while bodies retaining the correct voice. Somehow, nobody ever seems to notice either that the two swapped characters suddenly speak with each other's voices. |
| 482 | *** Especially in cartoons. It's just much easier for the voice actors. |
| 483 | *** FreakyFridayFlip has more on this. |
| 484 | ** How could Soos and Dipper talk in Waddles' body? They spoke with ''UsefulNotes/NeilDeGrasseTyson'''s voice. |
| 485 | *** First off, Waddles was using a machine to talk, not his actual voice. Secondly, that episodesegment isn't even canon. |
| 486 | |
| 487 | * One of Dipper's first reactions to trading bodies with Mabel is to mess with the goofy little [[{{Ahoge}} cowlicks]] on the crown of her head and mutter "what '''are''' these things?" But we've seen plenty of scenes of Dipper without his hat that show [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/gravityfalls/images/a/a6/S1e6_dipper_chest_pound.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width/640?cb=20120818035535 he has the same cowlick]], [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gravityfalls/images/2/2e/S1e11_stan_cornered.png/revision/latest?cb=20130411103918 as does Stan]]-- so why does he act like it's news to him? |
| 488 | ** He wasn't touching hair, he was fiddling with the things on Mabel's headband. |
| 489 | [[/folder]] |
| 490 | |
| 491 | [[folder:Boyz Crazy]] |
| 492 | * How exactly did Robbie find out about that mind control song in the first place? |
| 493 | ** There are a number of possibilities. He could've just heard it from someone else, or read about it. |
| 494 | ** He could have been telling the truth about ripping it off of some other guy. |
| 495 | ** Backwards subliminal messages in songs ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backmasking "backmasking"]]) aren't exactly a new idea. A teenage metal fan like Robbie could easily have heard of it and decided to give it a try. Given that he has his own band, he'd probably have the audio editing equipment/software to make it himself. |
| 496 | ** [[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents Uh... Internet?]] |
| 497 | |
| 498 | * Anyone else think it feels out of character for Wendy to be more upset about Robbie lying to her about writing a song than about him apparently trying to brainwash her into staying with him? |
| 499 | ** Maybe a little, but it's left deliberately ambiguous as to whether Robbie knew about the mind-control thing. It is clear from early in the episode that Wendy's already unhappy with Robbie, because he stood her up (and probably varying other factors), and she appears to be genuinely touched that he wrote her a song, so the revelation that he just ripped it off another artist simply proves to her that he's not putting in any effort for her. |
| 500 | |
| 501 | * Why is Stan so obsessed with the apocalypse in this episode? Is it just Stan being Stan? Or is this one of the situations where we should consider the message "STAN IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS?" |
| 502 | ** I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. |
| 503 | ** Stan probably have studied what the machine in the basement could cause. |
| 504 | |
| 505 | * Boy bands as depicted in this episode. Are they still relevant? I mean, we have sensations like fun. and such, but these guys look like the 90s boy bands. Is this just a Disney thing though? I feel like the Disney Channel has an odd fixation on them. |
| 506 | ** Dipper comments that the group was "ten years too late". It's also a sort of gift from Alex Hirsch to his sister, a '90s preteen/teen who was obsessed with boy bands and with Lance Bass in particular. |
| 507 | ** I think Disney has a bit of a business fielding teen pop idols, a la the Mickey Mouse Club, so it's relevant to them. |
| 508 | ** They aren't that irrelevant ya know, BTR is kind of a thing. |
| 509 | *** There's also that whole One Direction thing going on. |
| 510 | ** It's an "Ariel Hirsch really really ''really'' wanted to meet Lance Bass" thing. |
| 511 | |
| 512 | * How come we never see Dipper make amends with Wendy after this episode? I know Stan says that she can't stay mad at him over his bowling offer, but in the episodes that followed they're on good terms again without any on-screen closure let alone any mention or explanation about how it happened. |
| 513 | ** Perhaps the writers did not feel it important to show the moment on-screen. We know not everything that happened that summer happened in an episode. |
| 514 | [[/folder]] |
| 515 | |
| 516 | [[folder:Land Before Swine]] |
| 517 | * Why does Mabel's face look different in this episode? |
| 518 | ** Looked the same to me. |
| 519 | |
| 520 | * In the scene where Dipper's developing the photos, Soos opens the door, accidentally exposing the print while it's still in the developer. This causes Dipper to freak out at Soos for destroying their "evidence." While his initial reaction is understandable, once he came to his senses, couldn't he just make another print from the same negative (which would have already been developed and fixed)? |
| 521 | ** He's a smart 12-going-on-13 year old '''kid'''. He probably didn't know, or they ran out of chemicals, and he knows how cheap Stan is. Or maybe the negative was fragile(maybe it was in the light), again, cheap Stan buys cheap stuff. |
| 522 | *** If Dipper knows enough about photography to know how to develop his own prints, he knows how to develop his own negatives. Ergo, he'd know the negatives weren't damaged by the light. A developed negative is stable in light, and remains so. |
| 523 | *** The rest of the paper was probably ruined. If Dipper, in his rush to develop the photos, hadn't put the rest of the blank photo paper back in its light proof container when Soos opened the door the paper would have been exposed to light. Even if it looked like it was fine as soon as Dipper would develop it it would turn black. |
| 524 | ** For that matter, why is a 12-year-old kid in the 2010s even using film in the first place? |
| 525 | *** Maybe he just doesn't have a digital camera, so he's making do with what's around. |
| 526 | *** Probably pretty beneficial, too. Compared to digital photography, film would be harder to fake. |
| 527 | |
| 528 | * Do Stan's glasses have no lenses? In Stan's story, the pterodactyl pokes him in the eyes through his glasses. This might just be him not thinking his story through, but another pair of Stan's glasses found in Carpet Diem are also in the book. If the page shown in the opening is actually in the book. Is there something with Stan's glasses that has to do with the bigger mystery of Gravity Falls? |
| 529 | ** Anything ridiculous that happened in that scene can be ascribed to "Stan was making it up as he went along". Remember his story in Bottomless Pit? The man's a crap storyteller. That's all. |
| 530 | ** It may be foreshadowing, actually. When we finally learn about Ford, it turns out that ''he's'' the one who needs glasses, and Stan is stealing his identity. So yes, maybe Stan wears glasses without lenses sometimes. |
| 531 | *** Stan didn't wear glasses for years (as in, literal decades) while he was pretending to be Ford. He most likely actually needs them now. |
| 532 | |
| 533 | * At the end, Dipper shows that the dinosaur slashed through his vest. When did that happen? |
| 534 | ** It was a quick moment that happened after the scene with Stan punching the dinosaur in the face when they were being chased but his vest did get bitten. It could almost qualify as blink-and-you'll-miss with how quick it was. |
| 535 | [[/folder]] |
| 536 | |
| 537 | [[folder:Dreamscaperers]] |
| 538 | * How is Bill Cipher able to enter into Stan's mind when it's ''Gideon'' who he shook hands with? As Ford explains in ''Weirdmageddon Part 3'', the victim has to shake hands with Bill in order to let them enter their minds as a rule, so this episode contradicts. |
| 539 | ** Bill exists in the Mindspace, once summoned he can enter the mind of anyone who is sleeping, no deal required. He just can't possess them. Even Ford's mind was fair game until the unicorn protection spell went up. |
| 540 | *** Then what the heck is the metal plate in the head for? Bill still needs a handshake in order to perform a deal with anyone and can only enter people's dreams. I can understand if the plate blocked Bill from entering the users mind entirely, but if doesn't work like that. |
| 541 | *** The rules for how Bill gets inside people’s heads are honestly all over the place, but the best I can understand is something like this: Ford says that Bill can still “haunt [his] dreams” with the plate in, but Bill can’t go through his memories or take over his body. When Bill tries to do this during Weirdmageddon everything turns grey, indicating that they’re in the general mindscape and the plate can’t keep him out of there either, it once again only keeps him from going through Ford’s specific mind. It seems like Bill can show up in your dreams and annoy you no matter what, and he needs a deal to enter your body no matter what, it’s just that without protection like a metal plate Bill can also get into your head and rifle through your thoughts and memories without needing permission. |
| 542 | |
| 543 | * Does Stan not actually remember anything about Bill Cipher? Is he not actually acting when he refuses to acknowledge the weirdness of Gravity Falls? |
| 544 | ** They only mentioned a Bill in his presence. That could be anyone. |
| 545 | ** There is currently no evidence to say that Stan has ever encountered Bill Cipher or is even aware of his existence. |
| 546 | |
| 547 | * Why does Bill Cipher act...a lot like Stan? |
| 548 | ** How does he act like Stan? |
| 549 | *** His general attitude is reminiscent of how Stan acts. To this troper at least. |
| 550 | *** Perhaps it's explained in a later episode? But I've also seen comparisons between them that point out they share similar dialogue, like allegedly both calling people "sixer". They both also are con-men archetypes. |
| 551 | |
| 552 | * If Stan hates Dipper then why the heck did Mr. and Mrs. Pines send Dipper and Mabel to Stan's house for the Summer in the first place? |
| 553 | ** He doesn't hate Dipper. They established that in ''Carpet Diem'' at the latest. |
| 554 | ** Did you watch the episode all the way to the end? |
| 555 | ** The better question is: Why the hell did Dipper think Stan hated him when a mere two episodes ago (and remember, each season takes place as one month of summer, so this HAD to have happened recently) Stan supported Dipper all the way through in Boyz Crazy in his plot to bust Robbie? Sure, I'd be pretty torn down too if someone said something like what Dipper heard from Stan (before listening to the whole conversation), but before that, it looks like Dipper would rather have Bill invade Stan's mind and cause him unknown amounts of mental torture, also causing Gideon to receive the Mystery Shack, AKA his crush's and his only friend in Gravity Falls' paycheck, as well as he and his sister's HOUSE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS all because Stan gives him a lot of chores and acts a little pushy. |
| 556 | *** Bear in mind, that it would be entirely reasonable for Dipper to reach the conclusion that Stan's help during 'Boyz Crazy' was ''not'' out of a liking and support for Dipper. It's a recognised fact that Stan doesn't particularly like teenagers, especially not Robbie, and as Robbie's plot was uncovered, it became clear that Wendy could very well be in danger. Given this, it would be reasonable for Dipper to assume that Stan was only helping him to a) see Robbie suffer, b) prevent Wendy being taken advantage of, and/or c) because Stan was ''still'' mad about the hippie and Carla McCorke. |
| 557 | ** I don't think before the eavesdropping Dipper was planning to not help Stan, just that he was reluctant. The reluctance is a little more justifiable when you remembered that Stan is often quick to make fun of him ("Little Dipper") and appears to show Mabel favoritism at times ("Carpet Diem"). Also, it's pretty normal for any of us to have those moments where we question whether our loved one truly care for us, be it a family member or friend. |
| 558 | ** Also, keep in mind that the "chores" Stan is implied to regularly give Dipper aren't exactly the "take out the garbage, do the dishes" type normal teenagers sometimes whine about - they're horrifying, incredibly demanding, and often ''life-threatening'', and Dipper is 12! |
| 559 | |
| 560 | * Would Gideon stealing the deed to the Mystery Shack actually work out on a legal sense? Should he succeed in getting the deed, there's no proof he got it fairly nor legally. |
| 561 | ** Plus, a deed is not assignable. Meaning that since it still has Stan's name on it, Gideon does not own the property until his name is on the deed. In other words, the others are ''not'' trespassers. Do your homework next time Alex Hirsch. |
| 562 | ** Yeah, but the police in Gravity Falls are both highly incompetent, and corrupt. And they're fans of Gideon. |
| 563 | ** While it wouldn't work in a legal sense there's nothing to say that Gideon wouldn't use his journal to convince everyone else otherwise. |
| 564 | ** According to Alex Hirsch, it's because Quentin Trembly put the "Finders Keepers" law into effect, which pretty much means if someone steals something from you, it's theirs legally. |
| 565 | *** Here's the quote from his AMA on the Gravity Falls Reddit: "Since the town was founded by a mayor who was legally insane (Quentin Trembley the Third, Esquire) its arcane charter laws are equally insane. Woodpecker marriage is legal. The 'Finders Keepers' law allows whoever holds a physical deed to own that property (created by Trembley as an experiment to create a new form of government called "[=GimmieOcracy=]") and children can legally be sent to ADULT PRISON." |
| 566 | *** As a side note, this law also explains how Stan is able to rob people blind, after TELLING them he's going to rob them blind, and get away with it. |
| 567 | *** Of course, in reality that still wouldn't work because things like property ownership and prison would be governed by the laws of the state of Oregon. Towns and cities in the United States have only as much autonomy as the state chooses to delegate to them. But this is a cartoon where a small triangle is a powerful demon, so... |
| 568 | *** You're forgetting that Quentin Trembly was the president of the United States at the time. Given a lot of things shown in Irrational Treasure, it's clear that presidents have way more legal power in-universe than they do in real life. It's entirely possible that he made that one law for only one town as some sort of joke or delusion, and got away with it because he's the president. |
| 569 | *** Local government can get away with a lot of things that the state would put a stop to if they were aware of it, and laws do not cease to exist just because they're ridiculous and unconstitutional. Someone who has standing (i.e., who is affected by the law) has to bring suit to have the law overturned. Stan could probably get the Shack back by bringing suit to have the 'Finders Keepers' law overturned, assuming his impersonation of Ford held up -- Stanford Pines clearly has standing, as the law cost him his business -- but it could take years. |
| 570 | |
| 571 | * What did Soos mean by "the infinite horizon"? |
| 572 | ** He was just waxing poetic. |
| 573 | *** Like trying to lick your elbow now matter how hard you try to "reach" the horizon. it keeps moving away from you. seemingly infinitely distant from you. Or something like that |
| 574 | |
| 575 | * Why didn't Bill just attack Gideon to get what he wanted? Are you seriously telling me that an omnipotent demon just got screwed out of his DealWithTheDevil by some snot nosed little brat [[KarmaHoudini who got away from it scot-free?]] Bill wastes his time attacking the Pines Family (and Soos...and Xyler, and Kraz) instead of just beating the hell out of Gideon who has exactly what he needs. It legitimately seemed that Gideon could have screwed Bill out of the deal at any minute-as long as Bill was distracted, Gideon could easily just blow up the safe (which is exactly what he did) and get the deed without paying Bill back at all. |
| 576 | ** Because he, for some reason, needed to make a deal. It's fairly standard with demons and extradimensional beings. Whatever he wanted, he couldn't just take it, which is why the book said "do not make a deal with him." |
| 577 | ** We have no idea what Bill wants though. The only thing that's clear at this point he has some sort of agenda against Stan and Gideon could have helped him to whatever end that is. He may have also been grateful to Gideon for summoning him back to Gravity Falls so he may have felt charitable enough to go along with the ride since it was anti-Stan. |
| 578 | ** We've only seen Bill within the realm of the dream, and when he was summoned, during which everything went gray and time stopped. As mentioned in the WMG, when Bill left after being summoned, all who saw the summoning appeared to be waking up. Outside of dreams, Bill might not have any power at all, shoot, maybe he can't even go outside the dream world at all. |
| 579 | *** As of Sock Opera, it can be assumed that Bill only has influence in the black-and-white Planescape. |
| 580 | |
| 581 | * On a similar note, why the hell is Gideon's "Plan A" summoning a DEMON when he had dynamite all along? It seems a lot less dangerous and more straightforward just to blow up the safe instead of making a DealWithTheDevil. |
| 582 | ** I was wondering about that as well, and then I remembered that for most people "hindsight is 20/20". Gideon probably thought of Plan B RIGHT after he summoned Bill to do the dirty work, and probably realized that it was simpler. Alternatively, he was pulling a XanatosGambit; by summoning Bill he would either get the code or Bill would keep Stan's subconscious distracted while Gideon broke into the safe. |
| 583 | ** Also Gideon is a subtle villain (to the rest of the town), who mostly deals in magical stuff. If he can do it in a way that doesn't look openly wrong, he's going to. |
| 584 | |
| 585 | * Why does everyone keep thinking Bill tampered with Stan's memories? There's nothing going against the "Stan knows everything" theory. They probably just looked in the wrong doors. |
| 586 | ** The fact that Bill knew Stan makes it clear they had a connection. Stan, however, made it pretty clear he had no idea what anyone was talking about when Bill's name came up. The theory is that Bill made Stan forget about him, Stan was lying, or they've never met and Bill just knows ''of'' Stan. |
| 587 | *** As stated above, Bill is a common enough name, so we can assume he didn't know they were talking about that specific Bill. |
| 588 | ** Stan never knew the triangle demon. Bill knew Stan because he knows LOTS OF THINGS!... and he has been in Ford's mind. |
| 589 | |
| 590 | * Where was Stan's hat when they woke up? |
| 591 | ** It probably came off while Stan was asleep. |
| 592 | |
| 593 | * How come the [[BuffySpeak moon symbol thingy]] also changed to a [[BuffySpeak Pac-Man symbol...thingy]] on the big circle? Up until now I thought Stan was just wearing a different hat. |
| 594 | ** I'm pretty sure that each symbol on the circle represents a character. Bill even calls Dipper, Mabel and Soos pine tree, shooting star, and question mark, respectively. So when Stan's symbol changed on his hat, it changed on the circle too. |
| 595 | ** As Alex Hirsch revealed in the SDCC Gravity Falls Panel (sort of, he uses the Most Distracting Object whenever someone asks a spoiler-y question), it's not an animation error. It'll most likely be significant in future episodes. |
| 596 | |
| 597 | * I'm not sure deeds work like that, Gideon. Just because you break into someone's house and steal a piece of paper doesn't give you permission to tear it down literally 2 minutes later. |
| 598 | ** The fact he owns the town is probably the only way he can get away with it. |
| 599 | *** Stan brings this up in "Gideon Rises" and Gideon replies with something like "Stan gave me the deed" and this somehow easily fools Sheriff Blubs as he replies, "Well that's all the proof I need to see!" |
| 600 | ** It's also worth considering that a "steal the deed" plot is a pretty widely used plot in comedy series and it is always played as "if I'm holding the deed, I own the thing" regardless of how things work in the real world. |
| 601 | ** To quote Alex Hirsch: ''"Since the town was founded by a mayor who was legally insane (Quentin Trembley the Third, Esquire) its arcane charter laws are equally insane. Woodpecker marriage is legal. The 'Finders Keepers' law allows whoever holds a physical deed to own that property (created by Trembley as an experiment to create a new form of government called "GimmieOcracy") and children can legally be sent to ADULT PRISON."'' |
| 602 | |
| 603 | * For the record: is this episode called "Dreamscapers" or "Dreamscaperers"? |
| 604 | ** "Dreamscaperers". |
| 605 | |
| 606 | * I understand that Alex Hirsch likes for actions to have consequences, and the Mystery Shack being full-on demolished would be impossible for the characters to bounce back from. But from a Watsonian perspective, it doesn't seem like there's any reason for Gideon to just punch a massive hole in the roof and then leave the Shack standing. Either he needs it in tact, or he needs it demolished. There's no sense in going halfsies like that. |
| 607 | ** It wouldn't really have the same effect on them if he didn't destroy part of it. After all, that scene is pretty intense to viewers like us, and to us, it's just a drawing on a screen. Think of how crushing that would be to the Pines'. |
| 608 | *** Huh. Y'know, Gideon's desire for the book so completely dominated his characterization in this episode and the next one, I guess I kinda forgot that he occasionally just does things to spite the Pines. Still, if Dipper had left the book in his room, Gideon would've pretty much been screwed--and if he knew for certain the book wasn't in there, why not just completely destroy the place to really crush them? Again, it seems like it should be an all-or-nothing deal. |
| 609 | ** I think he put the hole in the roof to be spiteful, but hasn't had time to search the Shack thoroughly for its secrets and intends to do so after the town accepts his ownership. In Gideon Rises we confirm that both journal number 1 and Stan's strange machinery are hidden under the shack and apparently weren't found by Gideon; we know Gideon expected to find journal number 1 and probably suspected other clues as well so he wouldn't want to completely destroy the shack until after a thorough search. |
| 610 | |
| 611 | * So in "Dreamscapers", they were going to destroy Stan's memory of the safe code. It's eventually knocked down a bottomless pit memory, of course. Now, if Gideon hadn't outright destroyed the safe to get to the deed, does that mean that had Stan had a chance to go to the safe later he wouldn't have been able to remember the combination? Furthermore, wouldn't he have no idea why he can't remember? |
| 612 | ** Here's another one. Soos was the one Stan had that conversation with that Dipper partially overheard and made him believe that Stan hated him. Since Soos was with them when they chasing Bill, why didn't Soos tell Dipper the truth about what he heard? |
| 613 | *** Stan specifically tells him not to say anything to anyone; it's a rather small excuse giving the situation, but Soos probably considered it important enough. |
| 614 | |
| 615 | * When Gideon summons Bill and asks him to enter the mind of Stanford Pines, Bill is excited about the prospect; he has never even met Stanley, so clearly he was expecting Stanford to be his target. But when he does go inside Grunkle Stan's mind, why doesn't he show any kind of disappointment or even surprise that "Stanford" is actually Stanley? |
| 616 | ** It's possible he did actually know it was Stanley. He perked up when he flashed the image of Stan's burn mark symbol. Bill was probably going "Oh! He thinks Stanford is the one who pushed Ford into the portal" and just decided to go along with it. Bill might have still been eager about entering Stanley's mind because 1) it's the twin brother of the guy who built the portal or 2) Stan had been fiddling with that portal for thirty years and there could have been a memory in there that would help Bill reactive it. |
| 617 | |
| 618 | * The twins and Soos searched through countless memories of Stan's, including ones from his childhood and other decades old events. How did they not find a single memory that involved Ford? |
| 619 | ** It's possible that Stan hid those memories so deep into his subconscious, that neither Dipper, Mabel, nor Soos could find them within the mindscape. |
| 620 | [[/folder]] |
| 621 | |
| 622 | [[folder:Gideon Rises]] |
| 623 | * How did Gideon know about [=McGucket=] and his proficiency at making robots? |
| 624 | ** Judging by the episode's events, it's probably because, as Stan revealed, Gideon had set up cameras everywhere in town, one of which must have caught wind of [=McGucket's=] confession in episode 2. |
| 625 | *** Was Gideon actually using cameras then, though? He still would have had the amulet back then, so he didn't need to spy on people to trick people into thinking he's "psychic." |
| 626 | *** FridgeBrilliance: The amulet gives him ''telekinesis'', not telepathy. He ''has'' to trick people into thinking he's psychic because he isn't. That's why he has such an awful rivalry with Stan: ''they're both con men''. |
| 627 | *** Even if he didn't hear the episode 2 confession via camera, nothing's to say that Old Man [=McGucket=] stopped making robots in between then and now. |
| 628 | *** Who says Gideon needed those cameras to know about [=McGucket's=] confession? People might have just decided to spread the News about the creature being a hoax developed by the old man. Also, as revealed in "A Tale of Two Stans", [=McGucket=] and the Author used to work together. It's a good reason to believe the proficiency has been mentioned at Journal 2. |
| 629 | |
| 630 | * How the heck did Stan know what was causing his hearing aid to malfunction!? Seems like a large jump to make from 'my hearing aid is ringing' to 'obviously this means that Gideon planted cameras everywhere so he could spy on everyone and pretend to be psychic'. |
| 631 | ** More importantly, how did Stan come to the EXACT conclusion that the central monitoring hub is in the now ruined Gideon-bot, [[ContrivedCoincidence and then arriving at the exact moment for the reveal]]? [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre Despite Stan discrediting his technical smarts (perhaps in contrast to his brother)]], [[FridgeBrilliance working with the portal may have given some know how of signals, cameras, and electronics along with some process of elimination (possibly helped by watching Ducktective!)]]. And why then he left the agents' surveillance cameras alone? Stan left them alone to better keep working with the portal a secret and removing them would cause perception that Stan REALLY IS a criminal in their eyes and thus more interruptions from the federal agents, and that [[SmarterThanYouLook Stan knew these cameras are in harmless positions]]. Even played the part where he says "What did I do to warrant THIS much arresting?". All of his lifetime, he spent exercising hiding and being a business con-man helped too, so pulling the deception to work in peace of the portal certainly was in his favor.]] |
| 632 | |
| 633 | * What the hell could Stan be building a super weapon for? Is this the same reason Gideon wanted the books? |
| 634 | ** Who said the device was a super weapon? At this point it could be practically anything. Also given that Stan needed all three journals just to ''activate'' it it's more likely the device was there before Stan owned the property. |
| 635 | *** Dipper said that it looked like some sort of super-weapon when he found the pages in Journal 3. |
| 636 | ** A FreezeFrameBonus code in the book suggests it's some kind of portal. |
| 637 | |
| 638 | * How does Wendy still not realize Dipper has a crush on her immediately after Soos blares it out and covers up it it rather poorly? Hell, he even says "Nailed it!" within earshot of her! Wendy has to be playing dumb at this point. |
| 639 | ** Because it's Soos. They're all probably used to him saying weird things. All the time. |
| 640 | ** I get the idea she's known since ''The Inconveniencing''. She doesn't say anything about it because, well, she's Wendy. She wouldn't go out of her way to hurt the poor kid's pride. |
| 641 | ** I'm pretty sure Wendy knows, just look [[http://i.imgur.com/87Q6VvR.jpg her expression]] at the end of ''The Inconveniencing'' when Dipper couldn't help express his happiness when Wendy talks about hanging out with him at the Shack next time. |
| 642 | *** Indeed, "Into the Bunker" reveals that she already knew. |
| 643 | |
| 644 | * Any particular reason Gideon had his father take one chunk out of the shack in the previous episode and then leave it up for all of this one? If he thought the journal was in the shack, why would he do that if, for all he knew, he could have just destroyed the part it was in? |
| 645 | ** He thought it was underground, around the shack. Also, he only destroyed the sign, and the part of the roof the sign was attached to. I think. |
| 646 | ** Still, (RuleOfDrama aside) you can't help but wonder why he had him take one chunk out of it and then leave it standing for a whole other episode. |
| 647 | ** Because he wanted to show the Pines that he has defeated them. by destroying part of the shack he was basically saying "your house is my toy to do with it what i want". Basically, it was a KickTheDog moment ForTheEvulz. |
| 648 | |
| 649 | * We know why Stan acts surprised to learn about Dipper's journal--to make Dipper think it's of no real value. If Stan was looking for journals, why didn't he take #3 after Irrational Treasure, when Dipper clearly consulted it right in front of him at Pioneer Day? |
| 650 | ** Stan is never on screen while Dipper is consulting the journal and only reappears after Dipper has put it away. Most likely Stan was too distracted by his hatred of Pioneer Day to notice that Dipper was reading it at all. |
| 651 | ** Alternatively, he might have just thought it was better with someone who was better equipped to defend it should someone like Gideon come for it. He knows how old he is, and what he is capable of. Dipper on the other hand, is young, eager to learn, and a hell of a lot more agile than Stan. |
| 652 | *** I'm sorry, which one of them punched a freakin' pterodactyl? |
| 653 | ** Plausible deniability. Stan was also trying to protect the twins. Just taking it away without any reason would just cause them to be more curious. |
| 654 | |
| 655 | * How did Gideon get his hands on Waddles, or Mabel not noticing Waddles was missing in the first place until the unveiling of Gideonland, despite appearing to have had the time to pack her sweaters? |
| 656 | ** They might have had to leave him behind, with the understanding that nothing would happen to him. |
| 657 | |
| 658 | * Why did Gideon seem to just consider having Mabel as his queen when she was in his grasp, and not before she left? |
| 659 | ** It's easier to make someone do something when they're in your giant robot hand. |
| 660 | |
| 661 | * Why would the writer of the journals put a map of possible hiding locations for the other journals when he wants to keep them separate (or at least that's what we get out of Gideon)? The writer knew he couldn't go back for the journals since he believed he was being watched and that would no doubt give them away, so what was the point of a map? He might as well have just put up a sign saying "Dig here, dummy!" Also when would he have the time to draw 3 separate maps in such detail? He feels like he's being watched but screw urgency! He's got to make things easier for a possible evildoer who could easily abuse the journals for ultimate power! |
| 662 | ** First of all the final entries in Dipper's book suggest there was a big gap between the maps and the author's fear of someone stalking them. It is possible the map was made so he/she could study possible locations where to hide the journals but never wrote his/her final decision. The map wasn't made to led you to the hiding place but to help the author to decide the hiding place. that is why it was so hard for Gideon to find the other journals (assuming he had the second book long before Dipper got the third one), they only described ''possible'' places were you could hide the journal. On the other hand, since he/she didn't destroy the journals when he/she had the chance, it is possible he/she decided the books were too important to be lost and he/she left vague descriptions of where to find the others and hope they fell in the right hands in case something happened to him/her. |
| 663 | |
| 664 | * Was Gideon even aware that Mabel was going to be sent back to Piedmont when he took over the Mystery Shack? |
| 665 | ** Probably not. Sure, he has cameras all over town, but he can't be watching every single person 24/7. |
| 666 | |
| 667 | * Why didn't Dipper and Mabel ask Wendy to help them fight off Gideon's bodyguards seeing as she easily defeated Gideon's "Auto Discount Warriors" during Weirdmageddon? |
| 668 | ** Maybe they didn't know back then that she was ''that'' strong. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Dipper only sees how physically strong and capable Wendy is during the fight against the Shapeshifter in "Into the Bunker". Before that, he knows that she has her lumberjack genes and that she's very agile, but nothing suggests that she's a good enough fighter to defeat two trained bodyguards. Besides, they had an army of gnomes and didn't know that Gideon had a way to neutralize them, so they may have thought they didn't need any more backup. |
| 669 | |
| 670 | * The ending of "Gideon Rises" has a sort of PlotHole: How did Stan know that Gideon's surveillance system was inside his giant robot? For that matter, ''why'' did Gideon hide his spying equipment inside the robot? Furthermore, wouldn't Old Man [=McGucket=] have noticed it during construction? |
| 671 | ** A) IIRC, the robot crashed and everyone could see inside to the camera wall. B) Probably so no one would find it while he was away. And C) It's ''[=McGucket=]''. He's a crazy old coot, so even if he wasn't against installing the monitors, who's to say he remembered doing it? |
| 672 | [[/folder]] |
| 673 | !!Shorts |
| 674 | [[folder:Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained]] |
| 675 | * A retroactive one for "Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained": in "Society of the Blind Eye", [[FreezeFrameBonus we can see that the journal actually has an entry on the island head beast, including notes on it leaving teeth behind (with a picture of the very same tooth Dipper found, no less), and ways to recognize the lake (it's the one with the mysterious tropical flora)]]. So why was the journal never checked or mentioned during the episode of Guide to the Unexplained, with the kids instead going to a local fisherman, and clearly not expecting the island to be a monstrous... thingamajig? |
| 676 | ** Nice catch! It's very likely Dipper wanted to see if the Island Head Beast was real, and wanted to write (and get a video!) about the creature. In the defictionalized Journal 3, Ford actually hadn't written much on this monster—he only mused that there's a possibility of there being a giant creature lumbering in the depths of Lake Gravity Falls, and that he wanted to investigate it at another time. (That's also why the sketch of the Island Head Beast only has a silhouette instead a fully-detailed face!) |
| 677 | *** The defictionalized Journal 3 also has some entries set after Wierdmageddon, with the journals being reformed with some pages that were previously ruined or missing being restored. It might be the case with the Island Creature page, and certainly was the case with the Shapeshifter pages, since Ford writes a lot about the shapeshifter, yet Dipper didn't know anything about it until they were already in the bunker. |
| 678 | |
| 679 | * Why did the all-knowing mailbox say the world ends in 3012 when a recurring character is a time traveler from [[EleventyZillion two hundred and fñour thousand]] years later? |
| 680 | ** Dipper asked specifically when ''the world'' would end. Blendin's timeline occupies the galaxy and seems to have moved on from planet earth. |
| 681 | |
| 682 | * Why would the Mailbox have self-destructed upon receiving the gummy worm video? If it was truly omnipotent, then it would have known 1) it was not sent by Dipper and Soos, 2) Dipper tried to stop it from being sent, and 3) the person who did send it didn't know the mailbox was connected to some almighty being. |
| 683 | ** Being the omniscient, all-knowing being it was, the mailbox probably already knew its presence and knowledge was too good to not be abused by humans, and was just looking for an excuse to disappear. |
| 684 | |
| 685 | [[/folder]] |
| 686 | [[folder:Mabel's Guide to Life]] |
| 687 | * When Mabel shows off the caricature of Dipper, he grabs it, and the way it's framed makes it clear he's the one holding the camera. But then, with no cut or anything, Dipper is shown in a different part of the room, with someone else controlling the camera! What happened? |
| 688 | |
| 689 | * Pacifica has been established as hating Mabel, she even throws darts at her picture. So why did she take part in Mabel's color quiz? |
| 690 | ** Maybe Mabel paid her? As for why she would pay her archenemy, maybe it's just in her optimistic nature to be totally nice to people. |
| 691 | ** Vanity. Mabel was recording it, Pacifica loves people paying attention to her, no matter who's watching. |
| 692 | ** Also, subsequent episodes (particularly "Northwest Manor Mystery" ) have shown that [[CharacterDevelopment Pacifica is not as nasty and mean as she appears to be.]] Her participation could have been a subconscious desire to befriend Mabel. |
| 693 | [[/folder]] |
| 694 | ---- |
| 695 | |
| 696 | !!Season 2 |
| 697 | [[folder:Scaryoke]] |
| 698 | * Why would the author of the journals put the spell to raise the dead in plain ink, and then put zombies' weakness in invisible ink? Shouldn't it be the reverse? |
| 699 | ** The plain ink doesn't mention weaknesses, but the invisible ink says that the author's just discovered some, so I think the implication is that he wrote the invisible ink stuff after the rest of the book (presumably to keep whoever was watching him from finding any subsequent updates.) |
| 700 | *** Sure enough, there's a brief moment when the invisible ink is revealed you see a message saying basically "I've decided to switch to invisible to further keep my secrets safe" everything in invisible ink is clearly later updates. |
| 701 | ** My point is, if he was assuming the books might fall into someone else's hands, why would he make the method of stopping zombies harder to find than the method of raising zombies? The latter is clearly what needs to be more well-hidden, while the former is what clearly needs to be less hidden. |
| 702 | *** Perhaps by that point The Author no longer trusted anyone with the knowledge he was collecting and decided to keep it in a place only he would be able to find it? He may have hoped the zombies would wipe out anyone who found the journal. |
| 703 | ** For what it's worth, ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' confirms that the author was constantly going back to previous entries and adding additional notes, and that after a certain point everything he wrote was in invisible ink. The entry on zombies states that they have no weakness; he went back later and added their vulnerability to harmonics invisibly. The journals weren't intended to be used as a handbook, so the author didn't make a point of hiding the more dangerous information. |
| 704 | ** It's Ford. He didn't expect anyone else to read the journal, and is confident in his own ability to remember something that important. |
| 705 | [[/folder]] |
| 706 | |
| 707 | [[folder:Into the Bunker]] |
| 708 | * So, if it turned out that "the Author" was really the shapeshifter, then what was he fighting in the shadow when we first saw him? |
| 709 | ** Himself. He's a ''shapeshifter''. He was putting on a shadow puppet show for Dipper and Wendy so they'd trust him. |
| 710 | *** Or it was some other creature the shapeshifter was genuinely fighting against, and just decided to lure it near Dipper and Wendy so they'd be more likely to trust him. We don't actually know what happened, and we won't know what happened until we get WordOfGod on this. But I'm gonna lean toward some other creature. ''Something'' made those holes. |
| 711 | *** Mole men. |
| 712 | *** I thought it was implied the shapeshifter made them. It's trapped in a bunker with dwindling resources, it needs to escape if it's going to survive. It's definitely at least as intelligent as an average person, I can imagine it taking the form of a burrowing animal or even just giving itself shovel hands to do it. What stumps me is why it hasn't managed to break the surface by the time the gang run into it. |
| 713 | |
| 714 | * Whoever built the bunker-- either Stanford or [=McGucket=]--had supplies dated through 2065. We now know that Ford was knocked into the portal by Stan sometime in the mid-1980s, and [=McGucket=] lost his mind around the same time. Even ''modern'' food preservation techniques can only guarantee a shelf life of twenty to twenty-five years at most. Whichever one of them stocked the bunker was preparing supplies for about eighty years, longer than he could reasonably expect to even still be alive. In hindsight, this doesn't make sense. |
| 715 | ** This might be a case of WritersCannotDoMath. Or Stanford or [=McGucket=] had come up with ways of preserving food for much longer than any method that currently exists in RealLife. Stocking up on more food to last a normal human lifetime was probably playing it safe, in case any food was lost or destroyed. |
| 716 | ** There's a whole ship full of alien tech underneath the town that Ford had been scavenging. |
| 717 | ** It's deuterocanon, but ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' states that Ford wanted to build a containment unit for specimens retrieved from the portal, and [=McGucket=] went ahead and added [[BoobyTrap lethal traps]] and [[CrazySurvivalist far more supplies than they could ever need]]. Ford finds this disquieting and a possible sign that [=McGucket=] has started going round the bend. |
| 718 | |
| 719 | * Why on earth would the "Author" warn Dipper and Wendy about a shapeshifter [[TooDumbToLive if he was really the shapeshifter all along]]? He had no reason to assume that they were already aware of a shapeshifter's presence, so he unnecessarily primed them to start being suspicious of everything. Had he asked them how much they knew about the bunker first, he could have maintained the element of surprise. |
| 720 | ** He didn't count on Wendy accidentally discovering the can of beans that he took his likeness from, and thus realizing the truth. Had Wendy not stumbled upon the can, it's likely that the shapeshifter would have successfully maintained his disguise and gotten away with [[FridgeHorror much worse things]]. |
| 721 | ** But the fact remains that it was entirely unnecessary to share that information. The discovery of the can wouldn't have been as immediate a giveaway (it would still raise questions, obviously) if the shapeshifter had never put the idea of a shapeshifter in their heads to begin with. The only explanation that makes any sense is that it was never prepared for a run-in with naive explorers, had to make up a plausible story on the spot, and panicked. This doesn't fully make sense for several reasons. I would guess that some person/s involved in production felt it was necessary to bring up the idea of a shapeshifter in advance in order to prevent confusion, but that seems like taking ViewersAreMorons to the max. I mean, what more is there to the concept of the shapeshifter than "a thing that can change its shape"? And that much you can convey purely visually. Bizarre choice all around. |
| 722 | ** It's possible that he did it to sow distrust, so Dipper and Wendy might start thinking the other was the shapeshifter and it would then be easier to separate and kill them. |
| 723 | ** As a safeguard--there were notes in clear display in the observation room about the shapeshifter, as well as notes in the Journal. The shapeshifter had every reason to believe that Dipper and/or Wendy would already know there was one, and by mentioning it, he could mislead them. |
| 724 | |
| 725 | * In "Into the Bunker", when they freeze the shapeshifter, it briefly takes a flaming form. Why wouldn't he have just stayed in the flame form to melt the ice? |
| 726 | ** Considering it took the traits and properties of what ever it transformed into, then the flames would just go out when they used up all the oxygen (not going to be that much in such a small container). As it was the flames that could kill it. Thus a case of fearing death over imprisonment. |
| 727 | |
| 728 | * How did the shapeshifter know about the coming apocalypse? |
| 729 | ** The shapeshifter was discovered during excavation for the bunker, which Ford and [=McGucket=] were building for the purpose of shelter during a future disaster, and more than likely they made mention of it while they were working with the shapeshifter. Dipper also discovers a can of beans from the food rations that had been opened recently, meaning the shapeshifter had to have accessed the stockpile at some point, so it probably managed to guess that the scientists experimenting on it were reasonably afraid of ''something'' happening in the future. |
| 730 | [[/folder]] |
| 731 | |
| 732 | [[folder:Golf War]] |
| 733 | * Pacifica mentions that her family took care of the whole "her family is a fraud" thing with money. Why would they need money? Dipper ''handed all the evidence right to them!'' All they would need is a few quarters to buy a matchbook. (Or however much those things cost now) |
| 734 | ** She wasn't saying they payed to cover it up, she meant as long as they were still rich and powerful her ancestor being a fraud wasn't that big a deal. |
| 735 | [[/folder]] |
| 736 | |
| 737 | [[folder:Sock Opera]] |
| 738 | * How does a sock puppet count as a vessel? |
| 739 | ** [[WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes Ain't no rules in the rule book that says a literal puppet can't be used as a vessel]]. |
| 740 | *** Yeah, but a sock puppet is an inanimate object. How can a disembodied consciousness make their voice be heard out of something that doesn't even have vocal chords or organs? |
| 741 | *** Bill never said the vessel needed biological-requirements, he just used Dipper's body because it is obviously better than a literal puppet. It's just ghost magic. |
| 742 | |
| 743 | * Why was Bill able to cheat Dipper out of his end of the bargain in this episode? In Dreamscaperers, Gideon was able to break the deal when Bill couldn't hold up his end, but in this one, not only does Bill not even give Dipper the promised code after it'd be useless, but he gets his reward right off the bat! What changed? |
| 744 | ** Unlike Gideon, who made a very specific and clear demand before they shook on it, Dipper never actually asks Bill to do anything. Bill loads the conversation with promises and implications, probably so Dipper will make assumptions about the terms of the deal and not realize that he hasn't actually ASKED for anything. Essentially, the only deal they ended up making was: "I want a puppet." "Ok sure." |
| 745 | ** It's unlikely Gideon has gotten out of his deal anyways. Bill mentioned to Gideon they'd work out the details later so Bill is probably biding his time until he needs Gideon for whatever thing he has planned. |
| 746 | *** "You fools! Do you realize what you've cost me!?" Yeah. It definitely sounds like Bill still has what he needs from this arrangement. |
| 747 | ** He did hold up his end of the bargain. He promised to give Dipper a hint. When he broke the laptop, [=McGucket=]'s name is shows for a brief second which is found by Mabel in the blind eye society episode. |
| 748 | ** Well, my guess is Gideon was able to call off the deal because he had something Bill wanted. In this episode, Dipper already gave Bill what he wanted, so Bill was free to double-cross him. If Gideon had held up his end of the bargain first in "Dreamscaperers", I'm pretty sure Bill would have betrayed him without hesitation. |
| 749 | ** In a Q&A session, Hirsch mentioned that despite deals being important, Bill is not necessarily inclined or obligated to honor the terms, which is why it is a bad idea to make a deal with him in the first place. |
| 750 | |
| 751 | * When sock puppet Dipper shows up floating next to Mabel, it's made clear that "ghost" Dipper inhabited the sock puppet just like Bill did with Dipper's body, as shown by the mouth and arm movements of the puppet. But then, when Gabe enters the room, we see Dipper using the sock puppet with his hand. When Gabe leaves, he goes back to the mouth and arm movements. |
| 752 | ** I'm going to guess no one could hear him unless he moved a "vessel" along with what he wanted to say, neither Mabel nor Gabe ever seem to notice his shouting and groaning when Mabel twisted his arm. |
| 753 | ** It was all done with his hand. Dipper's just hamming it up to get his emotions across. |
| 754 | ** It's ghost magic. The puppet's arms could have just been corresponding with his emotions even if he wasn't actually inhabiting the puppet's body. |
| 755 | |
| 756 | * Why couldn't Wendy and Soos hear Bill taunt Dipper in the car? Are we just chalking that up to Bill's powers? |
| 757 | ** Maybe they just assumed he was acting weird due to sleep deprivation. |
| 758 | ** According to WordofGod, they were originally going to show everyone's reactions to Dipper's behaviour, but didn't due to time constraints. |
| 759 | ** Or, like you said - Bill powers. It's already established that Bill's the only one who can see mindscape Dipper. He could be communicating with him that (to the outside world) is in a nonverbal way. |
| 760 | |
| 761 | * Maybe it's just that we don't know the full story of Bill Cipher's big plans and probably won't until "Not What He Seems" but Dipper was nowhere near finding the laptop password; it's not until much later that he learns [=McGucket=] built and can fix the computer, revealing the apocalypse. WHY does it matter to Bill that the laptop and journal are destroyed if Dipper was nowhere close to finding answer? Was this a big BatmanGambit on Bill's part to lead Dipper to [=McGucket=] or what? |
| 762 | ** Dipper having both the laptop and the third journal (alongside newfound knowledge of the invisible ink entries) gives him some chance of interfering with whatever Bill's waiting for too early. The fact that he's been reduced to entering in random passwords to access the laptop doesn't render it harmless, it just Bill has no way of knowing if or when Dipper will stumble on the right combo to get all the laptop's secrets. If there's one thing [[TheChessmaster schemers]] hate, it's an unpredictable element. So Bill waited until sleep deprivation and obsession weakened Dipper's resolve enough to make him vulnerable to Bill making a deal. Using Dipper's body to destroy the laptop and, if he'd succeeded, the journals, would have slowed Dipper enough to keep the plan on track. |
| 763 | [[/folder]] |
| 764 | |
| 765 | [[folder:Soos and the Real Girl]] |
| 766 | * So you can see when Soos pauses the game the button only has 2 buttons...what does the other one do and for that matter of fact how do you control a game with one button and a pause button!? |
| 767 | ** For those who have played visual novels and dating sims, at the very most you'll only ever need your mouse pointer, left and right clicks, and possibly the wheel scroll. The "gameplay" of these types of games hardly ever goes deeper than "click to advance text," especially for a game that appears to have been made in the 90's to early 2000's. Most visual novels have left clicking essentially function as an "A" button with the right click functioning as a "B" button, and oddly enough they do have controller support. Two buttons and a directional pad would literally be everything that he'd need to play the game. Because of the varying control schemes in visual novels, the right click or "B" button might have very well acted as a pause button in the game. |
| 768 | |
| 769 | * So some programmers '''accidentally''' create a fully functioning AI from the code of a dating sim that doesn't want to destroy the world, or kill anyone she doesn't consider a threat, and they just decide to delete her? You'd think a group of programmers able to ''accidentally'' create an AI would be just a bit smarter. What gives? |
| 770 | ** Well, what else were they supposed to do? They tried to delete her and before they could do anything else, she "deleted" them. |
| 771 | *** They could ''not delete the newly born intelligence'' on a whim. Honestly, she was probably fully morally in the right to "delete" those trying to kill her. It kinda seems like self-defense. |
| 772 | *** That isn't a whim, that was the smartest thing anyone has ever done in fiction faced with that situation. Unless the AI is an evolving AI that can adapt what it learns from its life, it needs it's limits hard-coded into it so it doesn't hurt people. Giffany is a dating sim AI, games that are notorious for the characters becoming obsessed with the player character (Soos in this case) and manipulative to keep you on their route. Basically Giffany never deviated from her Dating Sim coding which made her a danger if she was a Tsundere archtype character. |
| 773 | *** Of course, we don't see the reason they decided to delete her. Judging by how she went on a murderous rampage when she was rejected, something probably happened that made them realize they had created a monster. Evil AIs that can possess stuff and threaten people if they don't get what they want are not to be taken lightly. |
| 774 | *** Maybe she killed them without provocation, or at least, without any more provocation than the other people she's attacked. |
| 775 | ** Given that Giffany is prone to possessive jealousy and has shown homicidal tendencies alongside the ability to control machines, why would any sane programmer allow her to continue living? Sure, making an AI from nothing is an amazing achievement worthy of study, but this one was, at best, a psychopath: she has no empathy and absolutely no hesitation with taking lives. Reasoning with her does nothing but intensify her attacks. After discovering this, narrowly avoiding sending out potentially ''millions'' of copies of this monstrosity, deleting the program is the obvious choice. It's just too bad that she was even worse than her designers feared. |
| 776 | *** It's unlikely they tried anything but deleting her, or she would have mentioned something like being paraded around to other programmers as proof of her creators' intelligence. |
| 777 | |
| 778 | * So was Giffany genuinely in [[Main/{{Yandere}} love]] with Soos, or did she only want him so she can exist for as long as possible? Just from watching the episode it seems like the former, but a lot of people keep talking like it's the latter. So which is it? |
| 779 | ** The former; I don't get where people are getting the latter from. |
| 780 | ** "Love" needs air quotes in this context. Love is not threatening innocent people if you don't get your way, and if you think that it is, remind me to never date you. She was obsessed with Soos, but I wouldn't say she loved him as a person. |
| 781 | ** There's also the fact that she's a dating sim character. She may be a very capable AI, but she still is programmed to be a love interest to the person playing. Whether this counts as love, "love", or not love, well, who knows. |
| 782 | ** Giffany straight up said, "I'm programmed to find everything you say interesting." She wasn't interested in Soos for himself, it was just because he was the current player. |
| 783 | ** Giffany is capable of possessive, abusive attachment to her players, not real love. Love requires empathy, patience, and selflessness. Three things that Giffany showed no evidence of. If she was self aware enough for her emotions to carry real weight, then she was nothing more than a psychopath with sparkly eyes. |
| 784 | ** I think these replies are missing the point, though. The OP was asking if Giffany "loved" Soos or if she was just using him to exist longer, i.e. we all know it wasn't "real" love, but was it ''something'' or was she just using him, ''as in'' not caring about him at all, programmed or not? Personally I saw no evidence in the show she was just using him to exist longer. She was going to upload his brain on a USB drive, after all, and he couldn't necessarily be a player after that. It was programmed {{Yandere}} love. |
| 785 | ** We only got to see her for one episode, we don't know if she lacks empathy, patience, or selflessness. Or if she was even programmed with the knowledge that those concepts ''existed.'' |
| 786 | |
| 787 | * The ominous act break of the unplugged computer is just baffling. How did it boot up and install Romance Academy 7 without power? For that matter, how does throwing the game disc into a fire delete the program after it's installed? Is it magic? Because it's never said to be. |
| 788 | ** Giffany's existence does raise a few questions. She was presumably developed in Japan, or some other place outside of the town, but everything "weird" is supposed to be contained within the town, unable to leave. But Giffany was apparently created outside the town, not to mention the spider-lady who almost ate Stan. And "weirdness" was detected outside of town in the finale by Ford. There's something off about what we've been told. Maybe Gravity Falls isn't the only "weird" place on Earth? |
| 789 | *** Ford explicitly stated that Gravity Falls is the place with the MOST "weirdness", not the ONLY place with "weirdness". So it can be safely assumed that supernatural events do occur elsewhere, just in random, sporadic bursts, and Gravity Falls is the only place where they occur regularly. Also, let's not forget that Japan is a VERY weird place indeed, not to mention a very technologically advanced one. If any place outside of Gravity Falls could spawn something like Giffany, it'd be Japan. |
| 790 | * What did Soos' grandpa do to be burning in hell? |
| 791 | ** I'd assume it's that he raised his son poorly. |
| 792 | ** No explanation is given. That's the joke. |
| 793 | [[/folder]] |
| 794 | |
| 795 | [[folder:Little Gift Shop of Horrors]] |
| 796 | * In the episode there's a gag where a store clerk throws a dozen eggs at Stan. According to him this is a common game they play but, the thing is, he threw those eggs at him all at once. Even if Stan still had his hand how would he have been able to catch those eggs? |
| 797 | ** RuleOfFunny. It's funnier to see an entire dozen of eggs crack on him rather than one or two. |
| 798 | ** Maybe the goal is just to see how many eggs Stan can stop from hitting him/the floor. And without his hands, he couldn't catch ''any'' of them, making him look like a complete fool in the eyes of the guy he's apparently really friendly with. |
| 799 | ** Maybe he didn't expect Stan to catch them and the game is just them throwing eggs at each other. |
| 800 | ** Also, keep in mind: this is literally just a story Stan is making up. It's hard to believe that Stan actually plays this game every time he goes to the grocery store. He was most likely just trying to come up with something funny and memorable, even if it didn't make perfect logical sense. |
| 801 | |
| 802 | * So... the episode isn't canon, but is the journal entry? Someone who's got the {{Defictionalized}} [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3]], is there a page on the brain-boosting mushrooms (and for that matter, the Truth Teeth from the last VignetteEpisode)? |
| 803 | ** The Truth Teeth do appear in the {{Defictionalized}} Journal #3, which should be no surprise as that was the one tale from Bottomless Pit that was stated to have actually happened. However, the book also makes reference to the author having encountered the crone who stole Stan's hands in his story from this episode. While this may seem at first to suggest that his stories aren't fictional, it's more likely that Stan drew inspiration from what he'd read in Journal #3 which he had recently photocopied in full. |
| 804 | [[/folder]] |
| 805 | |
| 806 | [[folder:Society of the Blind Eye]] |
| 807 | * Shouldn't the memory capsules show the actual memories they hold, instead of a video log/documentary of the user erasing their memories? [=McGucket's=] capsule even shows time and skips foward like a typical video log. |
| 808 | |
| 809 | * We see seven members of the Society get defeated, but there are clearly at least ten of them in other scenes. Where are the others? |
| 810 | ** SequelHook, perhaps. |
| 811 | ** Given that Dipper took the memory-erasing gun and its creator wasn't a Society member, there's not much they can accomplish. |
| 812 | |
| 813 | * Now that the Society is effectively disbanded, will the masquerade around the supernatural occurrences surrounding Gravity Falls finally [[BrokenMasquerade break]]? |
| 814 | ** There probably isn't actually a masquerade to begin with. The only memories taken away were the ones the society, a very small group, could find out other people know about. Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy have all known about this stuff for a long time now, and yet none of them ever go after the kids. And while the Blind Eye is a secret group, the intelligent people at least probably know about the supernatural, and know that '''something''' will happen to them if they say anything. |
| 815 | ** Then again, Toby Determined is one of the Society's members. So if anyone were to report any monster sightings to the Gravity Falls Gossiper, the Society would be notified immediately. Additionally, Gravity Falls is a relatively small town-word gets around quickly. |
| 816 | ** Never mind all that. |
| 817 | |
| 818 | * It's revealed that [=McGucket=] has repeatedly used the ray to erase his own memories. In one of the video journals, he starts to wonder if there are any negative side-effects to using it. Seriously, he just '''NOW''' starts wondering if there're any side-effects after using it on himself for who knows how many times?! |
| 819 | ** He probably didn't care about any side effects the first time. And after it worked for as many times as it did with what seemed to be no side effects, he just kept using it until he did notice. And the side effects ''seemed'' small at first. Anyway, most side effects probably went unnoticed because it is actively affecting his memory, or written off as leftovers from the reason he erased his memory. |
| 820 | ** It's difficult to ascertain the cause of side effects when you're actively erasing your own memory. The thing about mental instability is that you're usually completely unaware that it's happening. |
| 821 | ** The best thing to do would've been to use a willing volunteer for his memory ray or have a passive observer take data while [=McGucket=] used the ray on himself |
| 822 | |
| 823 | * Minor one, but how could Soos not know Mabel's name for that long after they had an entire rap dedicated to words that rhymed with her name in the second episode? |
| 824 | ** Well, this ''is'' Soos we're talking about. |
| 825 | ** Or Soos probably got his memory erased by the Society at one point. |
| 826 | |
| 827 | * Dipper, Mabel, and the others have been involved paranormal phenomenon all summer. In fact, of all the people in town, they're probably ''the'' most involved with it. So... '''WHY HAS THE SOCIETY OF THE BLIND EYE NEVER PAYED THEM A VISIT?!''' |
| 828 | ** Maybe they [[ParanoiaFuel have]]... |
| 829 | ** Then why did they allow them to keep their memories? |
| 830 | *** Would you fuck with Stan Pines and his crew? |
| 831 | ** Which memories? The memory gun is specific and the society isn't all knowing. Just because the society hadn't found out about everything they've encountered wouldn't mean they couldn't have caught them discovering some things. |
| 832 | *** Future episode plot? They find something important, and then it's revealed that they had already found it but the Society erased those memories. |
| 833 | ** Competency probably. Most of the town is pretty kooky from being mind wiped, not to mention the Society uses the mind wiper on themselves. Alternately, it could be that Pines family and friends are in too deep and off the radar of the group. |
| 834 | ** There's also the fact that the Society seems to perceive itself mainly as a humanitarian group that takes away people's ''unwanted'' memories. Lazy Susan, in the beginning of the episode, seems like seeing the gnomes has completely and totally broken her. On the other hand, Dipper and Mabel are just a little weirded out by what they see going on, but they never become hysterical or seem legitimately traumatized. The same is true for everyone else at the Mystery Shack, and other characters who talk about supernatural events without too much concern (like Wendy's father, who's seen the Hide Behind and the Manotaurs). The decision to erase all of their summer memories might just be an overreaction to the fact that they've found the Society, almost like a sort of punishment for stumbling upon their secrets. |
| 835 | ** From what the Society says, everybody who has had their memories erased did so voluntarily. They only go after Dipper and co. once they find out about the Society's existence. |
| 836 | ** The Society might consider the twins as less of a worry considering since they're only staying in Gravity Falls for three months. |
| 837 | |
| 838 | * Isn't the Society's mission rather self-destructive? By erasing people's memories, all you're doing is making them incredibly vulnerable to the town's weirdness through sheer ignorance. Wouldn't its founder, a scientist, think it a better idea to instead study the horrors of Gravity Falls and find a better way to combat them?...or maybe use the memory gun on various monsters and make them forget they're a threat to humans? |
| 839 | ** [=McGucket=] started using the memory erase gun in order to erase his memory of doing something he deeply regretted, not necessarily something supernatural. It was only once he started becoming more obsessed with the gun (and more delirious, probably due to the gaps in his memory), that he started erasing memory of the supernatural stuff. Remember, he founded the society for people to erase their memories and nothing more, so its possible its intentions to be specifically for supernatural things have changed over time. |
| 840 | ** That's kind of the point of the episode. Erasing your memories to escape your past is (quite literally in this episode) self destructive behavior. |
| 841 | |
| 842 | |
| 843 | * Instead of erasing his own memories of Gideon's tantrums, why didn't Bud just erase Gideon's memories and manipulate him into being a better person and/or ideal son? It's a dick move sure, but a [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic one]] given that it's [[AxCrazy Gideon]] we're talking about here. |
| 844 | ** I can think of several reasons. First, which memories do you erase to "manipulate him?" It would seem like you'd have to erase almost all of them, which brings me to my second point. the side effects. The more you erase, the more brain damage it seems to do. Would you do that to your son? (It is implied that, despite Gideon being evil, he still loves him). Third, he's obviously terrified of him. He might just be too cowardly to approach him with an obvious gun-shaped device for fear of how he might react, especially if Gideon somehow gets the device. Finally, even if you erase his memories, and no brain damage is incurred, whose to say that would really change his personality? He might be evil for reasons that aren't tied to his memories, or he might turn out even worse somehow, possibly due to lacking any memories of his father's kindness, or memories in which he experiences regret for his actions (presuming those exist). |
| 845 | ** Please consider that, from Bud's perspective, Gideon's never thrown more than one or possibly 2 tantrums. If he erases his memory after every bad one then he'd never put two and two together and realize what a problem Gideon is. That's why he's not traumatized. Every time he wipes his memory he's rationalizing that he just needs to forget one bad episode, not that there's any long-running problems in his family. |
| 846 | ** The Society presumably has regulations regarding the use of the memory gun such as using it on willing recipients (the Mystery gang being an exception due to stumbling upon the Society) and only using the gun only in regards to the supernaturals. If Bud came to the Society asking for permission to use the memory gun on Gideon to remove some tantrums, the Society would refuse. Alternately, Bud may not had wanted to risk [[EnfantTerrible Gideon]] getting hold of the memory gun if he tried to use it on him or brought him to the Society. |
| 847 | |
| 848 | * At no point does Dipper (or anyone else) consider actually reading the Journal's article on the "Blind Eye Society" despite it being that that sets off [=McGucket=]'s memories. Its possible he already had and pages simply didn't contain anything useful, but they seemed surprised at the secret orders existence. So if that's true, what exactly was the two pages dedicated to the cult about? |
| 849 | ** Author's speculation on who they are? |
| 850 | ** The Author probably noticed that the townsfolk were starting to act strange and notice less, and maybe just found the symbol carved somewhere. He didn't know there was a secret society, he, in his paranoid state, just assumed the eye with the x through it had something to do with everyone getting stupid. |
| 851 | ** With the {{Defictionalization}} of Journal 3, we can now read the entry. The pages in normal ink have absolutely no useful information whatsoever, just the symbol and name and some paranoid rantings. The next page is blank, though, and may have invisible ink in the Special Edition. |
| 852 | |
| 853 | * At no point in Season 1 was it ever mentioned or alluded to that [=McGucket=] doesn't remember his past. Sure, he was an old kook that nobody took seriously but his memory seemed fine - in episode 2 he remembered his son, his friend who didn't show up for his retirement party etc. He shouldn't remember anything from before 1982. Sure, you can always use the "[=McGucket's=] crazy" excuse but that oversimplifies it. |
| 854 | ** The memory gun only seems to erase [[LaserGuidedAmnesia clearly specified memories]] outright. Presumably [=McGucket=] didn't want to erase memories of his family and thus they were spared, but his otherwise preserved memories were corrupted by the side-effects of repeated use. |
| 855 | [[/folder]] |
| 856 | |
| 857 | [[folder:Blendin's Game]] |
| 858 | * It's me or the episode have some ContinuitySnarl? Soos's birthday is revealed to be on July 13 which would mean that the episode takes place during Sock Opera (July 11 to 14 according to a scene), yet Stan is seen wearing the bandages from the previous episode that obviously takes place AFTER Bill Cipher destroys the laptop. My head hurts. |
| 859 | ** It almost seems fitting for an episode with this subject matter. |
| 860 | ** Journal 3 retcons the episode (and presumably Soos' birthday) to take place somewhere between July 29 and August 22 instead. |
| 861 | |
| 862 | * So anyone can just challenge '''anyone''' they want to fight in gladiatorial combat to receive a paradox-free time wish. And then they get to decide the fate of the loser without having to use the wish. What exactly is stopping two friends from challenging each other, letting the other off without consequences should they win, and then making a wish for both of them? Or if we're being dark, a grown adult challenging a young child, like toddler age, and receiving anything they want? |
| 863 | ** Well, remember, we never find out the exact rules and restrictions of Globnar, so this is just us assuming. Plus, given the fact that its meant to both take place in a dystopian future and be a parody of "Immoral death game" stories like ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' and ''Literature/EndersGame'', [[FridgeHorror it doesn't exactly seem out of place.]] |
| 864 | ** There could be more legal stuff tied into Globnar that wasn't shown on-screen. Blendin did refer to Dipper and Mabel as "the kids who ruined [his] life" or something like that, and negatively influencing someone's life through time travel doesn't seem too unlikely. |
| 865 | ** The answer to the question is probably "Time Baby." Globnar isn't a natural law of the universe. If someone tried to rig the game, or tried to use their Time Wish to wish Time Baby out of existence or become omnipotent, the answer would probably just be "No." As to why Blendin was allowed to challenge two kids to gladiatorial combat ... Dipper and Mabel have a pretty impressive track record, and there are two of them to Blendin's one (which is ultimately how they win). |
| 866 | |
| 867 | * The Time Wish is clearly meant to be just one wish, so how does Soos get two wishes? His first wish is to fix the injuries Mabel and Dipper got in Globnar, the second one is an infinite pizza slice. |
| 868 | ** Cleaning Dipper and Mabel up might have used such a minuscule amount of the Time Wish's power that it still had enough left to grant Soos an infinite pizza slice. |
| 869 | |
| 870 | * This is a Soos-centric episode, taking place post-'Soos and the Real Girl', so it seems odd to me that Melody doesn't appear (even via video call) and isn't even mentioned throughout the episode. Possible explanations? |
| 871 | |
| 872 | * This is a super minor thing, but how did Stan, Soos, Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Candy and Grenda all fit in Stan's car? There's not enough seats for that. |
| 873 | ** Stan's car is designed to hold six people. They might have been able to wedge the extra person in there, or they could have had them, like, sit on top of someone else. Granted, the extra person would be left without a seat belt, but Stan doesn't seem like the type of guy to be super insistent on seat belt safety. |
| 874 | [[/folder]] |
| 875 | |
| 876 | [[folder:The Love God]] |
| 877 | * Why do people keep saying that Robbie and Tambry had BelligerentSexualTension before Mabel spiked their food? Robbie and Tambry have had zero real interaction until this episode and when they did finally interact, they had nothing but contempt for each other. And what if Robbie and Tambry aren't truly meant for each other? Would this mean that their actual true loves would spend the rest of their lives alone? What if Tambry had a crush on Nate or someone else? Would this mean her own feelings have now been overwritten with feelings for Robbie? |
| 878 | ** As for the tension, it might be people reading a bit too far into something, but there is the fact that despite there apparent contempt for the other, they were clearly perfectly happy to stay and share a meal together, so at the very worst they weren't against hanging out. By accepting that, that does more or less mean they were okay with at least trying one date, even if they hadn't consciously realized this. People also pick up on the fact that Tambry had quite a different reaction to Robbie calling her "Tambers" than she did when she was called that earlier. |
| 879 | ** As for all the concerns, I don't think anything in the episode suggested they weren’t completely real and possible dangers. Hence why Love God made such a big thing over how dangerous it was for someone who didn't know what they were doing to meddle in these matters. Seriously they could have all happened, it's just very lucky that they apparently didn't (or perhaps they did, we will never know now). As to why they don't just go back, the implication is once it's done the status quo is changed, simply undoing the love potion won't automatically cause it to snap back to the former status quo. The consequences can’t be escaped, the damage is done, and all you can do is except this new reality. Altering would likely just cause more damage. |
| 880 | *** Maybe more importantly, the other vial Mabel steals from the Love God ''isn't'' an antidote that would cause things to snap back to the former status quo. It explicitly causes people to fall out of love with each other. Presumably, it's just as permanent as the love potion Mabel uses earlier, but in the opposite direction. Using it would just mean tampering more and possibly causing even more serious problems. It was wrong and dangerous to mess with their emotions in the first place, but doing it again wouldn't set things right. It would just be another wrong and dangerous act. |
| 881 | ** Turns out in ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' that the effects only last a few hours if nothing is actually there. Now, a few hours is definitely enough time to make mistakes that could lead to life-changing consequences, but they clearly weren't going for that kind of implication here. |
| 882 | |
| 883 | * Did that mother and son... die from the burning Stan balloon...? |
| 884 | ** No. The balloon landed on the Love God, not them. |
| 885 | |
| 886 | * Not So serious but about the Love God himself |
| 887 | ** Uhm I get, humour show on Disney but they seem to zigzag with his presentation. Drunken emotionally manipulative charismatic fits for Cupid, no doubt, but does he have a sex/love drive himself? He's shown taking actions evocative of making out or sex but carefully shown or disclaimed to be doing something else - "Sign my face" - or was that set up to help misdirect for whatever the hell he was doing in the van. Given his arrival in the diner has people making out explicitly why all the misleading? |
| 888 | *** Most likely because, rightly or wrongly, the creators of the show thought that the subverted innuendo would be funnier than just having him make out with someone. The idea that he might be a literal love god who is completely asexual (and wants to make people think he's not, in the case of the incident with the van where he gets his "groupies" to make it ''look'' like they just had sex) is unexpected and kind of funny, as well. |
| 889 | ** I feel this is criminally unmentioned but what is his "rock career" consist of? |
| 890 | *** He's never depicted with an instrument or singing aside from the decal on the cassette tape he hands to Mabel. But he's called in for a sound check and no instruments are seen with him. Just found it weird and unusual. Particularly in contrast with the other performers in the episode or series.ty |
| 891 | ** What *was* he doing in the damned van with Cute Biker and The Other One. It implicitly WASN'T making it shake in the sexy times way because of the intentional bedheading (likely for the censors/parents but it still matters in story). IT seems he was kind of 'covering' himself only with male and female groupie. Making me wonder if, ala putti statues, he's personally sexless so keeps building up a reputation of being (bi)sex god and keep people guessing he's born eunuch. Moreover how did he get Tyler and the other one to agree to do whatever happened with him? |
| 892 | *** The van did have a suspiciously-shaped glass tube in it, so possibly drugs. |
| 893 | |
| 894 | * Based on the framed photos in the Valentino house wall, Robbie looked like a wholesome kid all the way to his teen years, until he turned into an emo kid, as seen in the most recent photo. But in episode preceding this one, "Blendin's Game", we saw Robbie as a child 10 years ago, and he already had the same emo look as the present-day Robbie. What's up with the discrepancy? |
| 895 | ** It's probably just a design retcon like with young Stan, but it could be explained that he was always kind of a little shit but still willing to dress up for photos until his teens. |
| 896 | |
| 897 | * Both the show and the fandom treat Wendy, Lee and Nate's reactions to the news that Tambry and Robbie were dating as overreactions and like they TookALevelInJerkass. In Lee's case, that's pretty much the case, and same with Wendy, although to a lesser degree. However, Nate had ''every right'' to be mad that Robbie, who up until that point had shown no interest in anyone other than Wendy, deciding to date the girl who Nate had explicitly told him he was planning to ask out, so why is Nate's infuriated reaction treated on par with Lee and Wendy's easily resolved teenage overreactions? |
| 898 | [[/folder]] |
| 899 | |
| 900 | [[folder:Northwest Mansion Mystery]] |
| 901 | * Is it just just me or does Nathaniel Northwest [[TookALevelInJerkass seem unusually assholish]] for someone that described as the waste-shoveling village idiot? |
| 902 | ** It could just be chalked up to the power going to his head. Power corrupts. |
| 903 | ** Could be he was always a {{Jerkass}}, just a powerless one before the cover-up. DumbIsGood is not a rule of thumb, after all. |
| 904 | ** He appears to be much smarter than depicted in the article though. |
| 905 | *** It's possible that was his son. |
| 906 | *** It's implied he might have been ObfuscatingStupidity (perhaps so the government would think it would be harmless to give him all this wealth and status). His descendant Preston certainly likes to play himself up as an UpperClassTwit, rather than the manipulative, callous and ruthless man he is. Perhaps it's just another trait that runs in the Northwest family. |
| 907 | |
| 908 | * How does something so out-of-place like the tapestry go unnoticed especially by [=McGucket=] or Dipper, who are possibly the most paranoid people in the world? |
| 909 | ** [=McGucket=] probably saw it, but didn't think about it too hard (we have no evidence that he's consciously aware of who or what Bill even is), and Dipper had other things on his mind all night between the ghost-hunting and reevaluating his opinion of Pacifica, so it's not that surprising that he didn't notice it. That said, it is a tapestry of people bowing down to a seemingly-demonic entity while the world around them burns, which one would expect to raise a few red flags, even with the random guests. I think the real headscratcher here is "Why do the Northwests have something so ObviouslyEvil on display in the main room where they hold parties?" |
| 910 | ** Additionally why do the Northwests have a room full of all the wrong deeds that they have done? Are they prideful of it? |
| 911 | *** Considering they've gone out of their way to pretty much be a family of sociopaths for at least five generations, I would say yes. |
| 912 | *** That room was a hidden one. Not even Pacifica knew it was there. Likely that's where they stuff anything that makes the family out to be less than perfect. |
| 913 | |
| 914 | * How did just looking at the trees cause the mirror to turn red-hot? |
| 915 | ** He could have done it at any time, but he needed to trick Dipper into raising the mirror high enough to break the mirror. |
| 916 | ** Presumably because as the ghost of a lumberjack, much of the ghost's power derives from wood and trees. Reflecting a forest in the mirror gave him a huge power boost. |
| 917 | ** He needed it to be a surprise to Dipper so that he would let go and the mirror would shatter. |
| 918 | |
| 919 | * How did [=McGucket=] know the password for the laptop he fixed, did he hack it, remember it, or was it even needed? |
| 920 | ** As he literally rebuilt it, it's possible when he fixed it he simply removed that feature. Or alternatively, as it was his laptop, it's possible he just had to narrow it down to a seven-letter word that he would use as a password (say a beloved family member's name, or something he had enjoyed). Or as the episode shows [=McGucket=] is clearly well on the road to recovery, so it's not impossible he just managed to remember what he set the password as. |
| 921 | ** The password was '''STANFORD'''. It wouldn't be hard for him to guess. |
| 922 | |
| 923 | * Where were Pacifica's friends at the party (the same ones seen with her in "Double Dipper") and do they even know about how Pacifica's parents treat her? Some friends they are! |
| 924 | ** The whole theme about Pacifica is how her upbringing has essentially isolated her. Her "friends" are simply [[YesMan Yes Girls]] who only follow Pacifica around for her status and family's wealth. They aren't really TrueCompanions to to the extent Mabel's are. |
| 925 | |
| 926 | * Why did the Northwests not just, I don't know, not have their annual party? Or have it outside the manor? Or have it every couple of years instead of once a year? It would have saved them a lot of trouble, if they insisted on keeping the "riffraff" out. |
| 927 | ** Believe me, as the writer of that entry on "What An Idiot," I have been pondering that. It could be that the Northwests have a history of DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu given that in "Weirdmageddon" Bill destroys the statue of Nathaniel Northwest instead of making it come to life and rearranges Preston's face when the latter tries to suck up to him. The Northwests might have been hoping that with one hundred and fifty years for the curse to fulfill itself, that it would have been a sham. Still, they were being stupid about it. |
| 928 | ** Plus, those that managed to build a legacy over exploiting people for generations tend to develop an overinflated and very fragile ego, where doing even the simplest of generous acts, like letting the common folk into their home, would severely damage that ego. |
| 929 | |
| 930 | * So what was the point of the Bill tapestry in the Northwest home? Despite a zoom in on it and dramatic music, it never gets mentioned again or explained, and Preston's one interaction with Bill was an act of opportunity that didn't really convey any sense of him having known about Bill beforehand. |
| 931 | ** It's just a piece of ancient artwork depicting Bill's interaction with human. The Northwests probably keep it for its historical value and never bother to study it. |
| 932 | ** Foreshadowing of things to come. The apocalypse sign guy immediately starts trying to worship Bill when he gets into Gravity Falls, after all. |
| 933 | |
| 934 | * It's widely assumed that the show takes place in 2012, however that leads to a chronology issue. 'Irrational Treasure' confirms that the town was founded in 1863, which is one hundred and forty-nine years before 2012. This leads to a slight issue, as it implies that Northwest Mansion was completed a year before the town was founded (because this party is the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary), which is highly possible, because there's a strong likelihood that there were a number of people settled before the town was formally founded by Quentin Trembley--however, Nathaniel Northwest was the waste-shovelling village idiot prior to being proclaimed founder of the town, so how would he be able to afford such an impressive home, and have the prestige, if he wasn't even the fake town founder yet? |
| 935 | ** According to Journal 3 the town was actually founded in 1842, which is somewhat implied by the show as well as Quentin Trembley was kicked out of office shortly after winning the 1837 election and doesn’t look noticeably older than however old he was in that year when he’s frozen in peanut brittle. The Journal retcons the 1863 date to be the year of the great flood that killed the lumberfolk, which also makes the year the show is set 2013. |
| 936 | [[/folder]] |
| 937 | |
| 938 | [[folder:Not What He Seems]] |
| 939 | * This may be an example of in-universe FridgeLogic (to the point of being a debatable TragicMistake), but why didn't Stan inform Mabel and Dipper of his plans to open the portal as soon as he knew that they had the journal and that they knew that its contents were true? Always assuming that it ''couldn't'' actually destroy the Universe (which is, in all fairness, a big assumption, but seems to be Stan's view), he might have been able to explain everything right then and there, avoiding a lot of pain down the road. If he had been wrong, he would have had two relatively dispassionate people he trusted to explain ''why'' he was wrong, possibly saving countless lives. |
| 940 | ** Stan had been going out of his way to hide his secrets for thirty years, it was possible he was so set in doing so, he simply carried on that way even when he possibly didn't need to. Then after he had done it, he was down the rabbit hole, coming forward to them would mean he would have to admit he lied even more than he needed to. This could disillusion them, and there is no telling what might occur if that happened, we saw from the beginning of "Not What He Seems" that Stan was already feeling guilty about keeping so much from them, and had was thinking about telling them, it appears he just couldn't bring himself to potentially destroy everything, when he was so close. Also there is the concern that the Portal legitimately could cause doomsday, while Stan clearly was willing to take the gamble due to his love for his brother and having seen it be used before he knew it could be used safely, however trying to convince them of that might have been more difficult. After all, risking everyone's life for somebody they have never met is a bit hard to ask, even if its family. |
| 941 | |
| 942 | * If the government agents knew so much about Stan, wouldn't they have known Dipper and Mabel had parents they could be brought to instead of Child Services? |
| 943 | ** Too long a drive? |
| 944 | ** If they thought Stan was an impostor, they might not have realized that Dipper and Mabel were actually who they said they were. Also, given the distance, Child Services is probably where they would go even if they did know who they were, if only for a few hour stay. It's not like Powers and Trigger's agency is equipped for kids or finding their parents (at least not without logistical difficulties compared with an agency that does it on a daily basis). |
| 945 | |
| 946 | * So, Grunkle Stan was innocent and had no intention of destroying the world. Isn't it still ''entirely'' possible that he just didn't know that the machine was dangerous? The writing that Dipper sees in the Journals was only visible under a UV light, and if Stan had never figured out that the Journals had hidden text, then he could have genuinely believed that minor gravitational anomalies were the worst things that it was capable of. Shouldn't Mabel or Dipper have at least mentioned that the Journals actually said that the machine was dangerous and that they weren't just jumping to conclusions based on the fact that the FBI believed that it was a doomsday device? Mabel was right to trust that he didn't believe that it was dangerous and that he genuinely loved both of them, but was she right to think that it wasn't dangerous because of that? It's entirely possible that they just got extremely lucky. |
| 947 | ** Actually, if you rewatch Scary-Oke, Stan was with Dipper and Mabel when they discovered the UV light displayed hidden text. So he knew about the hidden text and, if it was as important to him as it appears to be, he would have checked every journal for hidden text and found the warnings. |
| 948 | ** It is entire possible, and most likely right. I think it's very unlikely, after everything we've seen of him, that Stan is evil. But Dipper lacks the knowledge that this is a TV show, and that Stan can be a good person when Dipper isn't looking. Dipper is very cynical and has poor self esteem, and it's entirely in character for him to assume Stan never loved them and had been tricking them the entire time. He looks at things from a logical perspective, ie, the MOUNTAIN of evidence that Stan has fabricated everything about himself, possibly including his affection for the twins. |
| 949 | *** Dipper ''can'' sometimes go beyond being knowledgeable straight to being overly anxious, and Mabel is obviously overly trusting, so it might actually fit pretty well with both of their personalities to assume either the absolute worst ( that he was an omnicidal fraud, despite having literally been inside of Stan's mind where he had no incentive or ability to lie about his affection for at least Dipper) or the absolute best ( that he was both innocent and fully competent, even though someone so desperate to achieve their goals could easily make mistakes without any sort of malice). |
| 950 | ** Actually, Stan DOES read the warnings, but actively ignores them. |
| 951 | ** If The real Stanford Pines' death was reported in the newspaper, wouldn't the rest of the Pines family have been notified and thus make it impossible for "Stan" to pull off his DeadPersonImpersonation? |
| 952 | *** The article only said that Stan Pines was dead, not Stanford. It's very likely that Stan's brother is also named Stan. |
| 953 | *** On that same note, it wouldn't be impossible that Dipper and Mabel's parents could know that the Stan Pines at the Mystery Shack isn't the one who founded the tourist trap, but is in fact the other one. This would be pretty much impossible to avoid if "Grunkle" Stan were actually Grandpa Stan. |
| 954 | *** Relevant personal experience here, but while I was informed early on that my paternal grandfather had died before I was born, I wasn't informed until I was ten that he had been murdered. There have been real life cases of people not knowing that relatives even existed until they go through other family member's records. The rest of the family may know something, and simply decided that the twins are to young to be told, or that they didn't need to know. That's assuming that events didn't happen while the twins ''parents'' were considered too young to tell, and assuming that information wasn't kept from ''them'' as well That said considering that the twins' parents sent them to "Grunkle Stan's for the summer, they probably know who he is on some level |
| 955 | *** Well we do see them phone him in "Gideon Rises" and from the way the conversation goes, it seems safe to say they do know him (it even apparently ends with them saying they love him). However you have a point about their parents potentially being too young at the time; since the death happened thirty years ago, and Dipper and Mabel are only twelve, its possible that thirty years ago their father was a child when it happened. |
| 956 | ** Adding fuel to the flames here with this lil' tidbit from an Alex Hirsch Reddit AMA |
| 957 | -->madamerenard: I know he's their great uncle and all, but what made Dipper and Mabel's parents send their kids to live with a wanted criminal? |
| 958 | -->_alexhirsch[S]:Dipper & Mabel's parents dont know Stan as well as they think they do |
| 959 | ** "A Tale of Two Stans" explains everything. Grunkle Stan is actually Stanley and his twin brother is Stanford. The newspaper article was about Dipper and Mabel's great uncle Stanley, and the real Stanford was sucked into the portal. From then on, Stanley began impersonating Stanford, and faked his own death so no one would go looking for him. Dipper and Mabel's parents believed they were sending the twins to Stanford, rather than Stanley, who they thought was dead. |
| 960 | |
| 961 | * So in "Into the Bunker", when the shape shifter said that the author hasn't been the same for 30 years, was he talking about Stan and confusing him for his brother? |
| 962 | ** Well there's the question. Personally I think he's talking about Stan's brother. People are all thinking the author is some kind of wise old future badass, but from what we've read of the diaries he was going crazy (and [=McGucket=] quit and erased his memories) long before he disappeared. His mental state is still up in the air as far as I'm concerned. |
| 963 | ** Then again, we viewers have seen things over the seasons that make paranoia pretty justifiable (Bill being the major one that jumps to mind) which begs the question: How much of the crazy scribbling were the mutterings of a man suffering from full blown sanity slippage,and how much were the desperate writings of a man gradually finding himself further and further over his head and doing the best he could (And still suffering some sanity slippage, cause seriously who wouldn't?). Either way, odds are pretty good that this guy is at ''least'' a ''little'' altered by what he's seen. |
| 964 | ** After the reveals in "A Tale of Two Stans", the shapeshifter was most likely referring to the real Stanford's descent into paranoia. |
| 965 | |
| 966 | * Why are the agents taking Dipper and Mabel to child services, rather than contacting their parents to come retrieve them? |
| 967 | ** Most likely they were taking them to child services as the most efficient way to hold them until their parents could arrive. They don't even live in the same state, so it would take quite some time to arrange their return. The agents also probably intended to interrogate the Pines about what they knew about Grunkle Stan before releasing them to their parents. |
| 968 | |
| 969 | * We see the twins get the code to open the vending machine, but how did they get the code to activate the elevator? |
| 970 | [[/folder]] |
| 971 | |
| 972 | [[folder:A Tale of Two Stans]] |
| 973 | * Why couldn't Ford find a better college? Obviously West Coast was no longer an option, but he was a literal genius. Going from the best college in the country to the worst is quite a big jump. |
| 974 | ** The whole situation around Ford going to college is a bit weird anyway since it's fairly late in his final year of school (warm weather, him and Stan went to prom together, the admissions team is arriving the next day) but the meeting with his principal was apparently the first time any of the Pines thought about the idea of him at university. Considering how late in the year it is it's possible that he missed the application window for less-desperate schools, or that he didn't have any notable achievements other than very good grades (but with his D- in gym dragging his GPA down) and the (broken, discredited) perpetual motion machine and so got into better schools but didn't get generous enough scholarships for his extremely cheap father to let him attend them. Alternatively he hadn't researched any schools other than WCT and considered them all equally inferior so he picked Backupsmore at random. |
| 975 | |
| 976 | * We see the flashback of the two Stans growing up, but it was Stanford (the Author) who grew up as a nerd. Yet, in Stanley's (Grunkle Stan) flashback in "Dreamscaperers", where he was explaining to Dipper about how his father was hard on him to toughen him up and made him take boxing, Stanley was the one who looked like a nerd. Was it a case of UnreliableNarrator? Was Stanley's appearance irrelevant in that case and what was more important was that he was teaching a lesson to Dipper about being tougher? |
| 977 | ** Given Stanford's presence at the boxing ring, they BOTH might have been forced to take lessons. Stanford is certainly capable of giving Stanley a good fight, and Stanley isn't exactly a powerhouse jock in the flashbacks. It's possible Stanley is telling a Stanford story because Dipper is the 'Stanford', but I don't see why that has to be the case. |
| 978 | ** Arguing for an unintentional case of UnreliableNarrator here. The previous flashbacks were drawn from Grunkle Stan's mindscape, which means that they can be more easily colored by his perception of things. He stated that he was a wimp growing up (Or something to that effect) so maybe that version of lil Stan was colored by his perception of what he thinks a "wimp" is supposed to look like, his own insecurities and self perceptions, or all three at once. Or he and Ford could have tried to pull the whole Twin swap thing a couple times and his memories of wearing glasses as a kid could be from when he was pretending to be Ford. Whatever makes more sense. |
| 979 | ** The memory was of him telling the story to Soos, who did not know at the time that Stan had a brother. It could be that Stan sees a lot of Ford in Dipper but couldn't really say that to Soos since he's pretending to be Ford at this point, so he is being an UnreliableNarrator on purpose so that Soos can hear the reasoning behind his actions without finding out too much. |
| 980 | ** According to the commentary, the reason why younger Stan looks different than in ''Dreamscaperers'' is because [[RuleOfCool the new designs they drew looked better.]] Hirsch even says the old designs are now retconned. |
| 981 | |
| 982 | * Why were both Stans called to the principal's office? The secretary told Stanley to sit outside the second he arrived, and with the way the principal was talking about him, he clearly did not want nor expect Stanley to be listening. |
| 983 | ** The principal totally ''did'' want and expect Stan to hear - at the beginning of the meeting, he ''outright says Stan’s standing outside the room'', and why would he say that unless he knew he was there? He deliberately set it up that way so he could badmouth Stan without having to talk to him directly. |
| 984 | |
| 985 | * One of the driving issues that divided the two Stans was the accidental destruction of Ford's perpetual motion machine costing him his scholarship. But wouldn't it have been possible for Ford to build another and show it to the university? |
| 986 | ** It might be invite only, and they firmly ignore any pleas for admission outside of one time events. |
| 987 | |
| 988 | * Can someone explain to me how old Dipper and Mabel's grandparent must be? At one point during the Stans flashback, we see their mother holding a child, presumably growing up to be Dipper and Mabel's grandparent, but the ages just don't quite add up. |
| 989 | ** They line up fine if you assume both she and her son had a kid while young. It was said to be "1960-something", if each had their kids around 20 then the math adds up fine. |
| 990 | ** Actually, if you take into account the twins' age, it doesn't. Shermie seemed to be one at the time we saw him. Then we jump forward and Stan says he hasn't seen Ford in ten years. Then he takes his identity for thirty years. That's 41. Subtract 12 and divide by two and you get... [[{{Squick}} About 14.]] |
| 991 | ** Well, assuming that the baby in the scene WAS Shermy and not Dipper and Mabel's father. |
| 992 | ** Seeing as we know the series takes place in 2012 and Stan says in his flashback that he grew up in New Jersey in the 1960s, let's be generous and say the year is 1960... In their initial appearances let's also be generous and say that both Stans are six. That means they're born in 1954. 1954+18+10+30=2012, so these numbers are roughly correct (ignoring month of birth versus month of setting). Stan and his brother are both 58, Shermy being the kids grandfather is roughly 1 to 2 in 1972 (assuming he is the baby in the flashback), 2012-1970=42 years old. If he had Mabel and Dipper's father at 15 (extremely early for the 1980s) and then their father had both kids at 15, this is the only way that Dipper and Mabel could be 12. Unless, the baby is their father, which means that their parents had Dipper and Mabel at 30, much more realistic. So, Shermy must be the Stans' older brother (he could have already been out of the house when Stanley gave his first flashback, 18 (graduated in 1960) +12 (years left until the Stans are 18, assuming 6 in the first flashback) =30 in 1972, meaning he had Dipper and Mabel's grandfather in his late 20s. He should be 70 in 2012, assuming this math is accurate. |
| 993 | ** Couple of things to consider: First of all Stanley says he hadn't seen his brother in over 10 years, key word being ''over'', and it's not actually confirmed that the last time they saw each other was when Stanley got kicked out, it's possible he attempted to meet up with his brother again while he was at College (only to be shunned since Stanford didn't want his brother to ruin his academic success again). On top of this the 30 years that Standford has been said to stuck in another dimension could have been a rounded down estimate. That combined could provide the best part of an extra decade which helps make Shermy being the baby more feasible. |
| 994 | *** He doesn't say "over" though. His exact words are "You finally wanna see me after ten years..." It's still potentially feasible that he's rounding a bit, but it does make it a little less likely. |
| 995 | *** During the fight he says that but before he knocks on the door he says, "you haven’t seen your brother in over ten years." Of course this does still suggest a length of time very close to ten years. |
| 996 | ** The date 1982 has been seen around the hidden room in the Mystery Shack and the Bunker, so it's widely assumed Ford ended up in the Portal in 1982 or sooner. Plus, "over ten years" generally means a lower rounded estimate, so it could be anywhere from a few months after ten years to eleven, twelve, or even thirteen, but that still doesn't add enough time for Shermy (if Shermy is the baby) to be a grandfather without teen pregnancy being involved in every generation. |
| 997 | ** For what it's worth, [[WordOfGod Hirsch actually acknowledged this was a mistake]]. He straight-up admitted WritersCannotDoMath. You could pretend they have yet another younger sibling that just never happens to be mentioned, I suppose. |
| 998 | ** This is a bit of a stretch, but has it ever specifically said that Mabel and Dipper are ''biologically'' related to their grunkles? If not, Shermie could have married an older woman with kids from a previous relationship, including the twins' father. Or maybe adoption was involved at some stage? |
| 999 | *** Stan and Ford as kids look a lot like Dipper. |
| 1000 | *** There's also the fact that, in ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', Ford remarks that twins run in the family in response to Dipper and Mabel. There are a few ways you could dance around that to still make adoption a possibility, but they are definitely intended to be biologically related. |
| 1001 | |
| 1002 | * Does Grunkle Stan never meet up with extended family? If he ever met any of them, they'd be really shocked that he doesn't have twelve fingers. |
| 1003 | ** Maybe at one point he told them he got it removed or something. |
| 1004 | ** It seems neither of the Stans did so, with Stanford being a recluse in Oregon and Stanley a grifter constantly on the run from state to state. |
| 1005 | ** It's deuterocanon, but in ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' it's clear that Stanford is no more welcome at home than Stanley, and one of the reasons for his obsession with becoming the next Einstein is so he can go home and rub it in his family's faces. |
| 1006 | |
| 1007 | * Okay, so Ford in the flashback didn't want to destroy his journals because they were full of his research, but still knew people could use his inter-dimensional portal for terrible things. So why not just rip out the pages about the portal and keep the rest of the journals intact? Then he could have held on to the majority of his research and while the knowledge of how to operate the portal could remain a secret. |
| 1008 | ** He probably figured that there might be a situation where the portal would be needed, and either way the information is useless without the other two journals. |
| 1009 | ** Because young Ford is just that arrogant. |
| 1010 | |
| 1011 | * How did Ford know where to send that letter to Stan? Stan was a traveling salesman, and probably never had a fixed home, and even if he did, neither of the two have seen or heard from each other in years, how could Ford possibly know what Stan's address would be, or even know the letter would get to him? |
| 1012 | ** Perhaps he hired a private investigator to track him down. It would make sense since he'd be too paranoid to trust a regular messenger anyways. |
| 1013 | ** He asked the All-Knowing Mailbox. |
| 1014 | |
| 1015 | * Did the idea of finding an honest job just never occur to Stanley? The economy wasn't bad in the time frame he was on his own for and his get rich quick schemes NEVER paid off. |
| 1016 | ** Stanley's father demanded that he never return until he made up for the millions that he expected Stanford to get. After that, Stanley was so angry that he became determined to actually do it just to prove to his family that they were wrong about him. Since he had no known skills and limited experience in the world with the vague goal of matching a hypothetical fortune hanging over him, he gravitated towards whatever he thought would get the money the fastest: first treasure hunting and then the various scams. By the time he got older and likely accepted that getting rich enough to prove himself wasn't going to happen, he was already so deep into the lifestyle that he couldn't get out even if he tried. |
| 1017 | ** There's also the fact that it's implied that Stanley was kicked out before he even graduated high school, making him a dropout. There's very little job opportunities past menial minimum wage jobs that would be available to him. |
| 1018 | ** Stan is also very much a free spirit and a born liar, I doubt he would have lasted very long in any sort of honest job before the desire to cheat the system came over him and he would wind up getting himself sacked. |
| 1019 | |
| 1020 | * How is it that the government agents have all of their data on Grunkle Stan stored in a single flash drive? Shouldn't they presumably have copies in a server or database back at their headquarters? |
| 1021 | ** Yes, but that would result in a much bigger government response than the one shot with the memory eraser gun could possibly cure. If this group of agents were really competent, they'd most likely have not taken Stanford at his word even in their dazed state. It is kind of a plot hole, but it was convenient for the series to get rid of the agents and future government intrusions. |
| 1022 | |
| 1023 | * Before AToTS I think most people assumed [=McGucket=] was a Gravity Falls native, especially with the way he talked about a "vising researcher" instead of a "friend from college" in SotBE seemed to imply that. Not to mention there's the issue of his son living in Gravity Falls. |
| 1024 | ** It also makes you wonder why [=McGucket=] stayed in Gravity Falls if he so desperately tried to forget. You'd think leaving the place that scarred you for life and never returning would be the first step. |
| 1025 | ** Perhaps he couldn't bear to be too far from his son, even in his memory-wipe-addled state. |
| 1026 | |
| 1027 | * Where did Stanley get the money to start [=StanCo=] Enterprises? No matter how shoddy his products were, the required materials couldn't have been for free. |
| 1028 | ** Stan probably had some money saved up from other jobs or ventures he was involved with. His products were terrible, after all, so they must have been terribly cheap. Alternatively, Stan stole, swindled, or embezzled enough cash to start his businesses and make and sell his products. As has been revealed many, many, times on the show, he's not above committing crimes to get what he wants. |
| 1029 | ** He could have been pulling double duty on his job taking payment to haul away waste or offering to dispose of it for free then repurposing it. Unusable stained cloth swatches from a rug or fabric store mixed with faulty dyes that leach into everything gets you the sham total, wood scraps and slag iron for the pitchforks, etc. Then whenever he made it to a new state he used part of his previous earnings to bankroll another new business. |
| 1030 | [[/folder]] |
| 1031 | |
| 1032 | [[folder:Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons]] |
| 1033 | * How exactly does the game between the Pines and Probabilitor work? They seem to call attacks and items ''before'' rolling the die, and they appear, yet for the Impossibeast, an attack is called ''after'' the die is rolled. |
| 1034 | ** The game works this way: in order to win Dipper and Ford have to defeat all of Probabilitor's monsters, so Probabilitor decided what they were when the scenario was set up, no dice rolls required on his part. Next the sides take turns casting spells to aid their characters. Stan casts shield of shielding (13) and probabilitor casts a spell to reverse it (14), since Probabilitor rolled higher his spell undid Stan's shield spell. So the higher the roll the stronger the spell. For the final battle the monster could only be defeated by a perfect 38, once it's rolled Mabel simply decided what the weapon that defeated it would be (death muffins). |
| 1035 | |
| 1036 | * Why is Probabilitor's game so different from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''? The game that Dipper and Ford are playing, as well as the game that Stan describes, all accurately portray "one player creates an environment, the other players take on the roles of fantasy characters to explore it." Probabilitor's game is a head-to-head competition where players just make up anything and whoever makes better dice rolls wins. That's not Dungeons & Dragons, it's Let's Pretend. |
| 1037 | |
| 1038 | ** It was the controversial 1991-1992 edition, ''Diggity Dungeons and All That'', where they tried to make the game "cooler". Might have involved oversimplifying the rules in favor of action scenes and overpowered monsters, |
| 1039 | * Ok in this episode's ending... how come Ford told Dipper to NEVER TELL MABEL NOR STANLEY ABOUT THE RIFT!?! If Ford told the family about the dangers of the rift, Weirdmageddon would've never happened. |
| 1040 | ** Because Ford is an idiot due to his pride and need to keep his mouth shut about everything. As he explains in ''The Last Mabelcorn'', he was too ashamed of falling for Bill's lies and flattery to admit that he messed up and created a device that would destroy their universe. He even didn't want to tell Dipper about the deal, who knows firsthand what it's like to have Bill trick you by making an offer when you're desperate, up until he nearly got his mind erased. In addition, Ford fears that the more people who know about the rift are in greater danger from Bill, an EldritchAbomination who WouldHurtAChild and has done so; he told Dipper because he felt that Dipper had earned his trust by surviving the game with Probabilitor and started resembling a young Ford. That doesn't make Ford's actions right or reasonable, but his motives become more understandable. |
| 1041 | ** ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' makes it very clear that Dipper is the ''only'' family member that Ford has any respect or regard for (at that point). In addition, he specifically doesn't want Mabel anywhere near it because she breaks the gift shop's snow globes for fun. |
| 1042 | |
| 1043 | * So Wendy has no reaction to the stranger that looks a hell of a lot like her boss and drinking soda with one of her friends. This is especially weird since there was no indication of an introduction between the characters, nor an implication that they even knew of each other's existence. Then again, though, Wendy ''did'' listen to a (apparently) 13-hour recap of Ford's return and his history with Stan. Plus, the scene's clear indication that she wasn't willing to hang up on Soos suggests that she actually decided to listen and is thus caught up with what's been going on in the Mystery Shack. |
| 1044 | [[/folder]] |
| 1045 | |
| 1046 | [[folder:The Stanchurian Candidate]] |
| 1047 | * Why didn't Dipper and Mabel tell Soos that they were going to mind control him? And why did [[TookALevelInJerkass Mabel make Soos eat a pinecone]]? |
| 1048 | ** They probably figured it wouldn't be a good judge if it worked or not, if the person knew they were being controlled. The whole point was that Stan couldn't know. |
| 1049 | ** She probably thought of the pinecone thing on an impulse and didn't think twice about eating it, considering all the weird stuff that she eats on occasion. |
| 1050 | ** They also probably wanted to see if the person being controlled would retain any memory of being controlled. |
| 1051 | |
| 1052 | * You'd think Dipper would be against controlling someone against their will, seeing as he had his body snatched by Bill earlier this season and was horrified at what Bill did to his body. You'd think Dipper, of all people, would be against mind-control, yet the issue never comes up. |
| 1053 | ** Bill controlling Dipper was to get him out of the way in order to carry out his evil plans. The Pines twins controlling Stan was only to make Stan speak the 'right way' and Dipper mentions it's also 'ethically ambiguous'. |
| 1054 | ** Multiple characters, including Dipper himself, noted how it was probably wrong. Hell, even ''Gideon'' spells it out. |
| 1055 | ---> '''Gideon:''' "You've gotten a lot eviler since I last saw you." |
| 1056 | |
| 1057 | * Why didn't Mr. Northwest run for the mayor position? It would make sense that he'd want a higher position over the "riff-raff," potentially to make sure they'd ''never'' be able to crash a mansion party again, and someone with his money and charisma would crush Bud and Stan easily. From a writing standpoint as well he would be an additional obstacle for the Pines twins to quell, and allow for some more Pacifica development. |
| 1058 | ** Its possible considering just how classist and arrogant Preston is, he considers any form of work (even self-beneficial work) beneath him. From what we've seen he hasn't really done anything with his vast fortune, save own a few companies he probably has other people run. With a man with his levels of influence, wealth, charisma and total ruthlessness he could probably a far worse threat than even Gideon, but he's to lazy and elitist to put the necessary work in. |
| 1059 | |
| 1060 | * On a similar note, why doesn't Stan use his con-artist charisma when he starts to run for office? At the Mystery Shack it's shown that he knows how to manipulate crowds into accepting cheap novelties, and yet none of those skills come up when manipulating crowds on the radio. Isn't politics not that much different from running a scam? |
| 1061 | ** Interestingly that fact is acknowledged by Mabel early on, however Stan never uses it. Its possible he didn't see the similarities to his standard cons, cause when he's work in the Mystery Shack he's trying to deceive and sell fake things. But here he's effectively trying to sell himself. |
| 1062 | ** Stan isn't a particularly sophisticated con artist. He's a terrific liar, sure, but his stinginess and abrasiveness spoil things. The Mystery Shack is the only really successful con we see him pull, and it runs on his ability to counterfeit exhibits, not his personal charm. |
| 1063 | |
| 1064 | * The kids say that Ford could have run for mayor and won...but let's be honest, Ford would be a *terrible* candidate. He can do lots of cool stuff, yes, but he also has No Social Skills and would rather be out in the woods studying weird animals, and also had no problem giving a crossbow to a twelve-year-old and taking another twelve-year-old to a potentially dangerous alien spacecraft. So ha. |
| 1065 | [[/folder]] |
| 1066 | |
| 1067 | [[folder:The Last Mabelcorn]] |
| 1068 | * If Stanford has a metal plate in his head to prevent Bill from entering his mind, then why did Bill show up in his dream at the very beginning of the episode? |
| 1069 | ** The dream occurs in the Mindscape, where Bill is free to come and go as he pleases. However the metal plate stops Bill from actually entering Stanford's mind and possessing him. |
| 1070 | |
| 1071 | * Why did the two unicorn stallions help Celestabelle fight of Mabel and co. when they outed her scheme in the first place (and sounded disapproving of said scheme)? |
| 1072 | ** They don't like Celestabelle, but that doesn't mean they want her to be forcibly shaved |
| 1073 | |
| 1074 | * Why on earth does Ford have several pictures of Bill in his office? Bill's AMA thread confirms he can see through any image of himself, so isn't that asking Bill to spy on his work? It just seems out of character for [[ProperlyParanoid Ford]]. |
| 1075 | ** It's quite possible Ford isn't aware Bill has this ability. |
| 1076 | ** But wouldn't he still not want them around, since they'd remind of [[MyGreatestFailure the time he made a deal with him]]? |
| 1077 | ** He did have them all covered up at first. Maybe he just hasn't gotten around to disposing of them yet. |
| 1078 | ** Legitimately Ford probably hadn't had a chance to get rid of them (there were quite a few, it would take a few hours at least), since getting back he's been constantly busy first dismantling the portal, then trying to contain the damage. |
| 1079 | |
| 1080 | * Considering how religiously Dipper reads Journal 3, why is he so surprised at finding out that Ford used to be on friendly terms with Bill Cipher, considering that the Author flat out calls him "one of the friendliest and most trustworthy individuals", a "true gentleman" and "honestly can't trust him more" in his entry? YES, it was crossed out with red ink but it's so readable despite that that it's glaring Dipper missed / forgot about it. |
| 1081 | ** It's one thing to read that Bill used to be the Author's friend, since Dipper knows that you can reason with the creatures in Gravity Falls that are morally questionable, like the gnomes. It's quite another to see that Ford gave permission for Bill to enter his mind and use his body, and was laughing with him. Seeing such an image triggered Dipper's trauma from when Bill did the same to him, especially since the image implied that Ford wasn't tricked into giving up his body. Ford then didn't help by waking up and not answering Dipper's questions of "Why did you make a deal with Bill?" |
| 1082 | ** The way that Dipper said "Ford '''''and''''' Bill??".... it seemed much less like "I can't believe Ford did that" and more like "Holy hell, the two were friends???", though YMMV. Additionally, Dipper's statement "How do you know Bill?" / "Why is Ford so mysterious about Bill?" and his eventual motivation to read Ford's Mind definitely seemed to hint that he had no idea that the two even had a past acquaintance. |
| 1083 | *** Might be veering into WildMassGuessing here, but I personally got the impression that Bill wrote that stuff himself to taunt Ford while possessing him (perhaps in the process motivating him to get the metal plate installed). It is mixed in with several passages about how powerful and dangerous Bill is. However, even if that were true, it's possible Dipper wouldn't know enough to guess that, or just wouldn't guess it at all. |
| 1084 | ** With the revelations in Journal Three, there's multiple things in the show that just don't make sense if you presume that Dipper's read the whole journal as we have it--for example he should already have known about the shapeshifter and his motives prior to going down. Perhaps the scrawled-out text was better obscured in-universe, or something similar. |
| 1085 | |
| 1086 | * In the middle of the episode, it it shown that Celestabelle has rainbow colored tears, and a single drop is enough to BURN A FLOWER TO DUST. Later, after the battle between the girls and the unicorns, Candy says that they are all covered in unicorn tears- SO HOW THE HELL ARE THEY STILL ALIVE? |
| 1087 | ** Maybe magic unicorn tears only hurt plants/flowers. |
| 1088 | ** Candy could have been lying since unicorn blood is also rainbow-colored. Another possibility, is that the unicorn blood cancels out the effects of plant-burning unicorn tears, creating a shield for the girls. |
| 1089 | |
| 1090 | * How is a metal plate supposed to keep Bill out of Ford's mind if it's shown that ghosts and demons can pass through solid material? |
| 1091 | ** Sometimes in fantasy it's a trope for certain metals, iron in particular, to be a bane to supernatural creatures. Perhaps it's the same in this case. Or, possessing someone is not the same as simply phasing through a wall and would require the brain be unblocked by any inorganic substances. |
| 1092 | ** It is possible that Bill need to be in sync with someone's mind to possess him/her. The metal plate probably prevent this. Also the metal may be alien in origin. |
| 1093 | *** This is confirmed by ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3''. The metal plate was implanted by a being called the Oracle that seems to be on the same power level as Bill himself. |
| 1094 | |
| 1095 | * In "The Last Mabelcorn", we learn Ford first found the means to summon Bill inside a cave, and with them an explicit warning ''never'' to summon him. Which begs the question: if you didn't want people performing it, ''why the hell would you ever write down the ritual at all?'' |
| 1096 | ** Maybe Bill wouldn't allow otherwise? Maybe he tormented whoever it was that figured out how to summon him with unbearable nightmares until they agreed to write it down, knowing that somebody someday would be foolish enough to ignore the warning? |
| 1097 | *** Considering how protective of his research Ford was, he most likely didn't have the heart to simply tear out the page with the ritual on it (there was probably some other entry that he wanted to keep in on the back of the page), opting instead to hide the Journals. When he returned, he was more willing to take apart his life's work, as shown when he dismantled the portal, but remained obsessed with the town's mysteries enough to want to preserve the Journals. |
| 1098 | ** So people could recognize how it was done and stop anyone else from doing it. If the Northwests really made deals with Bill like an earlier episode hinted, and Bill does say he's been making deals, it's a good idea to know what needs to be done so one can prevent it. |
| 1099 | ** Simple: It's SchmuckBait designed by the isocelese freak himself. |
| 1100 | |
| 1101 | * In "The Last Mabelcorn", Mabel's unicorn hair is used to keep Bill out of the Mystery Shack. Now that he's been brought into this dimension, does that mean the Shack is still safe? |
| 1102 | ** Yes, apparently; upon the twins, Wendy and Soos' return to the shack, it was commented it was like how they had left it and inside is Grunkle Stan and those that realized the shack is indeed safe from the weirdness waves and bubbles. |
| 1103 | |
| 1104 | * If, before the events of this episode, Bill was free to possess any of the Mystery Shack team except Ford, why didn't he do so? In this episode we learn that Bill already knew about the tear between dimensions Ford had isolated inside the orb, so Bill could've, for example, possessed Soos or Mabel or Wendy to get them to break the orb. |
| 1105 | ** Bill cannot possess someone without their consent. Bill only convinced Dipper to accept his deal under an extremely specific set of circumstances formed from desperation and stress, none of which any of the characters had come close to after the rift's formation. There was no way he could have gotten them to shake his hand, especially when they now know he could be trying to possess them. |
| 1106 | [[/folder]] |
| 1107 | |
| 1108 | [[folder:Roadside Attraction]] |
| 1109 | * Why was this episode placed at this point in the series? I know it's supposed to be a BreatherEpisode, but it just feels downright out of place. It feels much more like an early season 2 episode; it's about Dipper trying to get over Wendy when that plot has been resolved for a while, Ford is nowhere to be found, and right after an episode where Dipper shows just how traumatized he is because of Bill, he has no qualms with taking a sudden trip far away from the newly Bill-proofed Mystery Shack. This episode could easily have fit somewhere in between Into the Bunker and Not What He Seems and felt much more natural. |
| 1110 | ** The Last Mabelcorn showed that despite the events of Into The Bunker Dipper still has Wendy on the mind. Ford probably doesn't really leave the Shack at all due to his work in trying to prevent Bill from getting the rift plus it'd be confusing for another Stan Pines to suddenly appear. As far as Dipper's trauma goes for the most it's only ever really been shown when he thought Ford was currently possessed. Assuming this has been kept in mind since Sock Opera then Dipper has been able to keep it in check for the most part. All in all there's nothing to say this episode couldn't take place anywhere in the S2 timeline save for after Into the Bunker. |
| 1111 | ** It could just take place before Ford came back. Why would Dipper not try and get his Ford's advice on girls given that he has such a strong connection with him due to their similarities? |
| 1112 | ** Uh, because Ford is shown to be terrible at talking to girls? |
| 1113 | *** Journal 3 reveals that Ford recommended Stan take Soos and the kids on the road trip while he does research on how to defend against Bill. |
| 1114 | |
| 1115 | * After Dipper finishes collecting phone numbers, he's shown to have them all over his arms. If those girls were all writing on him, how did at least some of them not notice that he already had several numbers on him? |
| 1116 | |
| 1117 | * Why should Candy be mad at Dipper? Asking him to walk with her in the Mystery Mountains hardly seems like a date, and she didn't specify that it was intended to be anyway. For that matter, why is Mabel so quick to turn on her brother in this situation? Dipper just feels like a DesignatedVillain in this episode. |
| 1118 | ** Can't answer the one about Candy. But remember, Mabel has had her heart broken several times this summer. She may have just been angry because she was seeing Dipper as one of "those" guys. |
| 1119 | ** Although 'walking with her at Mystery Mountain' may not explicitly be romantic, Candy clearly intended it to be that way, and thus ''she'' perceived it as a date, and is upset that Dipper never thought to tell her that he was seeing other girls (which he wasn't, but that's how it appeared.) |
| 1120 | |
| 1121 | * Why didn't the gang give the CoupDeGrace to Darlene? She's shown that she will be a danger to several men if they leave her be plus Grenda would be strong enough to carry the right object to finish the job. Also, it would be a lot funnier [[TalkToTheFist if the spider got crushed during her rant.]] |
| 1122 | ** It's still a Disney show. Even though she's a terrifying spider they probably couldn't get it past the censors because the Bunyan foot crushing her should have killed her. |
| 1123 | ** Besides which, if one carefully examines the way she's positioned, the foot is clearly crushing her abdomen, which would kill most spiders. For Darlene, YouAreAlreadyDead but she was hoping to get in one last bit of revenge. |
| 1124 | * I'm surprised Stan wasn't quicker at figuring out Darlene's intentions, since you'd think a professional conman would be better at seeing through someone else's BS. But then I thought that maybe it's because he's just that lonely. He's spent most of his life on the streets, and he found out he's going to be thrown out at the end of the summer and lose everything he's had for the past thirty years, so maybe he's that desperate for affection. As pathetic as that might make him sound. |
| 1125 | |
| 1126 | * How come Grunkle Stan is perfectly comfortable being shirtless in a spa with Dipper? One of the shorts established that Stan ''really'' doesn't like letting anybody see his "tattoo", and always wears at least a singlet to hide it. How come he's not hiding it here? |
| 1127 | ** Well as it's not a tattoo, it's a brand brought on by the fight that ended up causing him to lose his brother, it makes sense Stan didn't want anyone to see it and ask him about it (hence why he got so mad at Dipper being interested in it). However now his brother is back, Stan probably feels (at least on some level) a lot better, and as they now know its origin, he doesn't have to worry about any innocent questions bringing up painful memories. |
| 1128 | |
| 1129 | * So does anyone else find it really weird that there's a giant maneating spider monster outside of Gravity Falls? The show has firmly established the world in general isn't all that crazy, it's exclusive to Gravity Falls. How is something as weird as a Giant Man Eating Spider living so close to Gravity Falls without actually being drawn inside it (and trapped there as the finale sort of suggests)? |
| 1130 | ** Not really, since Ford's map of anomalies in the USA showed there being some spread out across the country and increasing in density around Gravity Falls, plus there’s the finale where he and Stan go off chasing monsters outside the town. You're right that her being able to exist so close to it is a bit odd though, since in the journal Ford demonstrates the weirdness magnetism to Dipper by dropping a misshapen jellybean down a hill and watching it roll back up to get back inside town limits, and ugly jellybeans are way less weird than spider people. |
| 1131 | *** Maybe Gravity Falls' weirdness magnetism operates on similar laws to how things fall due to gravity. Perhaps Darlene's attraction to Gravity Falls increases proportionally to her larger amount of weirdness but decreases proportionally to the square of her further distance from it. (Or it could also just not be completely consistent.) |
| 1132 | [[/folder]] |
| 1133 | |
| 1134 | [[folder:Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future]] |
| 1135 | * Why didn't Ford or Dipper say Mabel could stay too? I mean I understand why Ford wants ''Dipper'' to stay, to train him because of his potential, but even right now Dipper and Mabel are doing their own things too, they are not joined at the hip, and Ford, who has already ben tutoring Dipper for a while, could home-teach the school stuff to Mabel as well. Much of the last bit of the episode could have been avoided because Mabel would still have her friends and Dipper. Not to mention their parents might not be thrilled about only one of the kids staying but might allow it if ''both'' do. |
| 1136 | ** It seems that Ford doesn't regard Mabel as highly as he does with Dipper. Plus, he's obviously projecting his own frustrations with his relationship with Stan on Dipper so he probably thinks Mabel being there would actually stifle Dipper's potential, something which he thinks that Stan was doing. As for Dipper's parents, he probably thought they were like his own parents (remember projecting here), so they'd agree to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. |
| 1137 | ** Also, unlike Dipper who had gotten over most of the hardships, Mabel is really depressed at finding out about teenagers, high school and leaving all her friends in Oregon, and Ford kind of knows that unlike his relationship with Stan, Mabel clings on a lot to Dipper. |
| 1138 | *** Yeah, he is projecting but he has hardly left his lab, now has he? And Dipper spends an awful lot of time with him, him and Mabel are hardly as tight as they used to be. Despite this, Mabel only reacted badly now, when she found out Dipper wants to stay. She didn't complain he spent more time with Ford, so I wouldn't say she clings to him all that much. Certainly not more than a usual 12 year-old would to their twin. |
| 1139 | ** Alternatively, perhaps Ford never considered that Mabel would want to stay in Gravity Falls. The whole investigating the paranormal is Dipper's thing, not Mabel's. Sure, she joins in and has had her own interests from time to time, but she's never had the same passion Dipper has, and probably never will. Likewise, accepting the role of Ford's apprentice isn't going to entail non-stop adventures, the majority of their time is going to be spent in Ford's lab: studying, experimenting, observing and recording, like with any scientist and their assistant. That's not going to keep Mabel interested, so either Ford has to stop his work for significant periods of time to look after her, or he leaves her to her own devices. Ford isn't going to stop working, and he can't just leave a thirteen-year-old to her own devices for most of their time, it's irresponsible and unfair on her, as it would mean she would be missing out on not just her education, but getting to see her parents and her friends back home. All for the sake of her staying with Ford. Likewise, don't forget that the last time Ford saw Mabel, she was eagerly looking forward to the future and going to high school, as he didn't know about the events that befell her, he no doubt still thinks she wants this. In which case he could see having her stay as ripping her away from her dream, all for the sake of satisfying her brother's. |
| 1140 | ** [[TearJerker Someday, they'll realize that, and then they'll get to spend the rest of their lives asking themselves that same question. Just like their great uncles.]] |
| 1141 | |
| 1142 | * Ford presents Dipper's would-be apprentice-ship as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, when clearly it is not. Dipper and Mabel both love Gravity Falls so much, it's not impossible that they'd beg their parents to let them return for future summers or even long-enough holiday breaks. Gravity Falls (as far as they knew at the time) isn't going anywhere and Dipper is still young, so neither is he. At the time of the conversation, they had all the time in the world to study the mysteries of Gravity Falls, so why try to give Dipper this sudden all-or-nothing opportunity? It's a bit jarring to see two guys who's whole shtick is being smart overlook such an obvious solution. Sorry Ford, this is why you'll never be as good as Stan in this troper's eyes. |
| 1143 | ** Good point, I didn't notice that. Especially jarring since Ford is there to stay in Gravity Falls too, since he made Stan promise Stan will leave as soon as the kids do and give Ford his old identity and life back. |
| 1144 | ** Ford is being selfish, he doesn't want Dipper to leave. Having his home back, just him and Dipper, it would be just like old times with [=McGucket=] (you know, before he ruined the man's life with a dangerous experiment and total lack of safety precautions). |
| 1145 | *** Selfish maybe, but Ford still needs a partner. |
| 1146 | ** I wonder if Dipper would have been quite so eager to accept Ford's offer if he'd known that his uncle was planning on pulling a Filbrick at the end of the summer, especially since he heard Stan's sad backstory. |
| 1147 | |
| 1148 | * How did the Rift, shattering and about to go to pieces, survive Dipper's scientifically impossible-to-live-through action sequence ''and'' crash-landing from a height of at least half a mile in the sky, and still break when simply dropped onto the ground? |
| 1149 | ** Maybe it was well-padded in his backpack somehow? I mean, if we want to be technical here, that fall should have broken every bone in Dipper and Ford's bodies, so accurate physics don't really apply here. |
| 1150 | |
| 1151 | * Just what exactly happened to Blendin Blandin to make him strike a deal with Bill? Last time we saw him Mabel and Dipper helped make his life right, right? |
| 1152 | ** Blendin's credited as appearing in the next episode, so we'll probably find out then. |
| 1153 | ** Maybe Bill helped him get out of the Infinitentiary. |
| 1154 | ** He already got out of there and had his job reinstated in "Blendin's Game". |
| 1155 | ** After being freed, Blendin had no idea how he ended up in Gravity Falls, so Bill most likely possessed him before noticing. |
| 1156 | ** That's not how Bill's powers work, though. It's explicitly made clear that he can only possess people who make a deal with him, so he can't possess someone who's not aware of him at all. |
| 1157 | ** It's eventually explained in [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]]: Time Baby and the entire Time Police kept on teasing Blendin for losing Globnar to two kids, and it got so bad that Blendin made a deal with Bill Cipher to stop it. |
| 1158 | |
| 1159 | * What exactly made Mabel think freezing time would be a good idea? Knowing how screwy playing with time can be, how did she know everything wouldn't be literally frozen in place? Or that not everyone else, including Dipper, would be happy about the change if they knew about it? She's upset, yes, but would summer forever away from her home and old friends and no Christmas or anything else she probably loves be really such a better deal? |
| 1160 | ** Well for the first part, she thought that this was just Blandin doing her a favor as thanks for how they helped him get his job and life back, so she probably expected him to know what he was doing so that it didn't turn out horribly. For the second, I got the impression it ''wasn't'' supposed to be forever. She says something akin to "just a little more Summer" before making the deal, so I got the impression she just wanted to give herself more time to adjust to everything happening, telling herself she could undo it later. |
| 1161 | |
| 1162 | * Why did Mabel seem okay with giving away some trippy-looking object she's never seen before that didn't even belong to her in the first place (it was in Dipper's bag- but according to "Blendin" it was Ford's, but either way...)? |
| 1163 | ** Because she was desperate and heartbroken, not thinking straight, and someone she thinks she trusts told her it was basically a piece of junk that wouldn't be missed. |
| 1164 | |
| 1165 | * If Ford knew the rift could potentially destroy the universe, and he knew of a certain adhesive that would secure the rift, [[FridgeLogic why didn't he go out and get the rift]] ''[[FridgeLogic immediately]]'' [[FridgeLogic instead of waiting until the casing started to crack?]] It's also pretty bad timing on his part since Mabel was going through an emotional breakdown at the same time. |
| 1166 | ** The adhesive was for the glass of the containment unit, wasn't it? |
| 1167 | ** Yes. It makes sense that he wouldn't necessarily go out and get the adhesive right away to fix the glass before it was starting to break. The real question is why the hell he relied on a tiny glass container to hold the rift in the first place. You can apparently put it in a backpack, so why can't you put it in a lead casket, bolt it to the ground, and seal it in cement? The fact that Ford seems alright with the fact that you could set off TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt by something as trivial as accidentally dropping a glorified snowglobe seems bonkers. |
| 1168 | |
| 1169 | * Bill's plan in this episode seems to hinge on several things which he couldn't have predicted, and which he has no control over: 1) Ford not telling anyone except Dipper about the hole between dimensions and the orb housing it, 2) Ford and Dipper not having enough time to fix the orb with the adhesive before 3) Mabel taking Dipper's backpack by mistake, so that the orb would accidentally end up outside the Mystery Shack's Bill-proofed walls. What would Bill have done if, for example, Ford had told the whole Mystery Shack gang about the orb and how dangerous it is, and subsequently it would have always been kept hidden inside Ford's lab, out of Bill's reach? |
| 1170 | ** Yeah, but Ford didn't do that. The circumstances that lead to Bill being able to break the rift might have been unlikely, but definitely not impossibly unlikely. |
| 1171 | ** Blendin is a time traveler. Bill could have seen the perfect opportunity to break the rift, made a deal with Blendin, then time traveled to Mabel. Bill would have had much more time to prepare his plan if that was the case. |
| 1172 | |
| 1173 | * As Bill being able to possess Blendin implies, and Journal 3 confirms, he isn’t bound by the timeline the way the other characters are and can visit the dreams of people in the future. If that’s the case, why did he spend so much time trying to get various preindustrial civilizations to build him a portal when he could’ve just skipped straight to Ford? |
| 1174 | ** Perhaps he needed to plant the idea of an inter-dimmensional portal in various pre-industrial human civilizations in order get them to start innovating, so then, by Ford’s time, technology would’ve become advanced enough and the idea of said portal wouldn’t just be a sci-fi concept, but an actual possibility. |
| 1175 | |
| 1176 | * The security system in the UFO seems incredibly stupid: as soon as the potential threat has a low enough adrenaline level, it deactivates. What if the UFO was attacked by someone/something without adrenaline (or any equivalent biological signs of high stress level), such as a robot or some alien whose biology works differently? |
| 1177 | |
| 1178 | * So, Ford has an extremely sensitive, extremely dangerous, extremely fragile object which could unleash catastrophic damage if broken, and it is cracking. He has a secret laboratory, beneath a house that has had magical protection placed on it in order to ward off the specific enemy Ford is trying to protect said object from. Ford also has a planned mission that could be quite dangerous, involving a significant drop and the risk of being shot into outer space. Why on ''earth'' did Ford not find some safe in the Shack to keep the rift while finding the adhesive? |
| 1179 | [[/folder]] |
| 1180 | |
| 1181 | [[folder:Weirdmageddon Pt. 1]] |
| 1182 | * Why would Bill Cipher take Gideon as a servant and not Preston? Knowing Preston, he's only interested in joining for selfish gain, and given Cipher's response, he doesn't take selfish opportunists. Gideon is no different--he clearly was not serving out of loyalty and he's definitely another selfish, power seeking opportunist who only did this because he could get Mabel in his hands. What did Gideon have that Preston didn't? The only plausible explanation to this is that Gideon is just a pawn who will eventually become insignificant to Bill. Bill wouldn't take volunteers unless he had something up his sleeve. |
| 1183 | ** Well, Gideon's been obsessed with Mabel since "The Hand That Rocks The Mabel" and since he's keeping Mabel captive, he has a way to control him. Preston clearly only wants to serve him because he's the "big guy on campus" and he has no way of ensuring his loyalty, who's to say he won't try to backstab him at some point? With Gideon, he has a way to keep his loyalty by promising him Mabel. As to why Bill couldn't see Gideon [[HeelFaceTurn turning on him]], [[EvilCannotComprehendGood the guy doesn't understand why someone would sacrifice everything for someone they love.]] |
| 1184 | ** Honestly, does Bill need any other reason than that he finds Gideon funny and Preston boring? |
| 1185 | ** But then who's to say Bill will follow ''his'' end of the bargain? Knowing EldritchAbomination scenarios, they never deliver what they promise because doing so would leave a loose end or wild card. Bill's smart enough not to take chances with loose ends (hence what happened to Preston), so it's doubtful Bill would even give Gideon his "payment". Gideon doesn't hide the fact that he's only working for his payment (which is in the form of Mabel loving him), so logically when Gideon fulfills his duty and payment is due, Bill wouldn't have any more use for him, and may as well screw him over for the delusional, reward-seeking pawn Gideon is. |
| 1186 | *** Bill has to keep his end of the deal from what we've seen. Even the "hint" he promised Dipper was true, from an obtuse point of view. He had already given Gideon the key to Mabel's prison, which is shown to work. |
| 1187 | *** That's only assuming Gideon's end of the deal was Mabel falling in love with him. Gideon said that Mabel "would learn to love [him]" implying that the deal was that Bill would give him Mabel (not make her love him), which he did by putting her in a cage and giving him the key. |
| 1188 | ** Bill has everything he needs in Gideon: a solid emotional manipulator and tactical mastermind who can inspire loyalty in people much bigger and stronger than him. Preston, by comparison, seems to just be a guy everyone listened to because he was rich, with no applicable skills in Bill's new world order. Also, as noted above, Bill thought Gideon could be kept in line through Mabel, while Preston largely cares about nothing but power. |
| 1189 | ** The first thing Bill does is melt a statue of Nathaniel Northwest, and we know the family has had dealings with him before. I think it's quite possible Bill has something personal against them. |
| 1190 | |
| 1191 | * Dipper says in this episode that you can't make someone love you, but back in "The Love God" Mabel made Robbie and Tambry love each other with no consequences. |
| 1192 | ** Making someone love you and getting two other people to love each other are two different things. Also it involved involuntary help from an actual Love God. |
| 1193 | ** Also, the moral of that episode was that you ''shouldn't'' mess with other people's love lives. |
| 1194 | ** According to ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', the love potion only causes infatuation for a few hours. Since Robbie and Tambry were still together ten hours later, all it did was make them realize the attraction they already had. That doesn't make it any less horrifying, of course, since Mabel had no way of ''knowing'' that when she did it. |
| 1195 | |
| 1196 | * I'm assuming this'll be brought up later, since Blendin Blandin is so obviously a plot device for future episodes, but in the interim I'm just scratching my head why Bill chose ''him'', of all people, as a puppet. Not only does he live in the future, nowhere near Gravity Falls in either time or space, but purposefully getting the Time Agency involved has essentially put the ability to ''time travel'' in the hands of the people trying to stop him. That seems like an IdiotBall of epic proportions, especially when there are so many ''other'' characters in Gravity Falls itself who could've toyed with Mabel's emotions like that (one of her ex-crushes, maybe?). It's obvious Hirsch is putting the pieces on the board for the finale, but he's being very blatant about it. |
| 1197 | ** The Time Agency would have gotten involved anyway. There's no way they'd miss such a massive breach in time and space, even without Blendin. As for why him, Blendin fills two important criteria: he could help Mabel with her current problem (or at least, Mabel would believe he could) and he usually has his eyes covered. |
| 1198 | ** Blendin also gets the Time Baby involved, which might have been part of Bill's plan. They certainly know each other, and given his resources Time Baby is one of Bill's most dangerous opponents. Goading TB into coming to fight Bill on his own turf before TB's aware of what Bill's full power entails gives Bill a good chance of eliminating a rival early on, so he can freely move onto the next stage of his plan. |
| 1199 | ** Also, Blendin's position, and the fact that the twins have dealt with him before, mean Mabel does have a bit more of a reason to believe Blendin needs the rift. If Mermando (the crush Mabel seems to miss and have felt for the most) came by asking for it, Bill would need to think of a reason as to both why Mermando needed it, as well as a reason why he was there in the first place, since he can't teleport like Blendin. Mabel didn't seem so over the line she would give anything to anyone, she did question Blendin as to why he was there, just not very thoroughly. But Blendin was a time officer, so Mabel could reason that he would know about how to stop time, and there was an excuse for him to need to the rift, it looked sciencey and timey-wimey enough that a Mabel who didn't know what it is could believe that's what it's for. Plus, Mabel probably wouldn't assume a world-ending, very delicate device would just be randomly stashed in Dipper's backpack. The fact that Blendin always wears glasses and that his relationship with the twins has improved certainly help. |
| 1200 | ** Who says Bill was counting on Mabel being the MacGuffinDeliveryService? There's a reason why possessing Blendin works besides hiding his eyes, and given he and the twins know each other--If it was Dipper who picked up his bag, Bill would've still accomplished the same result anyways, except with a different deal. Bill possessing Blending could then tell Dipper he could take the rift off his hands and put it someplace safer. Given that Blendin is part of a group that protects the space-time continuum, this would be a believable statement. Therefore, Bill was playing on the division between the Pines twins, and he knew (because he is all-seeing) that either one of them would take the bag containing the rift. |
| 1201 | ** In the end, Blendin plays no more role in the story besides witnessing part of it, and Time Baby is taken out by Bill almost as soon as he arrives. The whole thing was a RedHerring. To be fair, though, Blendin is a natural choice if Bill intended to con Dipper (given that Stan, Ford, Soos, and Wendy are theoretically off limits), and not a bad one to con Mabel. |
| 1202 | ** Well, there was a secret message from Blendin in [[Literature/GravityFallsJournal3 Journal 3]] detailing what he was up to during Weirdmaggedon. It turns out that the entire Time Police had deemed Blendin a criminal for [[MisplacedRetribution causing the death of Time Baby]]. This lead to Blendin traveling to different points in time in order to hide from the Time Police. Ultimately ending up [[TrappedInThePast stranded in the 1800s]] after his Time Tape was destroyed. |
| 1203 | |
| 1204 | * Did Preston die? [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender It was kind of unclear.]] |
| 1205 | ** Someone mentions that three days pass between then and the episode's end, and as noted elsewhere, Preston didn't seem to have a mouth anymore. A previously healthy person can live for a few weeks without food, and three days (though some claim up to ten) without water, or at least some kind of fluid. It's pretty on-the-fence whether Preston is already dead or not, but he's definitely a goner if the FacialHorror isn't fixed soon. Of course, all this is assuming he didn't die from fright or shock when he collapsed seconds after the change. |
| 1206 | ** Part 2 seems to indicate that Preston was petrified like the rest of the town's inhabitants. |
| 1207 | ** Bill's destruction [[NoOntologicalInertia undoes everything he did to the town]], and even restores the destroyed journals. |
| 1208 | |
| 1209 | * What made Dipper so sure he could convince Gideon into a HeelFaceTurn? Given Gideon's personality and actions throughout the show, it seemed like a long shot. Even before Mabel came along, Gideon was always selfish and callous. Wouldn't it have been easier for Dipper to invoke EnemyMine by appealing to Gideon's self-serving personality? Dipper knows well enough that Gideon doesn't want anyone other than himself being in control (which is a big part of Gideon's character). Even Gideon himself later stated that he's no one's servant. There isn't any precedence that would enable Gideon to have a HeelFaceTurn, but there is a lot of precedence for Gideon not answering to anyone. |
| 1210 | ** There are good reasons for appealing to Gideon's humanity. First, it was a snap decision. Bill's minions were arriving and Gideon and his gang were ready to attack which left Dipper with little time and a lot of pressure, so he just went with the first thing that came to mind. Second, he and Mabel have had a good track record when it comes to converting previous bad guys to good guys. They managed to become friends with Robbie and Pacifica, so it was worth a shot in the dark with Gideon (plus perhaps some of Mabel's optimism rubbed off on Dipper). Third, Gideon was pretty sure that standing up to Bill meant death. Remember when Gideon asked Dipper if he would tell her about what he did? If Dipper had tried to pull an EnemyMine, Gideon could have rebutted that it would be better live as a servant and carefully wait for the opportune moment rather than take a risk with Dipper and his nonexistent plan. And fourth, Dipper's goal is to free Mabel. If he did manage to appeal to Gideon's need to be the authority, Gideon might have taken Dipper, Wendy, and Soos along with him to fight Bill. |
| 1211 | ** The thing about Robbie and Pacifica having {{Heel Face Turn}}s was that there was precedence for it; Pacifica had a tragic backstory, while with Robbie, [[HeelFaceBrainwashing part of it was due to a love potion]]. Gideon? Nothing to work off of, so changing him for the better was ''too'' idealistic. If anything, it just seemed like a cop-out. But one thing is certain for Gideon--at the end of the day and no matter what, he can't take being subordinate to anyone. Even Dipper knows off the bat [[ItsAllAboutMe Gideon is that selfish]] (which he mentioned in his speech). Gideon would never serve anyone unless there were self-gain to be sought, so it's clear that Gideon isn't really loyal to Bill. If Gideon did think it would be better to live as a servant and wait for the opportune moment, then helping Dipper would've been said moment. Gideon knows Dipper well enough and wouldn't at any point believe the latter having a "nonexistent plan". Dipper is extremely clever, and that's how he's defeated Bill and Gideon. If Gideon does take Dipper and co. to fight Bill, that works,too, because the whole point of what he's trying to do is stop Bill. Or, Dipper could still accomplish the same result from appealing to Gideon's need to be the authority wherein Gideon could allow Dipper to free Mabel on the basis that as much as he wants Mabel to be his, he hates being a servant even more, and Gideon would take anything to get out of that. |
| 1212 | ** Dipper for the past few hours and days has been trying to find Mabel, worried that he'll never see her again. When Gideon cornered him, Wendy and Soos just as they were so close to their goal, he was probably thinking, [[WhatWouldXDo "What would Mabel do?"]] Mabel in his shoes would give a RousingSpeech because she believes in ideals, and that people can change. Those speeches tend to fail, like in "The Golf War", because Mabel tries to impose ideals on humans and creatures who cannot understand her point of view. Dipper does understand Gideon, though, and prior to Gideon trying to cut his tongue out with lamb shears was relatively friendly, if BrutallyHonest. It is rather incredulous that he succeeds, but Mabel similarly takes large risks with her ideals. |
| 1213 | |
| 1214 | * Now that I think about it, how could Dipper not see the giant bubble with the shooting star symbol? Sure, he couldn't see it while he was on the roof because of the billboard, but what about when he was searching for her during those three days? |
| 1215 | ** Dipper was also getting chased by at least two hungry demons, trying to find enough food to survive, and battling with the DespairEventHorizon. Sometimes adhering to your basic needs leads to missing rather large and obvious clues. Attaining high ground after he lost the journals to Bill was suicidal in that it would attract the attention of those demons, and he only did so when Wendy encouraged him. |
| 1216 | |
| 1217 | * What was the name of the lava lamp monster? |
| 1218 | |
| 1219 | * Time Baby comes back from the future to face Bill and is killed. The cryptogram states that Time Baby will regenerate within 1000 years. However, according to Irrational Treasure, Time Baby is frozen in a glacier. Does this mean that by the year 3012, there will be two Time Babies? |
| 1220 | ** Maybe Time Baby is trapped in a perfect, never-ending time loop of being defeated, rebuilding himself in the glacier (maybe the glacier is in Gravity Falls or something), and being defeated again without knowing it. Each time that Time Baby is destroyed by Bill, he reconstruct himself in the glacier without remembering being destroyed or even existing before the glacier, he escapes the glacier and conquer the future; later he finds what Bill did and is destroyed. |
| 1221 | *** The year canonically takes place in 2012. 2012 + 1000 = 3012. Time baby dies just in time to take over the world in the year 3012. Also, Time Baby regenerating himself would be a ''perfect'' reference to the Gallifreyans from Doctor Who. He's literally [[VisualPun frozen in time!]] |
| 1222 | ** Is it possible that the document from "Irrational Treasure" was quite old? |
| 1223 | * Leaving aside Dipper's reasons to try to reason with him, why would Gideon, who until now has been portrayed as a [[ItsAllAboutMe selfish]] and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] EnfantTerrible with {{Yandere}} tendencies, even do a HeelFaceTurn so quickly? After all, a few episodes ago, he tried to kill Dipper and Mabel, clearly invoking IfICantHaveYou. And it's made clear (with his treatment of his parents) that he was bad even before Mabel came into the picture. Why would he suddenly feel guilty about his actions, to the point of doing a HeroicSacrifice? After spending 37 episodes being an antagonist while showing few, if any, redeeming qualities, it seems a little rushed and unnatural. |
| 1224 | ** Because he's just a kid. Kids are far more likely to change their worldviews quickly on random whims. And last-minute redemption isn't a new concept, especially when one's life is on the line. It's OlderThanFeudalism. In the Bible, when Jesus is crucified between two thieves, one is unrepentant and the other recognizes the error of his ways and begs forgiveness. Jesus tells the repentant thief that his actions and words, ''at that very moment'', with no indication of being regretful beforehand, have earned him a place in Heaven alongside Jesus. It's easy to make a comparison between Gideon and the repentant thief from there, and Gideon is just a SpoiledBrat who had access to powerful magic, rather than a HardenedCriminal. |
| 1225 | ** It could also be by that point, Gideon got everything he wanted; a position of power in Gravity Falls, a group of tough and loyal bodyguards i.e. the prisoners, and “possession” of Mabel, only to find they weren’t as fulfilling as he thought. His time in prison may have also softened his selfish ego a bit given the genuine bond he formed with his fellow prisoners, and when they started questioning Gideon’s intentions, it was the final push he needed to start rethinking about what he truly wanted. |
| 1226 | |
| 1227 | * Over the entire summer, the journals have been just about Dipper's only obsession, and Bill Cipher has been Gravity Falls' biggest threat. I have to imagine that Dipper has read Bill Cipher's sections of the journals once at the very least, including the invisible ink; however, when he threatens Bill, it really seems like he's reading it for the first time. Was it just out of desperation or something? I also question the effectiveness of destroying the journals, because again, Dipper has been obsessively poring over them and has probably memorized them, and Bill has probably spied on him doing so, so he should know that said situation is happening. |
| 1228 | ** I think you’re right that Dipper trying the Bill page is a bit of a FridgeLogic moment that can kind of be rationalized as him being really desperate to find something he overlooked, but I don’t think Bill destroyed the journals for a strategic reason. This was before he found out about the weirdness barrier, so after dealing with Ford he thought he’d completely won, and Dipper wasn’t anywhere near a threat to him - he was irrelevant enough that while Bill wanted dead, he just let him run off with some of Bill’s friends chasing him rather than bothering to do it himself or confirm his death. Burning the journals was just a further way of making Dipper feel helpless before he died, and also a further petty dig at Ford since they were his legacy. |
| 1229 | [[/folder]] |
| 1230 | |
| 1231 | [[folder:Weirdmageddon Pt. 2]] |
| 1232 | * ''Why'' did Mabel seem so distant and spaced-out during the Mabeland sequence? |
| 1233 | ** This has already been answered in the Weirdmageddon arc. She was under a hypnosis spell because of Bill Cipher. |
| 1234 | * Soos had the infinite slice of pizza yet he proclaimed he ate part of his hat for past few days? |
| 1235 | ** Yes, there could be the possibility with his bumbling nature that he lost the pizza to someone or something, but with something like that, it would be in his wallet, as evident with the emergency slice of salami. |
| 1236 | ** It's possible that an above troper was wrong and the infinite pizza does not, in fact, [[{{Squick}} stay infinitely fresh]]. Alternatively, Soos might've given it to someone who needed it more than he did - like, say, someone who couldn't forage for food because they were trapped under rubble or [[BodyHorror had their limbs turned into playthings by Bill and company]]. |
| 1237 | ** ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' goes into more details about the pizza's power, and its only real down side is that it only works for Soos himself. There's no mention of what ends up happening to it later. It's possible he just left it in his abuela's house and can't get back there safely. |
| 1238 | ** Maybe he can summon it at will, but eating only pizza isn't healthy, and Soos knows that. |
| 1239 | |
| 1240 | * Why didn't Xyler and Kraz turn evil with everything else in Bill's trap? Waddles I get, since it turned out it really was him all along and not just an illusion, but why them? |
| 1241 | ** Perhaps Mabel's imagination was so strong that they weren't affected by Bill's influence? That, or... they were too weird, even by Bill's standards, and were also able to live outside of the bubble. Maybe their NonStandardCharacterDesign had something to do with either of these, just to add how weird they really are. |
| 1242 | ** They're not Bill's creations; they've been around since "Dreamscaperers" and they appear to survive Weirdmageddon (when Bill's other creations vanish). Why Bill would put them in the trap (and not, say, duplicates of them he created a la Dippy-Fresh) is another question. |
| 1243 | ** Xyler and Craz didn't survive Weirdmageddon; they disappeared along with Rumble [=McSkirmish=]. |
| 1244 | |
| 1245 | * Speaking of which, when did Waddles get in Mabel's bubble? He wasn't there when the Apocalypse started. |
| 1246 | ** It's possible that either Waddles somehow found his way to her during the apocalypse, or Bill was simply moved Waddles to Mabel's location, especially if he'd help keep her there in the bubble while she used her imagination to make him a trusty mount or something. |
| 1247 | ** This is Weirdmegeddon, guys. After eyeball-bats, the frightening disfigurement of bad peoples' faces, and that creepy head thing, are teleporting pigs really a big deal? |
| 1248 | ** Mabel seems aware that she created most of her environment. Putting the real Waddles in there (rather than some kind of talking anthropomorphic pig) gives her a touchstone to make her more comfortable. It's not like Waddles is going to talk Mabel into escaping or anything. |
| 1249 | |
| 1250 | * Why did Soos succumb so easily to a man who claimed to be his dad, but had the appearance of just some wrestler? I thought he got over his issues in, I think, Blendin's Game? And that he accepted that the Pines family is his real family now. |
| 1251 | ** Same reason it offered Dipper a version of Wendy who loved him, despite him mostly being over his crush towards her. Bill's prison worked by tapping into your deepest desires, and offering them to you, including your subconscious ones. Soo's really just wanted a father figure, its the same reason he latched onto Stan. As such he knows this isn't really his father, but the opportunity of getting to spend time with a father figure who loves him, is his greatest desire. |
| 1252 | ** Besides which, this show makes a point to show that a character does not get over a longstanding issue over the course of one episode. Dipper understands he can't be with Wendy but that doesn't mean he's gotten over her yet. Soos knows he doesn't need his father anymore, but it'd still be nice to be with him. |
| 1253 | |
| 1254 | * At the start of Weirdmageddon 2, Dipper gives a brief summary of the situation up to that point to Wendy and Soos, even though there's nothing he tells them that they don't already know. From a Doylist perspective, this is to allow the audience to catch up to what's going on. My question is, is there a Watsonian explanation to go with it? |
| 1255 | ** Dipper likes going over recent events out loud, he's done it in many episodes. Maybe it helps him organize his thoughts. |
| 1256 | |
| 1257 | * So with the Bubble, Mabel either paid a huge price by leaving it, or by staying in it, depending on if one sees it as more of a GildedCage than a LotusEaterMachine. The bubble does give her what she wants, at the cost of shutting out the real world and anyone who clings steadfastly to reality. For Mabel, which was worse in the end? Leaving her version of Paradise, or realizing it was a prison and another of Bill's tricks? |
| 1258 | ** You kind of missed the point of the episode. The Bubble wasn't paradise, it was Mabel's version of white noise to drown out her fears of the future. As soon as she's assured her fears won't come true even she's sick of the place. |
| 1259 | ** Bill can interpret his deals however he likes, and according to WordOfGod he's not even entirely bound by them. Even assuming he stuck to the "perfect summer that lasts as long as you want it to, in exchange for the rift" deal, which the Bubble technically fulfills. Honestly, [[EvilIsPetty all he has to do is wait]]; even Mabel would eventually tire of getting everything she wanted. The moment she stops wanting the deal, it expires, and Bill can kill her. |
| 1260 | |
| 1261 | * In Weirdmageddon Pt.1, Dipper commented that he and Mabel don't have twin ESP, but their allergies do flare up at the same time, however, in the flashback to school photo day, Dipper is explicitly complaining about allergies, but Mabel doesn't seem affected whatsoever. What was the point of bringing it up in the previous episode if they were just going to contradict it only an episode later? |
| 1262 | [[/folder]] |
| 1263 | |
| 1264 | [[folder:Weirdmageddon Pt. 3]] |
| 1265 | * Why did Bill try to completely decimate the shack? His plan was "threaten the kids so Ford confesses the equation." He can't blackmail Ford with the kids if the kids are smithereens. |
| 1266 | ** The extent of Bill's powers is kind of fuzzy. He has control over space and time, whatever that means in the Gravity Falls universe, so it's possible he could resurrect them and even if he can't he ''can'' canonically make convincing duplicates of people. Either way Ford wouldn't know what he was doing since he was a statue for the whole fight. |
| 1267 | |
| 1268 | * So what is Bill trying to do when he yells "STAAAANLEEEEY!" and charges at him? |
| 1269 | ** Nothing, really. It was a desperate, exasperated move made by someone who wasn't thinking straight. |
| 1270 | |
| 1271 | * So what was the circle supposed to do? What would it have done to stop Bill? What importance did it have, and what "destiny" were the characters involved with? [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking And moreover, how is Ford able to draw a perfect circle using a spray can by freehand?]] |
| 1272 | ** In [[http://www.tvinsider.com/article/73765/gravity-falls-series-finale-alex-hirsch-interview/ this interview]], Alex Hirsch implied that it would have enabled the characters to "Care Bear stare Bill to death," and went with something else because he felt that didn't have significance. In the same interview, he confirmed that the symbol was not originally planned to mean anything or even to necessarily appear in the show. |
| 1273 | ** As for how he can draw a perfect circle freehand, if this is a mechanic he can use to save the entire world, then he's very likely practiced drawing it a lot. |
| 1274 | |
| 1275 | * So Stan and Ford trick Bill by switching clothes to make themselves look like the other. That's all fine and good, but when Bill and Stan (dressed as Ford) shake hands, one can see that he (Stan) still has 6 fingers, even though he's not actually Ford. How does that work? |
| 1276 | ** If you rewatch the scene, you can clearly see that Stan is wearing Ford's six fingered gloves. As far as Bill (and the audience) can see, "Ford" appears to have his full complement of fingers. The only visual clue to the switch is the dimple on Ford's chin, which Stan lacks, but Bill was probably too eager to get what he wanted to notice this more subtle detail. |
| 1277 | ** He's wearing Ford's gloves. There's even one part where the glove's extra finger dangles (although that isn't consistent). |
| 1278 | ** When you shake hands with someone you usually don't look at the handshake anyway unless you have a reason to. The thought didn't occur to Bill so he wasn't looking to see if the number of fingers were correct. |
| 1279 | |
| 1280 | * Does Grunkle Stan's memory coming back mean that Bill is somewhere within his mind? |
| 1281 | ** Technically speaking, Bill was actually destroyed ''before'' Stan's mind was. While they were similar enough to be killed together, Bill is ultimately a different entity than the memories. One of those differences could be that he cannot be restored like them. |
| 1282 | ** If he does return, I doubt that's how it'll happen... |
| 1283 | ---> '''Bill:''' ''(talking backwards)'' A-X-O-L-O-T-L MY TIME HAS COME TO BURN, I INVOKE THE ANCIENT POWER THAT I MAY RETURN! |
| 1284 | |
| 1285 | * Why did Ford type "Stanley Pines" into the memory-gun instead of "Bill Cipher"? That could have deleted Bill anyways yet spared Stan... |
| 1286 | ** The memory gun works for the target's memory. Bill really isn't a memory, which would consist of a door and a room. Texting "Bill Cipher" would only get rid of Stanley's memory of Bill, or what little he had. Plus, there was a short time window where Bill realized he is not in Stanford and would ultimately escape. Burning the forest instead of a tree is a sure fire way to eliminate Bill, because there would not be a second chance. |
| 1287 | *** This however raises another question - if Bill doesn't count as a "memory" inside someones brain... why was he even affected by the deletion? It's not like he was consumed by the fire or anything. He started to have random spasms and that somehow killed him. If you're stuck in a burning house, that doesn't mean you're gonna get a random seizure attack. You can still try to escape and you might even be successful. |
| 1288 | *** I guess the assumption we're being asked to make is that when Bill enters a mind, his essence converts to whatever metaphysical matter it is that gives memories in the mindscape substance, thus making him vulnerable to the gun. I understood his "random spasms" as desperate attempts to take on a form that would allow him to survive. |
| 1289 | *** Because Bill is trapped ''inside'' Stan's memories. When Bill first entered, he was in a blank white void like the one at the end of ''Dreamscaperers''. By entering the door, he and Stan are briefly the same being (as far as the memory gun is concerned), which works out very, very badly for Bill. |
| 1290 | ** Bill asked Stan "Don't you realize you're destroying your own mind too?" when he learned they were using the memory gun to defeat him. If Bill believes the only way he can be erased with a memory gun is if the entire mind is erased along with him, then he's probably right. |
| 1291 | ** Even if we assume that would have worked...how would the characters have known that? Think of what would have happened had their plan failed: Weirdmageddon would be as active as ever, Stan would be left vulnerable, Bill would escape and be FURIOUS at them, most likely becoming cautious enough to the point where he would never be able to be tricked again. They ''cannot'' take ''any'' risks here. Erasing Stan's entire mind was by far the safest option. |
| 1292 | |
| 1293 | * Would Mabel and Dipper trust Gideon once they leave town because how would they know he would go back to being evil and secretly planning another way to take over the town? I mean the journals might be restored once Bill is destroyed. |
| 1294 | ** If the journals ''were'' restored, it's unlikely Stanford would leave them behind. And it's just as likely Gideon's not going to be trusted again by the townsfolk since they are aware of his prior deception. |
| 1295 | *** Journal 3 reveals that the journals were restored (even the missing pages). They decide to drop them down the bottomless pit. The journals are then found by the Oregon State Parks Department. The park rangers suffer from nightmares, so the journals are sold at the lost and found sale/bakesale where they are purchased. |
| 1296 | |
| 1297 | * It's said that Preston Northwest had to sell his family's manor because he invested his fortune on weirdness bonds. Since Bill had no interest on money, who issued those bonds in the first place? |
| 1298 | ** Honestly, it was probably Bill himself as a joke. It's implied a few times he has a history with the Northwests, and I'm sure he'd also think it was hilarious making them lose a huge amount of the money that's kept them in power all this time. |
| 1299 | ** The concept doesn't really make sense. A bond represents the holder lending money to an institution. So Preston could have Gnome Hive bonds or Manotaur Lair bonds, but the term "weirdness bonds" doesn't really make sense because weirdness isn't something you lend money to. Preston losing his fortune would have meant he gave Bill all his money, expecting Bill to pay it back with interest, and couldn't get it back after Bill's defeat, but Bill transformed Preston immediately so there was no time it could have happened. And it has to be Bill, because the other weirdness in the town is still there. |
| 1300 | |
| 1301 | * According to Stanley, the bubble that surrounds the Mystery Shack because of the "Unicorn Voodoo" protects the Shack from weirdness, if that's true then how were the other creatures of Gravity Falls like Gnomes, Manitaurs, Unicorns, Multibear, Lilliputtians, Wax Larry King's head, and Sev'ral Timez able to hide in the Shack with Stan? |
| 1302 | ** Either it protects from weirdness coming from Bill's dimension (So all those things "don't count"), or it is like vampires, and it protects against unwanted weirdness, and being invited allows the weirdness to enter. |
| 1303 | ** Does it protect against anything from Bill's dimension, or just Bill specifically? The weirdness wave was a direct invocation of Bill's power, but Zanthar (the bread-shaped monster) manages to push the Shack a fair distance. |
| 1304 | ** A better question is, since they had the unicorns themselves present, why didn't they get more hair (by force like last time if the unicorns didn't cooperate) to expand the anti-weirdness bubble to cover the entire mecha-Shack? |
| 1305 | ** Because it takes more than just hair. There were three components and a spell involved and without the journals only Ford knew how to cast it. |
| 1306 | *** Either it didn't occur to them, they didn't want to risk going outside before it was needed, or most likely, only Ford knew how the spell worked |
| 1307 | ** Sev'ral Timez aren't really that "weird". Nothing about their background is paranormal, just high-tech. |
| 1308 | ** The ritual was meant to protect the Shack against Bill specifically. None of the weird creatures in the Shack are linked to Bill, so they don’t count. |
| 1309 | ** The biggest question is how Rumble McSkirmish got in. His second release from the arcade machine was because of Bill's Weirdness. |
| 1310 | *** Rumble still isn't linked to Bill in that way. He's his own being, so to say. (hey that rhymed!) |
| 1311 | |
| 1312 | * Why didn't Mabel get any lines in the end of the show montage? She's as much the protagonist of the show as Dipper is and given how much focus the three-part finale put on her it's weird she doesn't get a monologue about her experiences and growth like Dipper. |
| 1313 | ** Mabel was sleeping on the bus. [[AllJustADream Or their whole victory was just in Dipper's head]] [[Fridge/GravityFalls and the gang are still being lulled in Mabel Land.]] |
| 1314 | *** There's no evidence that this is the case, but that would be an awesome twist, in my opinion. |
| 1315 | ** I thought the show was meant to be a story told by Dipper. The first episode begins with Dipper's narration, so it makes sense for the show to end with more of his narration. |
| 1316 | ** Dipper's monologue at the end is pretty short. Having it randomly switch narration would distract from the message, honestly. |
| 1317 | ** Dipper is slightly more of the protagonist than Mabel. There are significantly more episodes told primarily from Dipper's perspective as opposed to Mabel. He's the one who initiates the plot by discovering Journal 3 and exploring its contents. And - in this three-part finale - when the twins are experiencing contrasting perspectives, who does the show focus on? Dipper. You're right in saying that Dipper and Mabel have nearly equal focus as the protagonist, but the show does typically prioritize Dipper's perspective (and that's not a bad thing; having a definitive central character is just how storytelling works). |
| 1318 | |
| 1319 | * Why does Dipper say in his closing monologue that Gravity Falls isn't on any map and that people say it doesn't exist? How can the Northwests hold an annual party attended by the richest and most powerful people on Earth and still have the town they're famous for having (supposedly) founded "not exist"? |
| 1320 | ** Is Northwest Manor within town proper? On a somewhat-related note, the manor-town situation might be similar to that of a famous university - everyone knows about Harvard and, hell, most of the Ivies, but significantly fewer know (or care) about the surrounding towns. |
| 1321 | *** Harvard is in a suburb of Boston. A better example would be Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville. |
| 1322 | ** Obviously, ''some'' people know the town exists. Soos's girlfriend, at least one bus driver, the phone company, the government agents, the attraction owners who have a rivalry with the Mystery Shack, et cetera. The town might actually be well-known among the super-rich as the site of the Northwests' party, but ordinary people in Portland or Eugene would scoff and say it's an urban legend. |
| 1323 | ** Or Dipper's just being poetic. The town has at least semi-regular long-distance bus coverage -- it's on maps. |
| 1324 | ** There's cell phone coverage. There's Internet. The Mystery Shack is a successful business and ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'' states that there are signs advertising it all along the highway. There are buses and railroads. The convenience store may have been closed for ages but it still carried brand-name products; those weren't made locally. The arcade is full of games that had to be purchased by someone and shipped to the town. Many of the businesses seem to be part of chains. Events in the town are covered on the local news, which means Sandra Jiminez's broadcasts about Weirdmageddon were certainly received outside the town. There's no way Dipper's statement can be factually true. |
| 1325 | ** I always took it as TheWorldAsMyth. "Gravity Falls exists in real life, but because it isn't on the map, no one in real life is aware of it." In fact, it may have been the inspiration for the [[https://twitter.com/oregonparksdept?lang=en#:~:text=Oregon%20Parks%20Dept.,(%40OregonParksDept)%20%7C%20Twitter Oregon Parks Dept.]] ARG in which it's heavily implied that Bill reincarnated into a bird. |
| 1326 | |
| 1327 | * What exactly is the point of the metal plate in Ford's head if Bill can enter into his mind anyway (given he shakes hands with Bill)? It won't stop Bill from entering his dreams and won't stop demonic possession and it wouldn't allow his mind to be erased, so ultimately it failed on all orders. |
| 1328 | ** Bill can always appear in dreams, but the plate prevents him from rooting around in memories or taking control. Unless he is invited. |
| 1329 | ** It prevents Bill from coming in uninvited. At least while awake. |
| 1330 | |
| 1331 | * Bill needs to learn how to escape Gravity Falls to the rest of the world, and since he destroyed the journals, his only immediate source is Ford. Of course, Ford has the metal plate in his head, so the knowledge can't be gained unless Ford offers it willingly. Except that we've seen that Bill, once in physical form, is now capable of transmuting materials at will. Had he kept his rage in check and thought on it a moment, what would have stopped Bill snapping his fingers and transmuting the plate itself into living tissue and negating its protection? He could have had the answers he desired before the Pines family had a plan in place. |
| 1332 | ** According to ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', it's not an ordinary metal plate. It was a gift from a being called the Oracle. It's quite likely protected from Bill the same way the Mystery Shack was. |
| 1333 | |
| 1334 | * [[JustEatGilligan Why didn't Bill just tell everyone that the Weirdmageddon was all Mabel's fault?]] It would have been the perfect way to crush the Pines family's morale and beat them. |
| 1335 | ** Honestly, I think you're overestimating their reaction. Ford and Dipper have both been tricked by Bill, with huge consequences on Ford's part and nearly lethal on Dipper's, so they don't have much room to judge, especially since Ford ordered Dipper not to warn Mabel about the rift in the first place. And if anyone's going to understand making a mistake about of wanting to not be separated from their loved ones and have it have horrible consequences, the Stans certainly will. This really sounds more like when everyone thought Dipper would be mad at Mabel for not stopping the portal, only for him to just shrug it off. Mistakes were made, she didn't know what the consequences would be and they're family, they stick together. |
| 1336 | ** Also, given the trope-defying nature of this show, Bill's VillainsNeverLie privileges would probably run out as soon as he tried that. Dipper at the very least probably wouldn't believe him no matter what kind of proof Bill had to back it up. |
| 1337 | |
| 1338 | * Why did Dipper say that he had nothing to wish for because he got everything he wanted? He desperately wanted a girlfriend (as shown in "Roadside Attraction") and failed miserably. Yes, I know his ExactWords at the beginning of the series wasn't that he wanted one, but at least six episodes of the show were all caused by him wanting one (well, just Wendy at first) proving that it was important to him. |
| 1339 | ** Dipper doesn't want a girlfriend. He had a crush on Wendy but understands that can't happen, at least not right now, and "Roadside Attraction" was about how he didn't want to date those girls and was just using them to practice being more confident. Dipper's not Mabel, he's not looking for romance right now. |
| 1340 | |
| 1341 | * How come Wendy's letter (with everyone's names signed on it) only says "to: Dipper"? What about Mabel? |
| 1342 | ** The letter is only for Dipper because Mabel got everyone to sign her scrapbook, so Wendy's messages would be in there. |
| 1343 | |
| 1344 | * Why is there a shield around Gravity Falls anyways? Doesn't that imply that SOMEONE at least covered the entire land of Gravity Falls in unicorn hair? |
| 1345 | ** This is answered in the Journal 3 book. Gravity Falls sits at the epicentre of a natural “weirdness magnetism” zone, which draws weird things towards it and to a lesser extent keeps them from leaving. Bill and co are extremely weird and they can’t go past a certain distance away from the center. |
| 1346 | ** Gravity Fall's weirdness magnetism keeping Bill & co. inside its limits was also mentioned by Ford in the actual episode. |
| 1347 | |
| 1348 | * When Bill went to destroy the shack, why did he turn Ford into gold again? He wants Ford to tell him the equation, and the main reason he's trying to kill Dipper and Mabel is to pressure Ford into giving it to him. Why would Bill make Ford unconscious during a likely moment in which he would confess? |
| 1349 | ** He wanted to neutralize Shacktron first and he left Ford behind as gold so he wouldn't get into trouble while he was out fighting. If he didn't go fight the Shack there's the possibility that the humans would get into the Fearamid and start attacking him there since they'd already beaten his Henchmaniacs for the time being, which would be bad for Bill and make Ford unlikely to give him the equation because his side was winning. |
| 1350 | |
| 1351 | * Why does killing Bill also automatically seal the hole between dimensions? The hole was created by Ford's machine, not by Bill's powers. |
| 1352 | ** The hole between dimensions was caused by breaking the rift, which was technically Bill's actions, I guess, same as damage caused by the Henchmaniacs |
| 1353 | |
| 1354 | * Why didn't Bill leave Stan's mind as soon as he realized that he wasn't Ford? |
| 1355 | ** He was about to when he declared the deal was off, but by then the "door" had slammed shut since Ford had blasted Stan with the memory gun. He does try to get out, but can't for reasons he doesn't understand. |
| 1356 | * He did. The clip of Ford preparing the memory gun presumably actually happened concurrently with Bill first entering Stan's mind and discovering where he actually was. Bill was in shock for just a few seconds, and once that wore off he immediately tried to leave, but by then it was already too late for him. |
| 1357 | [[/folder]] |
| 1358 |
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