Recap / Gravity Falls S2 E20 "Weirdmageddon Part 3: Take Back the Falls"

Jrrgebh Judylwb Idoov^note Goodbye Gravity Falls

"Bill wants us to be afraid. He wants us to hide. Those are our friends, and if we don't do something, it'll be our entire universe! So I say we band together and take the fight to him! We are cancelling the Weirdpocalypse!"

— Dipper ^note in the trailer.

Aired as a one-hour special, with the second half called "Weirdmageddon Part 4: Somewhere in The Woods" in reruns and on Disney+

Act One/"Weirdmageddon Part 3: Take Back the Falls":

Continuing from where we left off, the Mystery Shack team is reunited and we see that Stanley has been sheltering the survivors of Weirdmageddon; Old Man McGucket, Pacifica, Candy and Grenda amongst others are included, but also the many monsters and creatures of Gravity Falls who were affected by the cataclysm. It turns out that the Unicorn spell has been protecting the Shack from Bill's influence, with Stanley appointing himself the leader and planning to hide and outlast the Oddpocalypse.

Upon witnessing a news report showing Bill's throne of petrified humans, Dipper and Mabel convince the survivors to fight back; Dipper explains that Ford knows a way to defeat Bill, so the first stage is to rescue him. McGucket comes up with a plan, but everyone needs to help... but Stanley, still resentful over his brother, excludes himself.

In the penthouse suite of the Fearamid, Bill restores Ford and explains his predicament of the barrier confining Weirdmageddon to Gravity Falls. Ford explains that the phenomenon is "Gravity Falls' Natural Law of Weirdness Magnetism", which can be undone by a simple equation. Of course, Ford isn't going to give it to Bill willingly, and Bill can't invade Ford's mind unless they shake hands and is let in. So Bill has to come up with another way in...

The final outcome of McGucket's plan? Converting the Mystery Shack into a Humongous Mecha to storm Bill's castle head-on and rescue Ford. Bill dispatches his henchmaniacs to take down the Shacktron, but thanks to the Shack's Weirdmageddon-proof forcefield and the combined efforts of the survivors, they are fought off. Bill, reasoning that maybe Ford will loosen up if his family is threatened, takes on the Shacktron himself. Fortunately he doesn't do much better and is severely thrown off when the Shacktron rips his eye out. With Bill distracted, the rescue team of Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Soos, Stan, Pacifica, Sheriff Blubs and McGucket is launched into the Fearamid, equipping themselves with a size-altering flashlight and the memory-erasing gun.

Ford is rescued along with the townsfolk, as well as Gideon, who had been imprisoned by Bill and forced to dance cutely for all eternity. Family and friends are reunited, but time is running out; Bill has regenerated his eye and is realizing that the Shacktron's anti-Bill-field doesn't cover its limbs. Ford reveals the way to defeat Bill, using spray paint to sketch on the floor a familiar symbol; the zodiac wheel seen at the beginning of every episode! Finally, its true purpose is revealed; it is part of a prophecy that can defeat Bill and undo Weirdmageddon, with each symbol representing an individual in the room. When combined and holding hands, they form a human energy circuit.

Some symbols are obvious; Dipper is the Pine Tree, Mabel is the Shooting Star, Soos is the Question Mark and Ford is the Six-Fingered Hand. Some are slightly less so; Pacifica is the Llama (wearing Mabel's llama sweater), Robbie is the Bleeding Heart (the same sigil is on his hoodie) and Gideon is the One-Eyed Star (the Tent of Telepathy's symbol). Some are metaphorical; Wendy is the Ice Bag (for staying cool in the face of danger) and McGucket is the Glasses (for being scholarly). Then everyone holds hands for the circuit to generate. The only symbol left is the Mystery Shack's crescent symbol... but Stan is still bitterly excluding himself, unwilling to buy into his brother's mystical hoodoo.

Stan, after some pressuring from the others, is ready to join the circuit, but under the condition that Ford must thank him for rescuing him from the dimensional portal, which Ford has not done yet. Ford does so and Stan finally joins hands... only for Ford to snarkily comment over his brother's grammar. This turns out to be the last straw for Stan and a sibling fight ensues, ruining the circuit as Dipper and Mabel try to stop them at the worst possible time; Bill returns, no longer distracted and having destroyed the Shacktron, with all the people who could possibly stop him gathered in one room!

Act Two/"Weirdmageddon Part 4: Somewhere in The Woods":

Bill is beside himself with glee that his ultimate triumph is at the hands of a sibling conflict. He destroys the zodiac wheel with a wave of fire, the Pines family is swiftly captured and the remaining zodiac components are turned into tapestries, with their faces frozen in screaming horror. Bill is ready to torture Dipper and Mabel to get the information out of Ford, but Mabel uses Ford's spray paint on Bill's freshly-regenerated eye to stall him and Dipper uses his size-altering flashlight to escape from their cage. Bill, transforming himself into a horrifying three-tiered spider-limbed monstrosity, gives chase, leaving the Pines brothers trapped but giving them time to discuss their options.

The brothers feel guilty and despondent, as their actions have doomed their family and soon the universe; Stan, for not being able to let go of his bitterness for his brother when he wouldn't thank him, and Ford, for falling for Bill's trickery in the first place and his grudge with his brother. Ford decides to play the only card they have left by willingly giving himself up to Bill, just for the slim chance that he'd spare Dipper and Mabel. Adding to Ford's predicament is the fact that if it weren't for the plate implanted in his skull, he could just be zapped with the memory-erasing gun and Bill would be obliterated. Since he could be affected by the memory gun, Stan asks Ford if Bill could enter his mind instead, as there's nothing of value in there... but unfortunately, as Ford puts it, there's nothing of value to Bill either. The brothers know that Bill can't be trusted, but what other choice do they have?

Dipper and Mabel are chased throughout the Fearamid, but their efforts prove futile as a very ticked-off Bill catches up to them, yelling that he'll dismantle their molecules. The twins are caught, but not before witnessing the henchmaniacs capture the other Weirdmageddon survivors. All seems lost as Bill returns to the Pines brothers, saying that he's going to kill one of the kids just for the heck of it. Right before one of the kids is turned into a corpse (or worse...) Ford proclaims his surrender, but under the condition that his family goes free. Bill, victorious, enters Ford's mind and once again becomes a dream being, leaving behind his physical form which turns to stone.

Within Ford's mind is a perfectly calm, white void, with only a single door. Bill opens the door, expecting to see the equation that'll unleash Weirdmageddon upon the universe... and instead sees Stanley, sitting calmly in the living room of the Mystery Shack! It turns out that Stan can do a pretty good impression of his brother, and if they switch clothes no-one can tell the difference. Back in the physical realm, Ford readies the memory gun, and aims it at his brother...

Bill hastily tries to call off the deal, but is too late, as the dream version of the Mystery Shack swiftly bursts into blue flame and starts to fade away into nothingness. Bill, panicking, stammers to Stan that his mind is being deleted, but Stan shrugs it off as he wasn't using it much anyway. Nothing can stop it now, as Bill is trapped in Stan's collapsing dreamscape and his powers have become useless. Bill, fearing for his life, desperately begs for Stan to do something, offering him anything; money, fame, riches, infinite power, his own galaxy, but Stan doesn't budge. As Stan puts it, Bill made one mistake: messing with his family. Bill's form destabilizes into glitchy death throes, only able to stammer one more cryptic command, before Stan punches him in the eye and shatters him into oblivion. Stan embraces a family picture of him and the twins, happy that he was good for something after all, as the blue flames consume him.

With Bill Cipher erased, Weirdmageddon is undone; the henchmaniacs and the Fearamid are sucked back into the nightmare realm and the tear in the sky closes up, restoring Gravity Falls back to its regular state of near-normalcy and the petrified remains of Bill's physical form is the only remnant left of his reign, and peace in Gravity Falls is restored. For the Pines family however, the universe is saved at a terrible cost as Stan's mind has been deleted and he has no memory of his family or the times he had with them. Ford declares his brother their hero for saving him and the world, as he embraces again for the first time in years. Mabel desperately tries to get Stan to remember by showing him her vacation scrapbook, but nothing is registering... that is, until Waddles leaps onto his lap and Stan calls him by name involuntarily. As Mabel continues to show Stan her vacation photos, Stan's memories slowly begin to return.

Normal life in Gravity Falls returns, only now the monsters and oddities of the town are integrated into the daily lives of the citizens. Mayor Tyler announces a "Never Mind All That" act to gloss over the horror of the last few days so no other visitors will know what happened, the Northwest family lost their fortune to the weirdness bonds and have been demoted to upper-middle class status upon selling their manor, McGucket has regained his sanity and made a fortune patenting his inventions and Gideon is going to attempt to have a normal childhood (with mixed results, but hey, he's trying).

As for the Pines family, the town throws a massive 13th birthday party for the younger twins and Stan's memory is fully recovered. During the party, Ford and Stan finally reconcile and plan to travel the world together in search of oddities and adventure, so Soos is promoted to become the Mystery Shack's new manager. On the day the twins are about to leave, Wendy and Dipper exchange their hats to remember each other and Wendy gives him a note to read the next time he misses Gravity Falls. As the twins are about to leave, they also first have to take Waddles with them after Ford and Stan "persuade" the bus driver with their weapons. The twins say goodbye to Stan, saying they will miss and wave goodbye to everyone until they are out of sight. As the twins ride the bus back to their home in Piedmont, Dipper concludes the final moments in narration:

If you've ever taken a road trip through the pacific northwest, you've probably seen a bumper sticker for a place called "Gravity Falls". It's not on any maps, and most people have never heard of it, some people think it's a myth. But if you're curious, don't wait. Take a trip. Find it. It's out there somewhere in the woods. Waiting.

Dipper then opens Wendy's note; it reads "See you next summer", with the Stan twins' and all of their new friends' signatures around it. Dipper smiles as the bus leaves Gravity Falls.

After the credits roll, we see a glimpse of Bill Cipher's petrified form in a real-life forest...

---

Tropes in this episode:

• 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The Shacktron is obviously animated with CG. It was provided by the Glendale branch of Rough Draft Studios, which also provided the animation for Futurama, Disenchantment and Drawn Together.
• Accidental Hero: Stan at the beginning of the episode when he sarcastically says that the survivors can't bring the Shack to Bill, and they're only safe indoors. This gives McGucket the idea to turn the Shack into a fighting robot.
• Achilles' Heel:
  • The shack's robot limbs are not covered by the magic shield. Bill of course comments on it, mentioning the Trope Namer as he does so.
  Bill: Hey Achilles, nice work with the HEEL!
  • Despite gaining a physical form, Bill still needs permission to enter people's minds. This is a problem, because in order to break the weirdness barrier and take Weirdmaggedon global, he needs an equation that's in Ford's head, and unfortunately for Bill, Ford is very obstinate about not letting him in.
• All for Nothing: The big zodiac wheel with the ten symbols that have not been brought up until now, becomes this thanks to Stan and Ford's bickering and Bill destroying it.
• All Girls Like Ponies: Pacifica is horrified upon learning her family can't keep more than one pony.
• All There in the Manual: According to the defictionalized version of Journal #3, the journals actually were restored following Bill's destruction, but Ford decided to toss them into the Bottomless Pit where their secrets would be hidden away forever. Little does Ford know that the pit eventually spits out everything that falls in.
• All Your Powers Combined:
  • Mabel, Dipper, Stan, Soos, Wendy, Ford, Pacifica, Gideon, McGucket, and Robbie represent the 10 symbols needed for a spell to stop Bill. Unfortunately, it all goes south when Stan and Ford have a sibling feud at the worst possible moment.
  • The Shacktron, unlike most Humongous Mecha in fiction, requires multiple people to operate it; Dipper steers, Candy and Grenda act as the arms, Mabel and Waddles work the Totem-pole cannon, McGucket controls the Gobblewonker head, Multibear acts as lookout, and Sev'ral Timez powers it by running on a treadmill.
• Alone with the Psycho: The younger Pines twins as they run from Bill. They have a great head start, up until they see The Cavalry captured.
• Alternate Reality Game: After the series' conclusion, Alex Hirsch launched "Cipher Hunt", an ARG made for the fans not affiliated with Disney or any company. In addition to clues in the episode itself, Hirsch posted hints on his Twitter feed to lead fans on a wild scavenger hunt with the trail of clues ranging from Russia to Japan. The prize at the end of the hunt was the location of the real-life statue of Bill Cipher located in Reedsport, Oregon, along with a treasure chest of exclusive Gravity Falls items. Sadly, the statue is no longer there due to land disputes, but was instead relocated to Confusion Hill, a roadside tourist trap in Piercy, California, and the very first building that served as inspiration for the design of the Mystery Shack.
• Always Save the Girl: Ford plans to doom the whole rest of the universe just for a chance that Bill will spare Dipper and Mabel when the triangle chases down the kids and openly states he'll murder them. Stan convinces him to try another way.
• And I Must Scream: Literally. Bill turns The Chosen Many, sans the Pines, into tapestries with looks of shock and horror on their faces.
• And the Adventure Continues: For both sets of twins, with Dipper and Mabel returning home to continue their lives and Stan and Ford finally going on the adventure they planned when they were children on the Stan O'War II. Wendy even gives Dipper a paper with signatures of everyone in town, saying "see you next summer."
• Anger Born of Worry: At the campfire, Stan angrily points out that if Ford had hidden in the Mystery Shack then "maybe he wouldn't have been captured" after mentioning how he saved Ford once and never got thanked. This hints that he's as worried about Ford as Dipper and Mabel are.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Sheriff Blubbs to Durland after seeing his petrified form on television.
• Animation Bump: Bill's death has a more fluid animation than most of the series, as it was animated in-house by Dana Terrace.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Stanley doesn't believe that the zodiac prophecy can stop Bill and refuses to participate at first, despite everything he's been through. However, this probably has less to do with skepticism and more to do with his resentment over his brother.
• Arc Symbol: The 10 symbols on the Bill wheel show up again, and are revealed to be part of a prophecy about how Bill might be stopped.

• The Atoner: After having to erase his brother's memories as part of a Heroic Sacrifice and then triggering them over two days, including the thirty years that Stan spent trying to get Ford back, Ford has finally adopted this attitude. He asks if Stan will give him a second chance and go treasure-hunting with him.
• Audience Surrogate:
  • Pacifica when she says her parents are bad people, but they don't deserve being stone figures on Bill's throne.
  • At the very end, Candy channels the fanbase when asking if Dipper and Mabel really have to leave Gravity Falls. "There's still so much more we can do!"
• Autobots, Rock Out!: The music to the fight between the Shack-Tron and the Hench-Maniacs is a rock remix of the theme music.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Soos ends up succeeding Stan as Mr. Mystery.
• Back for the Finale: Not just every character, but nearly every plot device returns for the final battle (barring the deceased or those who would not have been inside Gravity Falls).
  • After the battle, some zombies are seen trying to rise from their graves. One of them is the late Mayor Eustace "Huckabone" Befufftlefumpter.
• Bad "Bad Acting": "Stan" when begging "Ford" to not surrender his mind to Bill. This is the first indication that the elder Pines have performed a Twin Switch, given that "Stan"'s dialogue is stilted. Bill doesn't realize this since he's gloating about how the brothers can't stop bickering even when facing the end of the world.
• Badass Boast:
  • Dipper and Mabel before leading Bill away from Stan and Ford claiming they've beaten Bill twice and they'll beat him again. He still captures them and nearly murders Mabel, but they gave him a run for his money.
  • Stan gives a rather badass one to Bill while the latter is trapped in the former's mind.
    Stanley: Hey, look at me. Turn around and look at me, you one-eyed demon! You're a real wise guy, but you made one fatal mistake. You messed with my family!
• Bad Boss: After they fail in defeat the Shacktron, Bill tells his Henchmaniacs that he only gave them a simple job and they couldn't do it properly.
• Badass in Distress:
  • Ford's no longer a gold statue, but Bill has him chained and collared.
  • The elder and younger Pines in the climax so that Bill can make a deal with Ford.
• Bear Hug:
  • Dipper, Mabel, Soos and Wendy give one to Stan.
  • Wendy gets one from her father and brothers when they're unfrozen.
• Beat Them at Their Own Game: Stan manages to outcon Bill, resulting in him being destroyed.
• Big Good: Dipper takes up this role, leading the residents of the town (and several supernatural entities the main cast met) in fighting Bill. In the end, he and Mabel are officially declared the heroes of Gravity Falls.
• Big "SHUT UP!": Mabel shouts, "GUYS, STOP IT!" when she sees Stan and Ford fighting over the former's grammar which causes the zodiac circuit to break and she and Dipper try to intervene before Bill arrives to ruin everything.
• Big "WHAT?!": Bill lets out an epic one when he discovers he's in Stan's mind.
• Birthday Episode: The last act of the episode is set on Dipper and Mabel's 13th birthday.
• Bittersweet Ending: Though Earn Your Happy Ending is still in full effect with Bill's defeat, Dipper and Mabel still have to go home and leave all the friends they've made in Gravity Falls. But they all accept that they will all discover new mysteries ahead, not to mention that the supernatural side of the town isn't much of a mystery anymore. Plus, it's all but assured that the twins will come back next summer (with a hero's welcome, no less), though their Great-Uncles might still be out adventuring when they do.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: Bill has absolutely no use for Stanley since he thinks that Ford supposedly wouldn't give a damn about the fact that his brother is going to be killed but rather than simply turning him into a tapestry like all the other chosen candidates, he chose to leave Stan as he is. This ends up biting him in the geometry as it allows Stan and Ford to put aside their grudges and work together to destroy him.
• Bookends:
  • In Bill's first onscreen appearance, he invades Grunkle Stan's mind. Guess where he meets his end?
    Stan: Welcome to my mind. Surprised you didn't recognize it.
  • At the end of the first episode, Dipper traded his brown hat for a Mystery Shack cap. Here, Wendy trades her lumberjack hat for Dipper's cap.
  • Mabel wore her shooting star sweater in the first episode. Here, she is wearing it for the final time.
  • Chronologically, we first saw Stan and Ford exploring an unknown cavern after Stan punches an opening. Come the end, they are exploring the oceans and Stan is punching weird monsters.
  • The series begins and ends with Dipper providing narration. At the beginning of the first episode, Dipper is narrating about why they came to Gravity Falls and what brought them to the current situation with the Monster of the Week. He ends the series with a narration encouraging anyone listening to take a trip and find Gravity Falls. The exact speech can be seen at the bottom of this page.
  • The first villains (the Gnomes) were defeated when Mabel pretended to give into their demands, only to spring a trap on them the moment they believed she'd accepted their deal. Guess how Ford and Stan beat Bill (the LAST antagonist of the series)?
  • The cryptogram during the credits of the first episode said "Welcome to Gravity Falls." The credits cryptogram in this episode reads "Goodbye Gravity Falls."
  • The first episode aired on 6/15/12, and the final episode aired 2/15/16, which is the first date reversed. Hirsch stated in an interview with AV Club that this was merely a coincidence.
  • In the first episode, when Stan had to pick which kid to send out into the woods to hang a sign, he said "Eenie meenie miney... YOU", selecting Dipper (which caused him to find the journal in the first place). In the finale, Bill uses these same words to select which of the twins he will kill first.
  • Just like in his debut episode, someone calls Bill insane and he casually agrees.
• Break the Badass:
  • Rumble McSkirmish has learned that he can lose battles.
  • Bill tries to do this to Ford to get him to undo the barrier keeping him trapped. He only succeeds after threatening the children.
  • Gideon's broken down after being forced to dance for eternity, and this is part of what pushes his Heel–Face Turn.
• Break the Haughty: The Northwests lose most of their fortune and have to sell their mansion due to Mr. Northwest investing in "weirdness bonds". Pacifica is horrified to learn she can only keep one pony.
• Brick Joke: In the first part of "Weirdmageddon", Wendy reacts to Toby restyling himself as Bodacious T by telling him that nobody will ever call him that. At the end of this episode, he's introduced as Bodacious T by none other than Shandra Jimenez.
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Stan successfully destroys Bill Cipher, but at the cost of all his memories being erased as well. Thankfully, he recovers them.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Fiddleford has become this after regaining his sanity.
• The Bus Came Back: For fans wondering what happened to Dipper Clones 3 and 4 after the events of "Double Dipper", they're shown camping out in the woods during the end credits, wearing rain coats to survive getting wet.
• But Now I Must Go:
  • Ford realizes he's learned all he could about Gravity Falls, and decides he must expand his exploits elsewhere. To this end, he and Stan agree to Walk The Earth.
  • Also, Dipper and Mabel take the last bus back to California. Summer has ended, but their legacy will remain in Gravity Falls.
• Call-Back:
  • Stan remembers when Bill invaded his mind the first time.
  • At the birthday party, Wendy declares Dipper and Mabel to be "Technically Teenagers", the same phrase Dipper used when lying about his and Mabel's age in "The Incoveniencing".
  • Mabel says "Samey, but differenty," just like back in "Blendin's Game".
  • Stan and Ford at the end sail off for "treasures and babes," just as they always planned to.
  • Once again, a crudely made likeness of Stan traumatises children. Previously a hot air balloon in "The Love God", now the founder statue Soos made.
• The Cameo:
  • Tad Strange is amongst the Gravity Falls residents that gets unfrozen.
  • The bus driver at the end is voiced by Kyle MacLachlan of Dale Cooper fame.
• Campfire Character Exploration: The night before the attack against Bill is spent with almost the entire cast discussing their future (and trying out Mabel's "apocalypse sweaters.") Grunkle Stan also confesses his bitter feelings over the plan and the resentment he harbors against his brother.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Ford assumes this is why he's been unfrozen, and he's not surprised. Bill laughs at how he figures that out quickly.
• Cardboard Prison: Played straight when Bill traps Dipper and Mabel in a pyramid. Mabel sprays him in the eye with paint, and Dipper enlarges the prison with his crystal flashlight so that they can slip through the bars. Subverted when Bill traps Stan and Ford in an identical prison, however, because Ford doesn't have any such device, and Stan doesn't think to try slipping through the bars Houdini-style.
• Cast as a Mask: When Ford and Stan pull their Twin Switch, each speaks with the voice of the one they're disguised as, but with slight differences an astute listener can catch.
• Cerebus Retcon: The last time a character's identity was wiped onscreen, namely Blind Ivan, it was played for laughs. This time, when Stan loses his memories? His family is heartbroken.
• Character Development: This episode features the completion of Ford and Stan's character arcs.
  • Stan learns that his existence is worthwhile, defeating the self-esteem issues he's had for forty years.
  • Ford learns his brother isn't a selfish jerk, but instead a man who loves his family more than anything. This realization allows Ford to see past all the mistakes he and Stan made that lead to a decade of estrangement, thirty years trapped in different dimensions, and several weeks angry at each other. For the first time since they were children, the twins' bond finally reconnects.
• Chekhov's Army: The Mystery Shack's survivors consists of many characters from previous episodes.
• Children Are Innocent: Invoked when Stan says that Dipper and Mabel get along because they don't know any better.
• The Chosen Many: That magic circle with Bill in the middle is a prophecy, one based around a ritual that can be used to vanquish Bill. The chosen meant to utilize the ritual are Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Ford, Wendy, Pacifica, Soos, McGucket, Gideon, and Robbie. Unfortunately, Stan's stubbornness and pettiness caused it to be a Red Herring. They decide to go to Plan C^note The zodiac was the Plan B Ford tried to tell Dipper before he got captured.
• Cliffhanger Copout: The end of the last episode ended with the twins, Stan and the survivors in awkward silence. This episode begins the same way, but this time Stan receives a Bear Hug.
• Coincidental Broadcast: Stan tries to assure the survivors that everyone who has gone missing is perfectly fine. As he does so, he hits the remote and turns the TV on just in time for Shandra Jimenez' final broadcast, in which she reveals that the missing townsfolk are most decidedly not fine.
• Continuity Cavalcade: A tremendous number of objects and talents from previous episodes return. The Mystery Shack's protective shield, Dipper's growth and shrink flashlight, Old Man McGucket's ability to design robots, the dinosaurs, Mabel's knitting abilities, scrapbook and grappling hook, the memory gun, and Stan's mindscape.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Wax Larry King's head is still in the Mystery Shack vents.
  • Rumble reassures Dipper that they're not going to fight again.
  • The brown meat Stan was stocking up on in "Boyz Crazy" is the main part of Stan’s survival plans for Weirdmageddon.
  • Dipper and Mabel during their Rousing Speech mention having beaten Bill together before.
  • Pacifica gives Mabel a new golf club and Dipper a DVD of Ghost Harassers for their birthday.
  • Soos previously privately expressed his desire to take over the Mystery Shack one day from Stan in "Little Dipper", and finally his wish comes true.
• Contrived Coincidence: Pacifica fulfills the circle's llama mark requirement just because she was conveniently wearing Mabel's llama sweater.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: Gideon has to dance in a cute style for eternity, as punishment for betraying Bill.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Stan regrets not holding hands over a petty grudge when Bill traps him and Ford before going after the kids, since that would have prevented the second half of the episode from happening. Ford tells Stan that it's his fault for making the deal with Bill in the first place, and for believing his lies.
• Crazy-Prepared: Soos' grandmother has a moving van ready to move her into the Mystery Shack three seconds after Stan puts Soos in charge. Justified; when the Weirdmageddon turned her into an overstuffed easy chair, she simply took a nap. Abuelita rolls with the weirdness.
  Abuelita: I move in immediately.
• Creative Closing Credits: The credits are done in the style of Mabel's Summer Memories scrapbook, and depict animated photos of the cast in a "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue.
• Cue the Falling Object: After Bill's defeat, an amnesiac Stan is led into the ruins of the Mystery Shack and remarks, "Hey, this is a real nice place you got there!" Part of the ceiling then collapses.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The Mystery Shack Mecha defeats Bill's Henchmaniacs with minimal effort.
• Cut Lex Luthor a Check: McGuckett files patents for his inventions, which gives him enough money to buy Northwest Mansion.
• Dartboard of Hate: Wendy is practicing with a punching bag that has Bill's picture taped onto it. Grenda does her one better and uses a giant mechanical arm to punch out a tree with Bill's face painted on it.
• Deadline News: Shandra Jimenez reports on the people who Bill has turned into a chair, just before being Taken for Granite herself.
• Death by Irony: Bill, the ultimate conman who has tricked the majority of the Pines family with false promises, meets his final fate after being tricked by a Pines member using a false promise.
• Death Cry Echo: Bill's final scream of pain and rage when Stan kills him becomes this.
• Deface of the Moon: When trying to get Ford to join him and tell him how to escape the Falls, Bill has an Imagine Spot where he draws a smiley face into North America, takes a bite out of the planet, and soars past his Henchmaniacs doing similar stuff to the other planets.
• Despite the Plan: The plan against Bill was to rescue Ford, find out what he knows about defeating Bill, and do that. The first two parts succeed, but Ford's ultimate plan is delayed by Stan's belligerence long enough for Bill to make it impossible. However, Stan's quick thinking manages to salvage a plan Ford had already ruled out.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Stan delivers the last punch to Bill before they're both erased.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Stan pulls one over Bill, who's the ultimate conman, by disguising himself as Ford before letting Bill into his mind, and having Ford erase both their minds. This isn't the first monster he's scammed.
• Dissonant Serenity: Tad Strange happily informs everyone in a borderline monotone and in the third-person that the And I Must Scream experience has scarred him for life.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Bill plans to kill Mabel for spraying him in the eye.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Some examples:
  • Because if you pose even a threat to Bill, he'll turn you into a tapestry. If you really annoy him, he will burn you alive with your uncles Forced to Watch. Hell, even if you stand against him by attacking him in his eye, he'll threaten to "disassemble your molecules".
  • When the townsfolk are surrounded by the Henchmaniacs, Grenda says that they will never get them alive. Teeth answers merely by eating Shmebulock and saying that it's fine for them.
• Dramatic Drop: Ford drops the memory gun after zapping Stan with it to destroy Bill.
• Dramatic Wind: When The Chosen Many are holding hands in the Zodiac, their hair and clothes are caught in a light breeze. It doesn't touch anyone outside the circle, and it doesn't even seem to come in from outside.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Stan and Ford do this with a flask while captured and Bill hunts down the kids.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After many events, Gravity Falls is restored to normal, Stan and Ford's relationship is fixed with the brothers finally going off to hunt treasure, Toby is hosting the news with Shandra, Soos is the new "Mr. Mystery" with Melody having moved in, but most of all, not only do Dipper and Mabel have their birthday party, they've gone from being nobodies and belittled Butt Monkeys to well-admired heroes of Gravity Falls.
• Easy Amnesia: Justified since, as seen before, memories could be triggered with the memory erase gun's records. Stan has forgotten who he is, but Mabel's scrapbook (combined with Stan's inherent greed) triggers his memories slowly.
• Easily Forgiven:
  • Played with for Gideon. Mabel is still uncomfortable with him, but he's later seen at their birthday party and thanks her and Dipper for inspiring him to turn over a new leaf.
  • After everything is said and done, Ford Pines himself qualifies by Dipper and Mabel, as despite nearly unintentionally ending their sibling bond and his Innocently Insensitive treatment of the latter, neither of the twins hold any grudge against him. Likewise, Stan seems to regard his offer of fulfilling their childhood dreams as all the thanks he really needs.
• Electric Torture: Bill tortures Ford with electrical volts to get him to talk.
• 11th-Hour Superpower: The heroes take the fight to Bill by using the Shack-Tron, the Mystery Shack turned into a Humongous Mecha.
• The End... Or Is It?: As he is disintegrating, Bill screams backwards "A-X-O-L-O-T-L, My time has come to burn, I invoke the ancient power that I may return!" Axolotl references the image Alex Hirsch used to field spoiler questions during AMAs. The situation leaves it open-ended exactly what this means (as Bill was only able to get anything resembling a stable form as soon as he finished the incantation, leaving the possibility that's what it was for). The immediate aftermath of the World-Healing Wave shows Bill's petrified physical form in the middle of the woods, while the very last shot afterwards appears to be live action footage of the same. Both of them have one arm extended, which can be interpreted as Bill both waving goodbye to the audience and/or attempting to possess anyone who passes by.
  • Doubles as a Genius Bonus: An axolotl is a type of salamander that's stuck in larvae form (called neotenic) because of a lack of iodine. They can remain in that form all their lives - but if they're put into an environment with a sufficient amount of iodine, they will quickly transform into adults. Add to this Bill's hand being outstretched, as if waiting for a handshake...
  • Double Genius Bonus: axolotls are named after Xolotl, an aztec god of death, monsters, lightning, and twins!
  • Became a significantly less ambiguous example of this trope following the release of Gravity Falls: Dipper and Mabel and the Curse of the Time Pirates' Treasure!, but whether anything will come out of it is a different question.
• Enemy Mine:
  • A captured Gideon tells Mabel how to unfreeze the throne and Ford, and later joins The Chosen Many to defeat Bill.
  • Mr. Northwest tells Pacifica to do something no-one in her family has ever done and "touch a hillbilly" (McGucket) in order to complete the circle and seal Bill away.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Neither Gideon nor Mr. Northwest can tolerate a world where Bill rules, particularly after the ways he punished them, despite the fact that the former assisted in bringing about The End of the World as We Know It, and the latter attempted to assist in doing that.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When Bill learns he was tricked into entering Stan's mind so he can be erased along with all its contents, Bill's first assumption is that Stanley's an idiot who doesn't understand what he's doing rather than him making a Heroic Sacrifice. He then tries to bribe him out of it, earning himself a Megaton Punch to the eyeball that leaves him as shattered refuse in Stan's psyche.
• Evil Gloating: Bill does this when "Ford" surrenders and "Stan" begs his brother to not allow Bill into his mind. He's too busy commenting on their bickering to note that that "Stan" has six fingers and has a different chin and nose.
• Evil Is Petty: Turns out that Bill's entire driving motivation is that he was super bored in the two-dimensional plane and wanted to break into reality so he could play MC to the biggest party in existence, an act that proves to be extremely hazardous to human life.
• Eye Scream: Bill gets his eye attacked three times: First, the Mystery Shack mecha rips it out. Then Mabel maces him in it with spray paint. The final time, Stan punches him in it to finish him off.
  Bill: AHH! My eye! Do you have any idea how long it takes to regenerate that?!
• Face Death with Despair: Bill upon realizing he's going to be erased. His trademark cocky persona completely crumples as (for the first time in the series) he becomes genuinely, truly terrified.
• Face Death with Dignity:
  • Shandra Jimenez stoically finishes her final news report even as she's being petrified by one of Bill's Eye Bats.
    Shandra: I'm Shandra Jimenez, and I'm being turned into stone.
  • In a metaphorical sense: the only emotion Stan shows when his mind is being erased is rage towards Bill. When Bill is destroyed and Stan realizes he accomplished something after all, he goes out with a smile from bittersweet relief as the flames engulf him.
  • Rumble, as No Ontological Inertia ensues, kneels with a thumbs up.
• The Fellowship Has Ended: With the reign of Bill Cipher ended and summer over, the Mystery Shack team splits up; Dipper and Mabel have to go back to their parents in Piedmont, and the Stans are leaving town to investigate something in the Arctic Ocean. Soos is left behind to take over the Mystery Shack itself.
• Final First Hug: Inverted. About one month after Stan brought him out of the portal, Ford finally gives him the hug that Stan wanted, after having been forced to erase Stan's mind to save the world from Bill.
• Finale Credits: The scrolling end credits take the form of Mabel's scrapbook with some of the characters from the moving pictures in their "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue moments.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing:
  • When Bill returns with the kids to force Ford into making a deal, several shots show that "Stan" has six fingers, not five. It's also apparent that their chins and noses have switched, and that "Ford" has Stan's hair colour. In addition, "Ford's" voice is scratchier than normal, while "Stan's" is smoother.
  • The door in "Ford's" mind is identical to the doors in Stan's mind shown in Dreamscaperers.
• Foil: Ford in the first part of Weirdmageddon attempted to take down Bill like a hero with a hastily-crafted plan that ended in total failure and was a Senseless Sacrifice. Stan during the same period decided to "run like a coward" and hole up in the Shack, saving dozens of people and monsters.
• Forced Friendly Fire: Wendy jumps onto an Eye-Bat and forces it to petrify 8-Ball.
• Forced Transformation: Bill ends the plan to use the prophecy wheel by turning the participants save the Pines into tapestries.
• Forced to Watch: Bill tries to force Stanley and Stanford watch as he kills either Dipper and Mabel "just for the heck of it".
• Foreshadowing: Ford says that, as a fellow scammer, Stan would have seen Bill for the conman he was. Guess who ends up scamming Bill in the climax.
• Forgiveness:
  • Fiddleford forgives Ford and himself for the project, after spending so long trying to forget.
  • After ten years of estrangement, thirty long years trapped on the other side of the portal, and seven episodes (several weeks) of being mad at each other, Ford has finally forgiven Stan for the many things that tore them apart.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: The final shot of the series is live-action footage of the statue of a petrified Bill.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • As mentioned under Five-Second Foreshadowing, if you pause the video you can catch the Twin Switch by noticing Stan and Ford's fingers as well as Ford's cleft chin.
  • Xyler and Craz are seen for an instant vanishing along with Rumble, which presents a Series Continuity Error considering what the last episode's code mentioned.
• Genre Savvy: Soos teaches Fiddleford about anime to perfect his fighting robot against Bill. Surprisingly, this works.
• Good Is Not Soft: Bill has long shown himself to be thoroughly undeserving of mercy or restraint, and absolutely no one shows him any. The Shack-tron pilots tear his eye out and knock him around, Mabel sprays paint in his eye, and Stan ignores his pathetic begging to punch him into oblivion.
• Go-to-Sleep Ending: The credits end with Dipper and Mabel falling asleep on the bus as they arrive home in Piedmont.
• Grammar Correction Gag: Played for Drama. After Ford begrudgingly thanks Stan, Stan finally steps into the sealing circle and completes it... but then Ford makes a small comment about Stan's flawed grammar that causes Stan to lose it and start fighting him, screwing up the plan once Bill catches up to them.
• Grand Finale: The very last episode of the series, expanded in length to a full hour (well, 45 minutes plus commercials).
• Grievous Harm with a Body: Bill gets around the weirdness protection bubble by ripping off Shack-tron's leg (which is outside the shield) and using it to smash the Shack itself since, as a physical object, it's not blocked by the shield.
• Grudging "Thank You": Ford gives one when his twin is ranting about how ungrateful he is. Even if Stan was right about being owed this, Ford simply knows that they still have bigger things to worry about right now.
• Happy Birthday to You!: The townsfolk sing this at Dipper and Mabel's birthday, though only the last two words are heard. (This was written before the copyright on the song was lifted.)
• Heel–Face Turn: Gideon feels he has had it with Bill and decides to join the heroes for good, and resolves to live a normal life instead after Bill is defeated. He still resorts to having his henchmen beat up a bully, but at least he's making an effort to change for the better.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • Shandra Jimenez sneaks into Bill's pyramid to show the throne of his victims, which leads to her capture by Eye Bats, in the hopes that a hero will fight Bill.
  • Stan surrenders his mind to save the world, and his family. Fortunately, he gets it back.
  • Rumble aids in the fight against Bill, knowing that he'll face returning to his game at best and Cessation of Existence at worst if Bill loses.
• Hero of Another Story: Shandra Jiminez has been covering Weirdmageddon for four days straight, eating rats and whatever meat is available. She sneaks into Bill's pyramid and broadcasts the location of his victims, in hopes that another hero will rise up as the Eye Bats turn her into stone.
• Hidden Heart of Gold:
  • Stan claims that the Shack is doing well in the apocalypse since the monsters inside give great massages. No mention of how Stan, a selfish con man, has saved dozens of humans and monsters that aren't family.
  • When Dipper and Mabel are leaving Gravity Falls, Stan says "they were nothing but a nuisance and he's glad to be rid of them", and he meant that in a good way.
  • When Mabel has a hard time trying to tell Waddles he can't come with her back to California, Stan makes the bus driver take him under the pretence that since he had to deal with Waddles all summer, now it's Dipper and Mabel's parents' turn.
  • When the townspeople are freed, Preston and Priscilla are genuinely happy to see Pacifica alive and safe. Preston later encourages her to take Fiddleford’s hand and join the Zodiac.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Bill's obsession with getting into Ford's mind ultimately lead to his death; not only did he willingly enter the only place in which he is vulnerable, but he was so greedy and excited in doing so that he didn't even notice the Twin Switch.
• Holding Hands: The people standing on their respective symbols of the Zodiac must hold hands with each other to make it work.
• Hope Bringer: Dipper becomes one to the surviving populace, and gave them hope in their Darkest Hour that they can defeat Bill if they stand together.
• Hope Spot: At first it seems like Bill will be defeated once everyone in the Zodiac joins hands to activate its power... but then Ford corrects Stan on his grammar, initiating their constant arguing once again, which undoes the circuit and distracts them long enough for Bill to appear and attack them.
• Human Resources: Bill invites Stanford to sit on a couch made from living human skin.
• Humiliation Conga: The entire episode is one for Bill. When the resistance arrives in a giant robot, he sends his Henchmaniacs, thinking that they'll be able to take care of the problem, only for them to fail horribly. When he decides to fight himself, he finds out that the Shack is protected from him, leading to his eye being yanked out and him being thrown around like a rag doll before finding the robot's weakness. When it looks like he has the upper hand, he gets sprayed in the eye, allowing Dipper and Mabel to escape and outmaneuver him until he manages to catch them, forcing 'Ford' to make a deal with him. However, when it seems like he's finally won, it turns out that Stan conned him and traps him in the mindscape while they both get erased, reducing Bill to a screaming begging wreck.
• Humongous Mecha: The refugees turn the Mystery Shack into a massive battling robot Soos calls "Shack-o-tron".
  Wax Head of Larry King: They turned the house into a robot. Fascinating!
• Identity Amnesia: In order to defeat Bill, Stan has to have his entire mind erased. He loses all of his memories, and awakes from the deletion with no idea as to who he is. Fortunately, he gets better.
• I Have Your Wife: Bill captures the twins to force Ford to make a deal with him. Unfortunately, he bargained with the wrong Pines...
• Immediate Sequel: The episode begins on the same shot of the gang preparing for battle as they barge into the Mystery Shack.
• I'm Standing Right Here: After Stan says he's considering eating gnomes if they run out of food.
  Jeff: Hey! I'm short, not deaf!
• Insult Backfire: Bill's response to Ford saying "You're insane if you think I'll help you." is "I'm insane either way, brainiac!"
• It's All My Fault: When the plan to defeat Bill with the Zodiac ritual fails because of Stan and Ford's grudge against each other, Stan is forced to realize that his father was right for calling him a screw-up. However, Ford insists that he is to blame for what happened, not Stan, as Ford's the one who fell for Bill's smooth talk in the first place.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • Stan points out that his brother was stupid to take on Bill, since it led to Ford getting captured. He also doesn't have to say that holing up in the Shack and saving the survivors was more effective than Ford's Senseless Sacrifice since if Stan hadn't done so, Dipper and Mabel wouldn't have had a Chekhov's Army to lead in an assault on Bill. Later on, at the campfire, he astutely points out that Ford caused this situation in the first place thanks to his deal with Bill; even Ford himself concedes to this by apologizing to and begrudgingly thanking Stan for bringing him back.
  • Gideon, Pacifica, and Wendy shout at Stan for being stubborn when The Chosen Many has to complete a circle and Stan is refusing to join in because of his grudge with Ford. However, Stan chews back at them by pointing out that Ford is to blame for making the deal with Bill in the first place, forcing Ford to reluctantly thank Stan for bringing him back.
• Jerkass Realization: When Bill threatens to kill the twins and all Stan and Ford can do is watch helplessly, it makes them both realize what petty jerks they've been to each other. What really drives the point home is the fact that while Ford and Stan can't go five minutes without fighting, Dipper and Mabel work like clockwork while fighting Bill.
  Stan: How did things get so messed up between us?
  Ford: We used to be like Dipper and Mabel. The world's about to end and they still work together. How do they do it?
• Karma Houdini:
  • Gideon and his inmate henchmen have been released from prison following Weirdmageddon, probably having received a pardon for standing up to Bill.
  • Downplayed with Mabel. Despite (unknowingly) giving the rift to Bill, which started Weirdmageddon, no-one, not even Dipper, finds out about it, and Bill doesn't even try to bring it up. Justified in that Mabel doesn't remember doing it, as she recounted to Dipper in the previous episode.
• Kill the Cutie: Bill was just about to kill Mabel before "Ford" stopped him.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • Preston trying to support Bill has caused him to lose most of his money, forcing him to sell the family manor to maintain his wealth.
  • In a more sympathetic sense, after having No Sympathy for Stan and his motives since the moment he emerged from the portal (before, even), Ford is the one who is not only forcibly torn away from his brother, but also has to deal with the guilt of being the cause of it, allowing him to finally understand what Stan had been going through for decades.
  • Bill petrified so many humans that he could stack them into a giant throne. After he dies, the remains of his physical form appear to have been reduced to a petrified statue. Ironically, Bill did that to himself; he intentionally turned his physical form to stone when he went astral to enter Ford's mind.
• Last Episode Theme Reprise: A rock cover of the theme song is heard as the Shacktron fights. Then as Dipper and Mabel are heading home, a Softer and Slower Cover of the theme song is heard over the background score.
• Leader Wannabe: Stan appointed himself chief of the survivors living in the Mystery Shack. When McGucket reveals his plans to turn the Shack into a Humongous Mecha, Stan quickly gets shunted to the side as everyone works.
• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Mayor Tyler invokes this about the events of Weirdmageddon, with Blubs and Durland authorised to taser anyone who does.
• Literally Shattered Lives: Bill is punched to pieces by Stan after being weakened by the memory gun.
• Living Legend: The Pines family have earned this status amongst the people of Gravity Falls for defeating Bill Cipher. In particular, Stan became recognized for the sacrifice of his memory to defeat Bill.
• Logical Weakness: Bill gets past the Shacktron's protective shield by attacking the arms and legs, which are outside the shield bubble, then using them to attack the shack because physical objects are not protected against by the shield.
• Loose Lips: Ford blabs to Bill about knowing how to take down the weirdness bubble.
• MacGuffin: The Zodiac is ultimately never used.
• Magic A Is Magic A: Bill may be able to enter Ford's dreams, but he can't enter his mind proper unless he's let in with a handshake deal.
• Make My Monster Grow: Bill supersizes the Henchmaniacs so they'll be the same size as the Shacktron.
• Manly Tears: Ford, a man who has shown he can handle any intergalactic monster that comes his way, breaks down crying after losing his brother.
• Man of Kryptonite: The Shacktron is one for Bill, as the magical protection means he can't do any damage to it but it's very capable of harming him. Eventually, however, he figures out that not all of it is immune to his touch, and beats it with one of its own legs.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": The Chosen Many when Bill catches Ford and Stan fighting, and they're unable to defeat him with the prophecy. An earlier one occurs when Ford corrects Stan on his grammar, meaning things are about to get worse.
• Meaningful Echo: When Bill decides to kill Mabel and Dipper in front of the two Stans, he says "Eenie meenie miney... you" like in "Sock Opera" when he was about to possess Dipper's body.
  • Which was, itself, an Ironic Echo of Stan saying it in the first episode, when he picked Dipper to hang a sign in the woods.
• Meaningful Rename: More like Meaningful Re-rename for Stan, as the news referring to Stanley Pines as the town's hero implies Stan is going by that name again. For a long time, Stan was only known by the identity of his brother, Stanford Pines, and as far as anyone knew, Stanley was dead. By performing a Heroic Sacrifice, Stanley has become a hero in his own right, no longer needing to live in the shadows, thus no longer needing to carry his brother's moniker.
• Morality Pet: Dipper and Mabel for Stan and Ford. While trapped and unable to save Dipper and Mabel from Bill, they finally bury the hatchet to rescue the children.
• Moving-Away Ending: The episode ends with the Pines twins departing Gravity Falls for their home in California.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Poor Stan and Ford after their bickering ruins the Zodiac ritual and Bill calls them out for it, prior to him destroying the circle.
  • Ford after erasing Stan's mind to get rid of Bill. He knows it had to be done, but that doesn't help him feel any better about it.
• Near-Villain Victory: Bill has countered and played wise to all of his enemies' moves; even managing to have the Henchmaniacs recapture all of the freed citizens and trapping Stan, Ford, Dipper and Mabel. With that in mind, Bill coerces Ford (or so he thinks) into letting him into his mind to get the equation to break down the barrier and take Weirdmageddon global by threatening to kill both Dipper and Mabel. However, this all went moot as he never anticipated the fact that the captured Ford and Stan would switch identities with each other at the last minute so that Stan could fool Bill into entering his mind and that the real Ford can use the memory-erasing weapon to erase Stan's mind and destroy Bill for good.
• Never Trust a Trailer: Dipper's Rousing Speech in the trailer (and in the page quote) is different than the one in the episode. Also, it shows Bill's destruction differently than how it actually happens.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: As Bill points out, Stan and Ford's bickering got rid of the last visible threat to him by disrupting the zodiac circle.
• Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Soos as Stan's successor at the Mystery Shack, given he made a terrifying statue of "Our Founder". He's going to be fine running it.
• No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: Bill's chat with Ford in the Fearamid about breaking the barrier has all the hallmarks... except he doesn't offer any food, just drinks.
• Non-Protagonist Resolver: Ultimately, Stan and Ford are the ones who defeat Bill in the end, not Dipper and Mabel, though the younger twins do manage to buy the older twins time to pull off their Twin Switch gambit, in addition to having organized the rescue mission that allowed for Ford and the townspeople to have been rescued at all. For this team effort, they too are recognized as heroes along with their Grunkles.
• No Ontological Inertia: Gravity Falls goes back to normal when Bill is erased, though Clothing Damage still remains and the Mystery Shack is still in shambles (though it has been moved back to its original location).
• No Party Like a Donner Party: Stan says that after the supplies run out, the plan is to eat the gnomes. Jeff, who is right next to him, objects.
• No Romantic Resolution: The series ends with neither Dipper nor Mabel finding romance with any of their respective, potential loves (though there might be a slight case of Maybe Ever After between Dipper and Wendy).
• No-Sell: The protection spell around the shack prevents anything influenced by Bill's weirdness from affecting it. When Bill tries to fight it directly, he's powerless until he sees the Achilles' Heel.
• No Sympathy: Dipper has none for Stan when he suggests hiding over braving Bill.
• Not So Stoic: Ford spent thirty years in the nightmare realm and came out of it barely disturbed, but when he's tasked with erasing his brother's mind, he can't even look at him.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Shandra managed to sneak into Bill's pyramid and host a broadcast showing where the townsfolk are, hoping that a hero on seeing the footage would stand up to Bill.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Ford when Bill realizes that the twins are his weakness.
  • Bill has one when he finds out the mecha the heroes made from the Mystery Shack is immune to his powers.
  • Bill gets a hugely satisfying one when he realizes just how screwed he is, trapped in Stan's mind and about to be erased.
  • Dipper and Wendy when Ford pushes Stan's buttons by condescendingly correcting his grammar.
• One-Winged Angel: When Bill tries to chase down the kids, he turns into a three-sided pyramid with teeth on every row and multiple arms.
• Only Sane Man: Stan points out how risky the plan is.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Ford does this over and over again throughout the episode.
  • When Bill asks if he knows how to break through the barrier that stops Weirdmageddon from spreading, Ford immediately replies, "Of course!". Granted, Ford has already noted that he's only alive and conscious because Bill wants something from him - denying that he knew the equation may have gotten him tortured for the truth at best, or killed at worst.
  • He says Dipper and Mabel's names with surprise and relief after the Shacktron destroys Bill's army, which clues in Bill to Ford's weakness.
  • He picks the worst possible time to correct Stan's grammar, right when everyone needs to hold hands on the prophecy wheel to stop Bill.
  • Subverted with Out-of-Character Alert, as Bill only saw this as 'Stan's' futile attempt to make 'Ford' reconsider the deal that would finally let him accomplish his goal. Also not knowing enough about Stan to notice that this wouldn't be the biggest problem he'd have.
• Our Founder: Soos sets up a crude, terrifying statue of Stan labeled "Founder" after taking over the Mystery Shack, which ends up being the scariest attraction it ever had.
• Out-of-Character Alert: When 'Ford' relents and allows Bill into his mind to save the kids, 'Stan' panics that he could destroy the universe. We know very well that the real Stan doesn't care about such things when his family is on the line. Possibly counts as Five-Second Foreshadowing.
• Papa Wolf:
  • As Stan puts it to Bill, he made a mistake in threatening his family.
  • Stan and Ford threaten the bus driver so that he'll let Mabel bring Waddles on the bus.
• Passing the Torch: Stan makes Soos the new owner and manager of the Mystery Shack, like Soos always wanted.
• Plan B Resolution: With the Zodiac Circle having failed due to Stan and Ford's fighting, the only way to defeat Bill was for him to enter Stan's mind and have Ford use the Memory Eraser Gun to erase Bill.
• Politeness Judo: Soos tries this as the spokesperson of the Mystery Shack mecha. It doesn't work.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Stan orders Bill to look at him before he berates him for harming his family.
• Psychic Strangle: Bill does this to Stan and Ford to immobilize them before trapping them in a pyramid cage.
• Pyrrhic Victory: As said by Dipper, Stan's memory getting wiped almost made saving the world feel meaningless for them.
• Rage Breaking Point: Throughout the episode, Stan has been grumbling about the plan to rescue Ford and still shows resentment towards him for not thanking him. When he reluctantly joins the zodiac, Ford correcting his grammar is the final straw for Stan, and he messes everything up.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The survivors of Gravity Falls as they decide to take the fight to Bill with the twins' encouragement.
• Red Herring: The weakness Ford knew about was based on a prophecy that gathering ten people representing the symbols on the wheel could create a power capable of defeating Bill. This is proven true, but it fails because Stan wouldn't cooperate. The plan that ends up working is completely unrelated.
• Reed Richards Is Useless: Averted with Fiddleford; after regaining his sanity, he's made a lot of money selling his patents, even buying the Northwest Mansion after Preston has to sell it.
• Reflective Eyes: Actually "Reflective Glasses", it happens to Stan twice:
  • While Bill's Henchmaniacs and the Fearamid are being sucked into the rift, there's a shot of the rift reflected in Stan's glasses. Since the rift has the shape of an "X", it looks like Stan's eyes are crossed out, like the portrait that Gideon had in "Dreamscaperers".
  • While helping him to remember who he is, you can see Mabel's scrapbook is reflected over Stan's glasses.
• Refuse to Rescue the Disliked:
  • Defied. Pacifica admits her parents are bad people, but doesn't believe their fate as part of Bill's chair is deserved.
  • Though petty, Stan refuses to rescue Ford because the latter is an Ungrateful Bastard and didn't thank Stan for saving him the first time.
• Relationship-Salvaging Disaster: It's safe to say that, had Weirdmageddon not happened, Ford would have likely took Dipper in as an apprentice, Mabel would have been depressed for god knows how long, the twins of both generations would have been estranged from each other, and Stan would have been forced to end his Mystery Shack business. Bill's apocalypse essentially allowed the two twins to reconcile and become on good terms once more.
• Relationship Upgrade: Soos and Melody are running the Mystery Shack together.
• Revenge Before Reason: Bill chases down the twins in the climax and plans to murder them, even though he needs them alive to bargain with Ford.
• Riches to Rags:
  • Pacifica wears a potato sack while hiding out with Stan. She claims she still looks more fashionable than Mabel.
  • Preston Northwest staked his whole fortune on Bill's continued dominance and lost it when (relative) normality is restored. He still had his extremely valuable house to sell, so his family just went from obscenely wealthy to very well-off (which they find no less horrifying).
• Rousing Speech: Dipper gives the speech quoted above. It's slightly different in the actual episode, however.
• Rule of Symbolism: Dipper and Wendy trading hats after Wendy tells him he means a lot to her has been interpreted as a sign of Maybe Ever After (like a couple exchanging rings during marriage, and Wendy's statement being like a wedding vow).
• Sacred Hospitality: Stan offers all the survivors this after McGucket brings them to the Shack.
• Say My Name: By Bill. "STANLEY!"
• Sequel Hook:
  • Bill's Reversed Speech shrieking as he goes through his Shapeshifter Swan Song, once un-reversed:
    A-X-O-L-O-T-L
    MY TIME HAS COME TO BURN
    I INVOKE THE ANCIENT POWER
    THAT I MAY RETURN!
  • The inside of the card that Wendy gives Dipper reads, "See you next summer!"
  • The super-8 video of Bill's petrified form at the very end.
  • A more subtle one that also serves as Foreshadowing. When we see Ford unpetrify, we also see Bill playing the piano singing the song "We'll Meet Again" (by Vera Lynn). This could also be a meta-example as this could be Alex telling this to the audience. There's also the section of the song actually used (which, beyond the explicit message, calls back to part of the final post-credit screenshot Cipher):
    Bill Cipher: We'll meet again! Don't know where, don't know when! Ooooh, I know we'll meet again some sunny day!"
• Shapeshifter Swan Song: Bill goes through one even more disturbing than the Shapeshifter as he's being erased with Stan's mind.
• Ship Tease: One final tease is made for the previously sunken, but revived ship, Wendip, with Wendy exchanging her hat with Dipper's hat.
• Shoo the Dog: Subverted. Mabel prepares to leave Waddles in Gravity Falls, but Stan insists that the pig go on the bus after seeing Mabel close to tears.
• Shoot the Hostage: A variant. While Bill is in Stan's mind, having mistakenly believed it was Ford's, Ford shoots his brother with the memory eraser gun to get rid of Bill.
• Shout-Out:
  • Dipper's final line about "Canceling the Weirdpocalypse" is a riff on Stacker Pentecost's line "We are cancelling the Apocalypse" from Pacific Rim.
  • Rumble's vanishing from the feet up as he gives a thumbs up is a riff on the destruction of the T-800 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
  • Bill sings "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn when appearing to Ford.
• Sleep Cute: The final shot in the credits shows Dipper, Mabel and Waddles asleep together as they arrive back home.
• Stealth Pun: Shortly after reuniting, Blubs and Durland fire off a cannon in celebration. In other words, their relationship is can(n)on.
• Storyboarding the Apocalypse: Bill shows Ford his vision of escaping Gravity Falls, letting him and his minions ravage the Earth and the stars themselves with Ford among them.
• Swallowed Whole: Shmebulock is swallowed by Teeth. Fortunately, Teeth spits him back out when he gets sucked back into the Nightmare Realm upon Bill's defeat.
• Taken for Granite:
  • Shandra is turned into stone during her final broadcast in Bill's castle, showing Bill's throne.
  • Bill's physical form turns to stone when he leaves it to enter "Ford"'s mind.
• Taking You with Me: Stan lets his mind be erased while Bill is inside, destroying him forever.
• Tears of Joy: Subtle, but both Mabel and Soos shed them at the start of the episode when they reunite with Grunkle Stan.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Stan wants to hide out from the Weirdmageddon and says that the captured town's citizens are probably fine. Then he turns on the TV, and Shandra shows where the captured townsfolk are.
  • Defied for laughs at the end when Mabel vows to never forget her and Dipper's 13th birthday party. She then pulls out the Memory Gun and smashes it to ensure her claim stays true.
• Theme Music Power-Up: The music to the fight between the Shack-Tron and the Hench-Maniacs is a rock remix of the theme song, in true mecha-anime fashion.
• There Was a Door: Bill is pretty annoyed that the front door of his Fearamid has been smashed in for a second time.
  Bill: What?! I just fixed that door!
• Thread of Prophecy, Severed: The Zodiac prophecy fails to come to pass after Stan and Ford break the circle.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After spending two solid seasons being the Butt-Monkey of literally every scene (probably every conversation) even remotely involving him, Toby Determined finds himself a guest-star on Shandra Jimenez's show. This is almost certainly the longest (consensual) period of time they have, or ever will, spend together.
• Took a Level in Cynic: Almost everyone, but Pacifica and Stan have done so the most, and they make it known that this fight is just foolish.
• Triumphant Reprise: Of the Gravity Falls main theme, as Shack-Tron takes on the Henchmaniacs.
• Tsundere: During Weirdmageddon, Pacifica is still aggressive towards Mabel and Dipper (Mabel more so than Dipper but only slightly), but at the party she's very respectful to the pair and even signs a note for Wendy to give to Dipper as a gift so that he can remember her and the others.
• Tuneless Song of Madness: "We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when..."
• Twin Switch: A heartbreaking one; Stan and Ford switch clothes so that when "Ford" makes the deal with Bill, the triangle is trapped in Stan's mind instead, which the memory gun can still affect.
• Underestimating Badassery: Bill thinks it's "adorable" that the survivors of Gravity Falls are trying to stop him.
• Unexplained Recovery: After suffering a massive case of Body Horror at Bill's hands, Preston Northwest is back to normal in this episode.
• The Un-Reveal:
  • We never learn exactly what the equation is that can undo "Gravity Falls' Natural Law of Weirdness Magnetism" and allow the creatures to journey into the rest of the world.
  • We also never learn what the Zodiac prophecy does, as Stan and Ford break the circle long enough for Bill to destroy it.
• Victory-Guided Amnesia: Stan tricks Bill into getting erased with along his memory, defeating the demon once and for all. But, for obvious reasons, Stan doesn't get to enjoy that victory as he's now forgotten his entire life. Subverted when the Pines family find a way to bring his memories bubbling back.
• Victory Through Intimidation: The bus driver refuses to take Waddles back to California, pointing out that the bus has a No Animals policy. He changes his mind about enforcing that rule when Stan puts on his brass knuckles and Ford lifts his coat aside to show off the sci-fi zap gun he has there.
• Villainous Breakdown: Bill becomes increasingly enraged as he starts to lose. It finally comes to a head when he's about to be erased, the powerful dream demon gets reduced to begging for his life as his body rapidly changes into different corrupted forms before he's destroyed by Stan.
• Villainous Crush: A non-romantic example. Bill tries to first woo Ford to his side by playing piano and offering him wine as well as a vision of Ford ruling the world. When Ford refuses, however, Cold-Blooded Torture ensues.
• Villains Want Mercy: Bill begs Stan to spare him, offering him anything he wants. Stan has none of it and destroys him.
• Visual Pun: Blubs and Durland, shortly after the show making it as clear as possible for a Disney show that they are a gay couple, fire a cannon, signifying their relationship is canon.
• Voice Changeling: As seen in Cast as a Mask above, Ford and Stan are able to mimic each other's voices perfectly after performing the Twin Switch.
• Was It Really Worth It?: With regards to Stan's Heroic Sacrifice, Dipper realizes that they saved the world, but wonders if it was worth the heavy price of Stanley's memory.
• We ARE Struggling Together: This is the main problem the resistance faces, as Stan is reluctant to rescue his brother. This is furthered when the two argue over something petty, and it costs them what could've been victory against Bill. Apparently, Bill was counting on this trope to take effect between them.
• We Can Rule Together:
  • Bill tries this to get Ford to tell him how to escape the Falls, but Ford doesn't bite.
  • He tries this again to get Stan to let him out and not be erased along with Stan's mind. Unfortunately for Bill, he threatened Stan's grandniece and grandnephew, and Stan does not take too well to people messing with his family.
• Weirdness Magnet: The natural property of Gravity Falls to attract the weird is what keeps Bill from leaving. Ford even refers to it as "weirdness magnetism".
• Wham Shot: Bill entering a door in "Ford"'s mind, only to encounter the wrong Pines.
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Invoked when Dipper admits he doesn't know what Toby brings to the table.
  Toby: Various rashes!
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Blendin's fate following his escape in "Weirdmageddon Part 1" is left unresolved. However, "Journal 3" revealed that Blendin went time hopping and ended up in 1883 after his time machine broke.
  • The Henchmaniacs again:
    • Lava Lamp Guy, Hectorgon and Amorphous Shape don't participate in the Shacktron Battle.
    • 8 Ball and Zanthar don't appear after the Shacktron battle, though it's obvious they were sucked by the rift.
• What the Hell, Hero?: All participants in the circle (yes, including Pacifica and Gideon) call out Stan for letting his pettiness get in the way of stopping Bill.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The credits show skits of many characters, including a few that hadn't come Back for the Finale in the episode proper.
  • President Trembley is travelling around the country.
  • Dipper clones 3 and 4 are still alive, shown camping in the rain.
  • Stanford and Stanley are shown fighting a giant one-eyed squid on the "Stan 'O War II".
• Who Would Be Stupid Enough?: Stan, on the plan to turn the Mystery Shack into a Humongous Mecha.
  Stan: And where would you even find a bunch of idiots who would be crazy enough to build it?
  Mabel: Grunkle Stan, you're looking at those idiots!
• Wicked Cultured: Bill playing the piano while singing "We'll Meet Again".
• Widely-Spaced Jail Bars: Played straight and subverted: the pyramid cages that Bill creates seem to have enough space between the bars for even Stan and Ford to fit through, let alone Dipper and Mabel, yet they clearly can't fit through until Dipper uses his growth ray to grow the cage.
• The Worf Effect: To establish how indestructible the unicorn force field is, Bill stretches himself to a gargantuan, pyramidicial size and, with an even more ginormous fist, smashes into the shack with all his might. An explosion of light occurs, nearby trees are blown by the impact, a crater is formed, but the shack and its force field didn't get a dent.
• World-Healing Wave: All the damage to the town is undone after Bill is defeated. The only thing left unrestored is the Mystery Shack, presumably due to the protections still in place "protecting" it from the healing wave.
• World of Chaos: Bill's ultimate goal is a world with no laws or restrictions.
• Would Hurt a Child:
  • Bill threatens to torture the kids to get Ford to talk, then plans to kill them for taunting him and shooting him in the eye, even as he tries to use them as bargaining chips with Ford.
    "I've got some children I need to make into corpses!"
  • Later, after catching them:
    "All right, Ford... time's up! I've got the kids. I think I'm going to kill one of them now just for the heck of it!
• You Are in Command Now: Stan tells Soos he is in charge of the Mystery Shack. To say Soos is ecstatic would be an understatement.
• You Fool!: Bill calls Stan an idiot while pointing out his Taking You with Me plan. Stan is perfectly okay with letting his mind be erased.
• You're Insane!:
  • Ford's response to Bill's offer to rule with him. Bill retorts that he's insane either way.
  • Bill calls Stanley an idiot for using the memory gun to kill him, as he thought Stan didn't understand he was destroying his mind.
• You Said You Would Let Them Go: Stan preemptively considers the possibility of this happening when Ford decides to give Bill what he wants in exchange for sparing the kids.

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Dipper: If you've ever taken a road trip through the Pacific Northwest, you've probably seen a bumper sticker for a place called Gravity Falls. It's not on any maps and most people have never heard of it. Some people think it's a myth. But if you’re curious, don't wait. Take a trip. Find it. It's out there, somewhere in the woods... waiting.

KVOU VTKSE XVREOW DQTMJKGD MF KNLJH CVE 900 YCHJZ OH XXFB PJPSKC FVQUSIOV LHP: FRNLLCDBFBF. ^note Soos Later Forced McGucket To Watch All 900 Hours Of Neon Crisis Mechabot Boy: Revelations.

GLCOPRP GOOGWMJ FXZWG. ^note Goodbye Gravity Falls

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