YMMV / Gravity Falls S2 E10 "Northwest Mansion Mystery"

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Were the agents at the party just to track activity on the machine, or were they investigating the Northwest legacy and how it's laden with fraud?
  • Was Pacifica deeply hurt by Dipper calling her "another link in the world's worst chain" because they both knew that Pacifica's anxiety about her parents trying to salvage their skins was the sole catalyst for her enlisting the help of Dipper (though they both later helped each other affirm that her fear of hurting the outside world was altruistic enough to completely overshadow that previous apprehension, thereby "breaking her chain") and even if he was just acting in the heat of the moment, genuinely meant what he said? Or was it because Dipper was the only person who ever treated Pacifica like an actual human being, before letting her anxiety around her parents relegate him to seeing her as less-than-human scum, removing the one true connection she had to the outside world? Was it both at the same time?
• Fridge Horror: It's frightening to imagine what conditioning Pacifica went through to make her obey at the command of a bell. Or for that matter what kind of punishment awaits her now.
• Ho Yay: To quote Agent Trigger when talking to his partner, "Why do we always fight at parties?"
• Moral Event Horizon: Any ounce of humanity in Preston and Priscilla is quickly extinguished when they allow everyone in their party to die to save themselves.
• Nightmare Retardant: The Lumberjack ghost was intimidating when he first appeared, then he grew hair and started to look like Dr Eggman.
• Realism-Induced Horror: One of the main reasons Preston and Priscilla Northwest are considered two of the most despicable characters on the show despite them being normal (albeit very wealthy) humans in a setting full of weird things, including the Lumberjack Ghost in this particular episode. What makes them stand out from the likes of even Bill Cipher is their horrific treatment of their daughter Pacifica, doing their best to mold her into a bitchy, elitist Competition Freak because that's what they want her to be, regardless of Pacifica's own desires and goals. On top of that, she's been conditioned to shut up and obey at the sound of a bell, all but stating they've abused her into being afraid of defying them or standing up for herself.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: This episode caused much of the fanbase to do a 180 on their feelings towards Pacifica.
• She Really Can Act: Jackie Buscarino completely nails Pacifica's broken delivery towards the end of the episode after she realizes just how monstrous her family is, managing to make her sound like she's on the verge of crying yet never quite losing Pacifica's vocal tone in the process.
• The Woobie:
  • Pacifica doesn't get a break during this episode. Even after bonding with Dipper and helping him see that she's a very, very decent person at heart, there's no telling how her parents will punish her for defying their orders.
  • The Lumberjack too. He wanted the "lumber justice" denied to him, and Dipper for him was a Spanner in the Works that the Northwests hired.

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