History Recap / GravityFallsS2E14TheStanchurianCandidate

* TheCameo: Cecil Baldwin of [[Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale Welcome to Night Vale]] fame stars as normal human Tad Strange. ''Night Vale'' and ''Gravity Falls'' share much FriendlyFandoms on account of both being odd towns where surreally humorous events take place.

* TheBusCameBack: Say hello to Little Gideon! (He only made a cameo in one of the first episodes of the season).

* AnAesop: Some things that people can learn from this episode is that while honesty is important, people sometimes prefer ''not'' to know the truth and at times--particularly in situations like the one Stan's in for the episode--it's probably best to just keep your opinions to yourself.

* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Initially why Mabel and Dipper decide to help Stan. Although he may not be the best candidate, something is off with Bud Gleeful, and they should thwart him. Thankfully, someone else becomes mayor, and at least it's not Bud.

* DarkHorseVictory: Of a sort; after Stan is disqualified, Tyler Cutebiker becomes the new mayor of Gravity Falls.
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Tyler becomes the new mayor of Gravity Falls because both of his adversaries were disqualified.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Tyler Cutebiker receives the mayor sash and a bouquet of flowers like a pageant contestant winner.

* EasilyForgiven: Stan isn't angry at the kids and Ford for temporarily depriving him of his free will.

** Dipper and Mabel make surprisingly good campaign managers. Two twelve-year-olds very nearly won the election for Stan by themselves. Also, Mabel apparently knows how to break dance.

* {{Irony}}: According to Soos, the only citizen of Gravity Falls who isn't a tad strange is the man whose ''name'' is Tad Strange.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Gideon's page mentions that the spell is "one time use".

** One of the crimes that disqualified Stan from being mayor was something called "burglebezzlement," which he apparently invented. He also engages in "pug trafficking", and committed llamacide because the llama [[HeKnowsTooMuch knew too much]].

* NoNonsenseNemesis: Gideon has learned very well from the last time he encountered the Pines twins. He uses his father to grab ''both'' Dipper and Mabel, tie them up, and plan to murder them. If he hadn't engaged in BondVillainStupidity . . .
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Dipper, while explaining Gravity Fall's electoral process. "I couldn't make this up if I tried."

* NoYou: Soos controlled by the twins during the big debate.

* RaisedByWolves: Mayor Befufflefumpter was raised by bears.
* RealityEnsues: Stan may have electrified the town with his heroics, but because of his criminal record he is disqualified from running for public office, even though the election process itself is unrealistic.

* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: Even though Stan is bummed that he lost due to a major technicality, he's happy to have mended his bond with the twins, and nearly tears up when they give him a handmade sash saying "Our Hero".

** Stan wins the election for Gravity Falls' new Mayor with 95% of the vote, but he gets disqualified due to his criminal record making him inelligible for office. Not that he cares anymore, but he's at least glad he got a chance to try. On the bright side, the twins prevented Bud from winning, which was their main goal; except Bud (Along with the majority of the ballot) was ''also'' disqualified from the election due to incorrectly filing his paperwork for his candidacy.

* SingleMindedTwins: This episode probably comes closer than any other to portraying Dipper and Mabel as a single unit - they're nearly identical in motivation, lack of scruples with mind-control, etc.

Feeling inferior to his brother in the eyes of Dipper and Mabel, Stan decides to run for mayor. Not wanting Bud Gleeful to become mayor, the twins try to advise him. But when Stan refuses to learn tact, the twins use a mind control tie invented by Ford to get Stan to act political.

** Stan's criminal record ends up disqualifying him for the election.

* DarkHorseVictory: Of a sort; after Stan is disqualified, Tyler becomes the new mayor of Gravity Falls.
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Tyler becomes the new mayor of Gravity Falls because his adversaries were disqualified.

** Stan starts his run by attempting to fix the ballots. By the end he gets disqualified because of his criminal record.

* JerkassHasAPoint: As "Morally ambiguous" the mind-control tie was, Stan is forced to admit that the Twins weren't completely in the wrong when his attempt at campaigning his way costs him popularity.

** One of the crimes that disqualified Stan from being mayor was something called "burglebezzlement", which he apparently invented. He also engages in "pug trafficking", and committed llamacide because the llama [[HeKnowsTooMuch knew too much]].

!! Tropes:

* PeoplePuppets: Ford gives Dipper a tie that can do this. A spell Gideon kept from his journal allows him to take control of his father.

* {{Portmanteau}}: Amerifreedom.

* KarmaHoudini: Dipper and Mabel face no consequences from essentially [[MindRape mind-raping]] Stan (and Soos). Neither does Ford who came up with the idea. Even Stan doesn't seem that upset.
** Then again, they were trying to help him out and, at the end, even Stan realized that he had no chance of winning the election on his own. Not to mention Gideon almost kills them twice during the election finals.
* LimitedWardrobe: Finally averted for Dipper, who wears a campaign T-shirt throughout the episode in place of his usual shirt and jacket. He even ditches his pine tree hat for a boater and a visor.

** Stan is disqualified for Mayor. Not that he cares anymore, but he's at least glad he got a chance to try. Plus on the bright side, the twins prevented Bud from winning, which was their main goal.

* TakeAThirdOption: ''Tyler the cute biker,'' of all people, wins the election.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Stan Pines started with one. It gets worse after his first interview.

** Your grand-niece and nephew being put in danger right after you had a big fight with them. No wonder Stan reacts quickly when he sees the situation.

* Conspicuous CG: The fake bomb Stan uses.

** The twins in turn start to realize how much Stan wants his family to admire him, and Mabel knits him a sash saying "Our Hero" as a thank you and an apology for using him as PeoplePuppet.

* DarkHorseVictory: Of a sort; after Stan is disqualified, Tyler becomes mayor.

** When Dipper is talking to Stanford, a page is noticeably missing from one of his journals. It later turns out Gideon kept it.

** Pug Trafficking is a clear pun on drug trafficking.

** The Mayor was a pretty interesting guy before his death. He may have started UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.

* KarmaHoudini: Dipper and Mabel face no consequences from essentially [[MindRape mind-raping]] Stan (and Soos). Neither does Stanford who came up with the idea. Even Stan doesn't seem that upset.
** Then again, they were trying to help him out and, at the end, even Stan realized that he had no chance alone. Not to mention Gideon almost kills them twice during the election finals.

* MisplacedSorrow: Shandra breaks down while reporting on Mayor Befufflefumpter's death... because it's the first ''actual'' news she has reported on in a long time.

* PeoplePuppets: Stanford gives Dipper a tie that can do this. A spell Gideon kept from his journal allows him to take control of his father.

* RidiculouslyAverageGuy: Tad Strange, who's so average that he proclaims his love of... bread.

** Stan is disqualified for Mayor. Not that he cares anymore, but he's at least glad he got a chance to try. On the bright side, the twins prevented Bud from winning, which was the main goal.

* SmokeOut: Stan tries to pull this off, but the smoke bomb he uses is passed its expiration date.

** Gideon tore a page out of Ford's Journal # 2, and later tore it up. And we know how Ford hates to have his work messed up . . .
* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: Stan was disqualified for his criminal record, and Bud for trying to murder the other candidate, meaning that Tyler, who was in third place, won the election by default. (Though he did do ''one'' thing the other candidates didn't: his paperwork.)

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Stan feels this way about Ford, who is technically younger thanks to his time in the portal, smarter, and more heroic for the twins.

* BerserkButton: Dipper ''really'' loathes having his intelligence insulted. When Stan disrespects him, his injured ego prompts him to reveal their entire mind-control scheme.

* TheCameo: Cecil Baldwin of [[Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale Welcome to Night Vale]] as normal human Tad Strange. ''Night Vale'' and ''Gravity Falls'' share much FriendlyFandoms on account of both being odd towns where surreally humorous events take place.

** Mabel while possessing Soos makes him eat a pinecone the way she did in Mabel's Guide to Life.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Gideon tells Dipper and Mabel that they've "gotten much eviler since I last saw you." in reference to the fact they are mind-controlling their own uncle.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Inverted; Stan wants to win the twins' approval, which was his main motivation in running for mayor, to get respect.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The twins resort to unethical means to help their Grunkle win.

* TakeThat: After Stan's disastrous QNA session, Wendy mentions that Stan is being used in memes and that 'none of them are good' while showing a parody of the 'One does not simply' meme with Stan in Boromir's place.

* TheUnreveal: Tad Strange. Before this episode, fans had an array of out-there speculations such as Tad being the same type of creature as Bill Cipher (but a square) to Tad being Gomper's real name (when asked in a QNA about the goat, Bill said he 'like(s) him better this way'). This episode reveals that not only is he just a normal guy, he's the most normal guy in Gravity Falls.

** Mayor Befufflefumpter ''may'' have started World War I.

** The ramifications of Ford living with and belong allowed to interact with the twins starts to take its toll on Stan, who is aware that he is also much older than Ford and not as "glorious," but refuses to admit that he wants the twins' respect. By the end of the episode he finally admits that he wants the twins' admiration as he's rescuing them.

* NonAnswer: Tyler asks Bud if he's still in contact with Gideon, he tells Tyler that's a good question and offers him (and everyone in the room) 50% off a used car.

** Gideon's partner in crafts class offers to start a riot, the way one was started in the TV shorts, to cheer him up.

* ShaggyDogStory: Stan trying to change a lightbulb in the ColdOpen, then it turns out he forgets his brother is a genius who can make another one.

* WhamShot: Gideon has drawn a chalk picture of Bill Cipher and his circle, hiding it behind a poster.

* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Initially why Mabel and Dipper decide to help Stan. Although he may not be the best candidate, something is off with Bud Gleeful, and they should thwart him.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Dipper and Mabel basically used mind control to get Stan into public office. Stan himself is a former career criminal who already started stuffing the ballots ''the second'' he entered the race. But the twins were trying to defeat Bud, who would have pardoned Gideon. Gideon himself tried to murder Dipper and Mabel, so the twins did have the higher moral ground.

* TheBusCameBack: Say hello to Little Gideon!

* ShaggyDogStory: Stan trying to change a lightbulb in the ColdOpen.
** Stan is disqualified for Mayor. Not that he cares anymore, but he's at least glad he got a chance to try.