Gravity Falls: A Retrospective

Gravity Falls is one of the best animated shows ever. It completely captivated me when I was first exposed to it as a child, and rewatching it on Disney+ has proved what I’ve already known: it’s a masterpiece of mystery, one that synthesizes humor, charm, horror and awe like no other. It has stood the test of time, and due to the impressive cult following that has continued making content over four years after it’s end, I have no doubt that future generations will look to it as one of Disney’s best animated shows.

If it’s not already obvious, I love this show. As a child, I was terribly disappointed when it ended after only 40 episodes, but now that I’m older, I can really appreciate it. With its limited run-time, it perfectly fills a three-act structure. Everything feels planned, and somehow fast paced yet slow enough to build the world, characters and relationships. Each act has its own pacing style, progressing from mostly episodic to almost entirely serialized. This isn’t exactly unheard of in western animation; Avatar and The Clone Wars did the same thing years ago, while Steven Universe, Legend of Korra, Star vs the Forces of Evil, and Rebels have done it since. But it’s still remarkably rare. I would argue that many other cartoons nowadays with serialized storylines only learned how well it works because of the brilliance of Gravity Falls. 

Like many great mystery shows, Gravity Falls was also not afraid to replace its mysteries immediately after solving them. We’ve seen this in everything from The X-Files to Riverdale, but due to the sheer amount of planning by Alex Hirsch (who’s admitted in interviews that he had the entire show mapped out before even pitching it to Disney), this constant string of mysteries works even better than usual. 

This “string of mysteries” formula works in part because each mystery corresponds to a new act of the show’s story. Each act, in turn, has a new MacGuffin and a person wielding that MacGuffin, both of which test Mabel and Dipper’s relationship. 

For those that don’t know, a MacGuffin can be loosely defined in storytelling as an object--often magical and/or sought after by the protagonists--that drives the plot. Each of these MacGuffins tie into one-another and the main conflict of Gravity Falls without ever resorting to retcons, making the show’s transition from each arc to the next feel natural.

So without further ado, let's analyze the structure of Gravity Falls, and why this structure makes it the perfect mystery show:

The Structure: Act I

Act I of the show spans the entire first season. The setting, characters and conflicts are all introduced, but the direction the show is going in isn’t immediately clear. 

The MacGuffins of this Act are the Journals. Specifically, Journal 2 (used by Gideon) and Journal 3 (used by Dipper) take center stage, and the overwhelming questions are “Who has the other journal?” and “And who wrote them?”

Act I is relatively episodic, and that’s perfect. It needs to be. Gravity Falls is all about the weirdness and paranormal activity of one town. It needs those one-off episodes to truly give us a vision of how bizarre yet amazing this town is; in order for us to get invested in its inhabitants. 

I would argue that, outside of our main characters, Dipper and Mabel, this first season focuses on Gideon, and he becomes our “person of interest,” so to speak. In fact, the show’s direction and focus on serialization only really starts to become noticeable when he appears in multiple consecutive episodes during the season’s second half, with each episode he appears in keeping a consistent continuity. 

He clearly knows much more about the journals than Dipper, having had his for longer, yet he’s simultaneously only scratching the surface. He represents what Dipper could become if he focused more on harnessing the paranormal rather than understanding it. His early appearance and his frequent conflicts with the Pines family throughout Season 1 create a sense of forward momentum; specifically, his clashes with Dipper drive our young protagonist to be better, kickstarting his character arc. Gideon as the “person of interest” in this Act of the show also establishes the Pines twins’ protectiveness of one-another, a motif that is played with when Ford is introduced later on. 

Throughout the season, Gideon and Dipper--with their respective journals--are able to summon demons, change size, use telekinesis, mind-read, jump into dreams, and more. It begs the question of what the first Journal contains, or what a person would be like if they had all three journals. 

But, rather than spending a long time focusing on who has Journal 1, that question is answered almost immediately after it is first raised. In the season finale, Stan Pines is revealed to be the owner of Journal 1, and after copying Dipper’s and taking Gideon’s, he suddenly possesses the power of all three journals. However, he curiously has no interest in the journals. 

Instead, he uses the information in the journals to create a massive portal in his basement, leading us into the second act. 

The Structure: Act II

Act II spans from the start of Season 2 to the eleventh episode of the season, “Not what we seems,” my personal favorite of the entire series. 

From the premier episode and the addition of two men-in-black agents, Season 2 marks a clear change. The story is more serialized, and even if the actual conflict in an episode is one-off, the lingering subplots and relationships have long-term ramifications. Oftentimes, only the audience sees these consequences, giving us a delicious sense of dramatic irony, as we know that danger is approaching before Dipper, Stan and Mabel realize it. 

The premiere of Season 2 is a great example of this. Stan promises that he’s telling the entire truth, and Dipper promises that he’s not going to search for anymore paranormal activity. But, unbeknownst to both, each is lying, something only made clear to the audience. Given that in the same episode, Stan admitted he knew about the strange happenings of the town, it strikes me as one of his best moments: he doesn’t actually want to tell them the whole truth. Rather, he wants to tell them just enough of the truth to get them to stop asking. Stan’s inability to enlighten his family is arguably his Achilles Heel in Act II. 

Stan catapults into the spotlight in this arc. I mentioned that each arc of Gravity Falls has its own mystery, and for this section of the show, one could argue the mystery is “Who is Stan Pines?” In all the chaos of Season 1, it was easy to forget his trap door behind the vending machine, but now it takes center stage. Yet, the show is also propelling hints at us left and right that--much like Gideon, our person of interest from the prior arc--Stan still doesn’t know as much as he lets on. 

Having Stan be the main focus of this arc was a great idea from a narrative standpoint. We’ve grown to love this cooky old conman for the last 20 episodes, but the realization that he isn’t telling Dipper and Mabel everything is very alarming. As I explained, it’s his fatal flaw, and watch the consequences of this secrecy threaten to tear the family apart. If he were Season 1’s focus, that alarm would overrule any sense of fondness we had for him. Alex Hirsch made the right call in intentionally taking him out of the spotlight for most of Season 1, because--much like Dipper and Mabel--we are now conflicted in our feelings for this guy. 

Once Stan is in control of the three journals, he doesn’t use any of the same magic that Dipper or Gideon did. As I mentioned, he uses blueprints in the journals to construct a portal. This portal quickly becomes the MacGuffin of Act II, and it raises some questions. “What does the portal lead to? What is it for?”

“Not What He Seems” is a culmination of these ideas. The show’s serialization, stakes and relationships culminate in a pulse-pounding episode, and it’s only the mid-season finale! I could make an entire essay on it, and while I adore the series finale, “Not What He Seems” is probably my favorite episode of the show, and one of the best episodes of any cartoon I’ve ever watched. 

The revelation that Stan is stealing nuclear waste and building a doomsday device is an alarming one. This episode perfectly uses lighting, cinematography, ominous music, and misleading dialogue to present Stan in a menacing, almost threatening manner, even when he’s acting with genuinely sympathetic and heroic goals in mind. 

This episode puts Dipper and Mabel to the test, and forces them to confront everything we know about this family. Ultimately, they cannot agree on what to do about Stan. At the last second, Mabel changes her mind, foreshadowing how they drift apart in the future. 

After 33 episodes and 3 years of storytelling by that point, we learn the truth. Stan was using the journals and the portal to bring back the most important person in his life: his twin brother, Ford Pines. 

The Structure: Act III:

Act III spans from the end of “Not what he seems” to the finale’s closing moments.

Ford becomes the “person of interest” in this act, with Dipper himself lamenting that Ford is everything he’s been searching for the entire show. We now know what the portal was for, who the Author is, and who Stan is (or, rather, who he isn’t). 

But Stan’s use of the portal created a new MacGuffin: the Interdimensional Rift. Gravity Falls handles this MacGuffin differently from the others. Rather than mysterious artifacts we want to learn more about, like the Journals; or a strange contraption with an unknown purpose, like the Portal; the Rift is something meant to be safeguarded, protected. The overwhelming questions become:

“Who is Ford?” and “What is the Rift? What will it do?”

Ford’s presence shakes up the usual dynamic of the show, and immediately, it’s clear that the status quo is no more. For this final stretch of the show, the family relationships are changed. Dipper and Mabel are drifting apart, Ford is an adult that challenges Stan’s place as the family authority figure, and the family is seemingly split in two. 

Making Ford the focus of this arc was the clear direction for the show. He knows so much, yet compared to Stan and even Gideon to a degree, we know so little about him. JK Simmons steals almost every scene he’s in, bringing a danger, intellect and charm to the character not really seen elsewhere in the show. 

Gravity Falls was never shy about having an A and B-plot in each episode. In fact, there are numerous episodes where Stan has his own adventures parallel to the kids; or where Dipper is separate from Mabel and Stan; or even where all three are doing their own thing. 

But putting the spotlight on Ford really takes advantage of this episode layout. Episodes in this final act are almost always divided into an A-plot focusing on Ford and Dipper, and a B-plot focusing on Stan and Mabel. Dipper and Ford are almost always going on adventures that are incredibly lore-heavy and generally tie into the Interdimensional Rift, giving a sense of clarity and resolution. Mabel and Stan’s adventures seem more episodic, or, at the very least, less immediately relevant to the series metaplot. It’s clear that things are propelling into the Endgame, and when Bill Cipher arrives, the Rift is destroyed, and Weirdmageddon occurs, it’s a wild ride. 

But, this brings me to a new point I want to discuss in regards to this three-act structure.

Bill Cipher:

There is a commonality in all three parts: every Act has Bill in a major way. 

Bill Cipher’s presence makes a unique atmosphere, especially for a kids show. It reminds me of Aku from Samurai Jack, albeit a bit more subtle. His presence is suffocating and dominating, even in episodes where he doesn’t directly appear. Remember how I mentioned that, in keeping with the tone shift, Act II of Gravity Falls frequently employs visual irony? 

[Picture of canvas of Bill from Norwest Mystery Manor]

A LOT of these instances have to do with Bill. He’s the common denominator throughout the show. 

Each “person of interest” [show picture of Gideon, Stan and Ford] has a different relationship with him. This relationship is not only reflective of the character’s personality, but also foreshadowing the future events of the show. 

Gideon: Gideon, in keeping with his manipulative and arrogant demeanor, only sees Bill as a tool to defeat the Pines family. But, in keeping with his instincts for the supernatural, he can at least recognize Bill as a major threat, and a force to keep on his side. 

These early interactions in the two-part Season 1 finale establish several key things about Bill: he’s stupendously powerful, sociopathic, hedonistic, and has a keen interest in the Pine family. 

Stan: But, what’s interesting is that, despite Bill’s interest in the Pines family, that feeling is not reciprocal. Stan...doesn’t really have any knowledge of Bill, or perhaps, it’s better to say that he doesn’t care. 

This is an early bit of foreshadowing for how Bill doesn’t actually care about Stan at all, but Ford; and it indicates early on that Stan isn’t what he seems. Stan’s lack of interest in Bill also reflects his selfish, protective nature, and his desire to put his family above all else. His brother shares these traits as well. 

Ford: Bill’s character doesn’t become truly crystallized until Ford takes center stage. Out of the three “people of interest” that encompass each mystery, Ford is the only one of himself, Stan and Gideon to have an extensive knowledge of Bill, as well as the only one with a history with the demon, so he’s able to give Dipper and Mabel--and, by extension, the audience--a clear picture on what Bill is up to. 

Ford makes it a goal to protect his family, but he’s willing to take the fight to Bill. This reflects his protective nature and sudden attachment to Dipper and Mabel, but his willingness to fight also suggests he has something of a hero-complex; and the flashbacks characterize Ford as being gullible and perhaps too curious for his own good. 

Dipper and Mabel’s Relationship, and Ford’s Role:

Now, I’ve spent a lot of this essay talking about Gideon, Stan and Ford, and how they contribute to the show’s serialized mystery, but I don’t want to forget about the two protagonists of Gravity Falls as well: Dipper and Mabel. In utilizing a three-act structure to tell his mystery story, Alex Hirsch also weaves the tragedy of Dipper and Mabel. They begin the summer as close siblings and best friends, but they are often unable to understand one-another. As Mabel’s interests merge with Dipper’s in hilarious ways (i.e. her first boyfriend being a zombie, or his clones participating in her party), they grow closer and come to understand one-another in the show’s first season. The midpoint of Season 2 reflects a clear shift in their relationship, which can be seen in respective MacGuffins and mysteries of each arc. 

In Act I, after finding them in a forest, Dipper immediately told Mabel about the journals, the focus of that season. Despite some fighting over Gideon, they make up and have a stable, solid sibling relationship. 

In Act II, the focus is on the portal. Because Dipper and Mabel themselves don’t know about it until “Now what he seems,” they don’t have as much time to process it. Mabel cracks under the pressure, and when push comes to shove, she allows the portal to activate, despite knowing it could destroy the world. 

This clearly had an effect on Dipper. When Ford gives him the responsibility of the final Act’s MacGuffin, the Rift, he chooses to keep it a secret from Mabel. He no longer believes he can trust Mabel, and she fears this. Ford and Stan act as a “worst case scenario” for her and Dipper’s own relation, a mirror on what they could be if this dishonesty continues. Despite her efforts, they come to parallel their uncles in many ways. Even after their fight in “Dipper and Mabel vs the Future,” the episode right before Weirdmageddon starts, Dipper cannot bring himself to tell Mabel about the Rift, ultimately allowing Bill to control everything. 

I cannot overemphasize the role that Ford plays in this falling out. His effect on their relationship is one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the show’s final arc, and the consequences of his actions are more profound than Gideon’s or Stan’s. 

Throughout the first arc of the show, Gideon--again, the arguable focus of that arc’s mystery--occasionally tests their bond, with him antagonizing Dipper but romancing Mabel. Ultimately, his manipulative nature shines through, and he loses his shot with Mabel. From that point on, the twins are united against him. 

Stan seems much closer to Mabel than Dipper, relating to her eccentricities and passions more than Dipper’s shyness and introversion. Stan’s presence divides the twins more often than anyone else, with Mabel frequently taking his side in arguments. And as I said, her decision to choose him over Dipper in “Not what he seems” already plants seeds of doubts in Dipper’s mind. 

But Ford is the one who makes those seeds grow. Stan saw himself in Mabel, and similarly, Ford saw himself in Dipper, but it goes deeper than that. I love Ford, and at the risk of this turning into a slam on the character / deep dive into his psyche, I believe that he recognized the similarities between Mabel and Stan. Just as he felt Stan ruined his life, he wanted to prevent Mabel from interfering in Dipper’s ambitions. 

So when Ford--Dipper’s idol, a ball of mysteries, whose identity drove most of the show--presents Dipper with the biggest plot device of the show, the Interdimensional Rift, and tells him that he can’t trust Mabel, he means it. He genuinely believes that keeping this a secret from her is the best course of action. Ford loves Mabel, of course, but he can’t bear to witness history repeat itself. 

What Ford doesn’t realize is that, in the Pines family, the root of their problems are miscommunication. Most conflicts between Dipper and Mabel occur because one is too angry to hear out another. This is also the cause of Stan and Ford’s falling out: Stan was too bitter to express his sadness at Ford leaving, and too worried to tell Ford that he broke the machine. Ford, in turn, was too furious to listen to reason, and he allowed their father to kick Stan out rather than admit that it was just an honest mistake. By encouraging Dipper to keep secrets--by respecting Dipper as an equal but not respecting his closeness to Mabel--Ford unintentionally set in motion the events that would lead to Bill Cipher’s takeover. Whereas Stan’s fatal flaw is secrecy, Ford’s fatal flaw is the encouragement of said secrecy. Each of the Stans have flaws that feed into one-another and affect the next generation. 

Watching the dynamic between Dipper and Mabel evolve is one of the highlights of the show. It’s something that both reflects and is affected by the mysteries of the show; as the questions only pile on and Dipper doesn’t know who he can trust, Mabel can only watch as her brother drifts away from her. 

Closing Thoughts:

In closing, I want to emphasize that I love Gravity Falls. 

Mystery shows walk a fine line between captivating and boring for me, with many mystery-dramas giving the distinct impression of a writer waving a carrot on a stick in front of me with no end in sight. Even though I want to, I’ll probably never watch The X-Files, simply because so much of it is filler that was never planned in advance and never contributes to anything. Similarly, I watched the first season of Riverdale and that’s it, because I don’t have enough time to get invested in questions that I never asked about these characters. 

But Gravity Falls isn’t like that. 

Gravity Falls is an efficient, well-paced story. It’s mysteries are genuinely captivating, and each mystery transitions smoothly into one-another, forming a three-act structure with a complete beginning, middle and end. 

Each act of the show places just the right amount of spotlight on a particular character and object, building the world and the relationships just enough to interest you without spoiling too much. As the spotlight shifts from one character to the next, Bill Cipher--our series antagonist--is always looming, and everytime he speaks, it says just as much about the person he’s interacting with as it does himself. Similarly, each mystery affects Dipper and Mabel on such a profound level it’s almost haunting, and their eventual falling out was one of the hardest things to rewatch. 

Gravity Falls is something special, and it will always be special to me. Not just because of its laugh out-loud humor, or it’s charming characters, or complex family relationships, or parallels, or tense spine-chilling moments. No, the thing that makes Gravity Falls truly special is the ability to keep you imagining and wondering, long after the credits roll and your tears have dried. 

Thank you so much for reading this essay. Have a good day everyone, and make sure to support the creators of this amazing series.