Gravity Falls: Before We Begin (Ep-By-Step #1) · 8:07pm Sep 9th, 2022
Blog Number 190: GRAPPLING HOOK Edition
Before I launch into this brand new blog series, I wanna take a step back and ask a simple if pretentious question: what is Gravity Falls? Less loftily: what is Gravity Falls to me?
First mystery: who put that hole in the tree?
From Ignorance to Ignition
"What is that, some kind of wordplay? The hell's 'Ig' got to do with anything? It's not even a word."
"Oh jeez and crud, it's gonna be that type of blog, isn't it?"
Gravity Falls was to me in the last decade what I imagine the pony phenomenon was to most people in 2011: background noise. Online, I'd probably see an avatar with Bill Cipher in it, or the occasional reference to Grunkle Stan, but mostly it was just something that made rare cameo appearances in my consciousness. It was little more than yet another show a lot of people knew that I didn't.
Also, I didn't have a lot of options even when I did eventually start taking an interest. Since it was getting harder to go the pony route and look up eps online - one YouTube batch of ripped Gravity Falls eps ended up wandering onto my "watch it later" list but promptly got deleted before I got around to it - and since I wasn't specifically motivated to seek it out in any case, and since I didn't have access to Disney+ until about nine months ago, then basically...? It wasn't gonna happen anytime soon.
Once we got Disney+ in our household, though, I pretty much went into binge mode. Among other shows, The Owl House had been uploaded as far as Season One's finale, but over time I got leery of watching a series when it wasn't complete yet. So after I finished that show, only then in early January 2022 did I turn my attention to Gravity Falls, which had been among a set of recommendations alongside that and Amphibia.
Gravity Falls must have clicked with me, though, because I watched both seasons within two weeks.
This quiz gets me.
A couple of months later - largely after I'd binged other shows of interest - I came back to it, initially just to pick a select few eps of interest ("Northwest Mansion Mystery" was the first one, and a few other greatest hits from Season Two) before ending up going through most of Season Two and then looking at more and more of Season One. By the time April Fools' Day came around, I'd basically rewatched the entire series again (except in a jumbled order).
The next day, I watched the 17 Gravity Falls shorts and pretty much instantly went GF-nuts, rewatching them and everything else all over again at random for the next few months. And again. And again. And again.
It's not brainwashing! Don't be crazy. There's no conspiracy. It's just someone watching this show, getting obsessive, and never being the same again. Totally different.
You'll learn to love the Gravity Falls. Just keep watching and join us. Join us... join us... join us...
Join the Dark Side... we have free candy...
So after all that (rehab's going great, you g- JOIN US - you guys!), what the hell did I see in this show?
Honest answer: I don't know. I'm spitballing here. However self-assured my answers look, I really don't have a clue what the secret ingredient is. This is just a list of plausible candidates, and I'm not confident enough to dissect everything about this show to find the hidden factor. You've been warned.
Total guesswork from this point on.
"The truth is out there..."
"...and so is grass you can roll in...!"
"...just like a real magical horsie!"
The Other Mother Hubbard
"Hey come on, you can swear in front of the kids! It's not like their fleshy ears are gonna melt off their heads... yet."
Part of it, I think, is the horror angle.
Gravity Falls arguably isn't a horror show, per se - the first episode makes a massively ridiculous joke out of the very idea - though it has horror episodes and horror moments and horror elements throughout. A bit like a G-rated X-Files, maybe, but even sillier and more fantastical and crossed with Simpsons DNA (more on that later).
Oddly, a point of comparison for me ended up being a film that is 100% children's horror, and which was based on a book by Neil Gaiman, a guy who regularly asks the question, "Wait, why don't we make our fantasy pants-wettingly terrifying anymore?" Telling a story about a young, not-necessarily-nice-or-well-adjusted child who takes more of an interest in the fantasy side of her northwestern territory than in the mundane (and slightly seedy) side, stuck in the middle of a forest landscape way outside of town, surrounded by weird mortals and has-beens, going through some family drama with a cynical elder, and ending up having to match wits with a falsely friendly supernatural horror that's been pulling her strings since Day One.
Yes, I'm talking about Coraline.
Trick question: who's the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Hint: it's not Tim Burton.
Coraline the film is either my absolute favourite children's/animated movie or one of my favourites. While I won't get bogged down in the whys and wherefores here, its approach to horror ranks high on the list of things I absolutely love about it.
Not just that it's subtle and creepy and sells a bizarre, well-realized wonderland beautifully before springing its trap. Not just that it finds ways to be scary without ever once resorting to cheap gore or violence. Not just that Coraline anchors the whole thing as a believably real yet sympathetic snark-sniping explorer of a child, thrust into (and, later on, willing to throw herself at) something clearly terrifying her. Not just that the setting is gorgeous to look at even as it becomes more and more corrupted. And not just that a ton of details sneak by and lurk in plain sight and come running back and suddenly have a whole new significance when they do so.
It's that the horror has a point beyond "gives you vivid nightmares". In that sense, Coraline is a kind of G-rated Silent Hill, with a bit of Pixar's Inside Out.
Silent Hill
Inside Out
...
Two peas in the same pod!
Coraline's story is not simply one about her going up against a predatory inhuman evil. It's a grotesque exaggeration of the dissatisfaction of a child who's been forced to uproot her life, is stuck somewhere she doesn't want to be, met weird and vaguely creepy people, and found no better way of coping than wandering off and barely disguising her selfish contempt for it all.
It's a symbolic gut-punch that takes Coraline's attitude - largely her dissatisfaction with her powerless, drab, underperforming world - and throws it back in her face with a cruel laugh. First, it shows her an idealized version of the place she's adjusting to and the people she's surrounded by - dream versions - and then it pulls the rug out, turns chaotically into a nightmare, and results in her losing her essential family connection (You want perfection and fun times? You want to call the shots? Time to grow up, kid!).
Yep, that's what the face of someone growing up looks like.
Surely, it's not just a teasing coincidence that her opponent masquerades as her own mother for most of the movie: her real mother is clearly the one in charge of the family, including (presumably) the decision to move out to the middle of nowhere (in Oregon, no less, which may be significant for all you Gravity Falls conspiracy theorists out there). She's also the one Coraline argues with the most, and the one with whom she has the most complicated relationship.
Finally, a large part of the lesson Coraline ends up accepting is that you can't just daydream your life away (note that agreeing to stay in the Other Mother's realm would end with Coraline withering away and losing her soul). Her mother - in a small but significant attempt at reconciliation - pretty much delivers the moral halfway through the film, even though Coraline's not in a mood to notice at the time: You gotta give it a try.
Even if you gotta go places...
...you'd rather not go.
Running away from problems is attractive but ultimately solves nothing. You might as well dive into the real world with real consequences and make the most of it, including with your close-but-imperfect family. That's what it's about.
Honestly, the more you think about it, the more the Gravity Falls parallels become downright eerie.
Weirdly, one of my pre-watch experiences with Gravity Falls was the "Mystery Kids" crossover with Coraline. Specifically, the (very rough) original animatic and the opening theme.
Oh, and it's also a crossover with ParaNorman and Psychonauts, nothing important, moving oooooon! 
🎵 We Put The Fall In Gravity Falls! 🎵
"I give that Simpsons reference a 'Dope' out of 'Awesome'. Not enough 'Rad' in it to be totally 'Awesome', but just enough 'Cool' to round it up to the nearest whole 'Dope'."
Despite the juicy parallels, Gravity Falls is not Coraline. It's much less symbolic, much happier to be random and breezy, and for some eps much less intense and not even trying to be scary.
That brings me to another plausible attraction to Gravity Falls: it's funny as hell. Gravity Falls has a satirical streak that Classic Simpsons would be proud of.
The town is full of idiots, oddballs, weirdos, and walking parodies of various facets of American life (the rich in particular get quite a few jabs, and I'm not just talking about the Northwest family here). Even our "family", if we're including Soos and Wendy in with the Pines, are pretty much a mixture of cuckoos, layabouts, no-hopers, and crooks (well, just the one crook, but we'll get to him later).
If Grunkle Stan had a heart of gold, he'd probably try and hawk it somewhere.
While some are fleshed-out and given more context for their actions later, in large part they still stay true to certain unflattering stereotypes, and a large part of the comedy comes from throwing them at each other and seeing what explodes.
Some of the strange things the Pines come across are themselves parodies of popular American culture, taking something that might be treated seriously in another show and screwing with it to make it ridiculous. The second ep takes a traditional cryptid type and gives it an out-of-nowhere nonsensical backstory; one character is basically a massive middle finger to child celebrities and psychic sideshows; one ep mocks "testosterone poisoning" so badly it ends up being populated by a bunch of Iron Wills; a government-level cover-up conspiracy ends up being a preposterous waste of time; most of Mabel's "supernatural romances" are just straight-up stupid.
Even common child's fare or younger demographic tropes like video games, Hallowe'en trick-or-treating, boy bands, and competitive mini-golf are set up to hell and back.
Heart of Gold, Hand of Gold
What ultimately grounds the comedy is the likeable cast. It'd be too easy to go the cynical route and have everyone be horrible 24/7, but the main cast members especially either get a redeeming quality or are given believably gooey cores underneath it all (hey, Disney idealism might have a point beyond squeaky-clean marketing).
Grunkle Stan isn't just a jerk; he's a world-weary, seen-it-all, at-least-trying-to-be-a-family-man jerk with a protective streak. Soos isn't just childishly dumb; as far as he's concerned, he's got the best job in the world and the best people to share it with. Wendy isn't just a slacker; she's a cool big sis figure.
Mabel's insensitive and loud, but she's shown to be capable of moving past that and going out of her way for the sake of other people. Even Dipper - apparently the "sane" one - is a neurotic mess who doesn't think things through, but damn does he keep trying and trying and trying.
This even extends to the ongoing themes the twins face. Broadly speaking, Mabel's the eternal child putting off the moment when she has to grow up, while Dipper is the adult-wannabe who's not remotely as ready to handle it as he pretends to be (I mean, there's a reason I put "sane" in scare-quotes back there). The summer vacation is as much a gradual coming-of-age story as it is an excuse to do wacky stuff.
"Something something wacky stuff, got it!"
A comedy show with little else going for it would probably be good for a laugh and that's it. Gravity Falls works - even despite some pretty dark and cruel humour - because at heart its mockery is grounded in a kind of weird affection for its cast, warts and all. If it's a parody, it's an affectionate parody. Even the most ironic of comedies can be made stronger with a dose of sincerity.
So What's Behind the Hide-Behind?
🌲 "What indeed? A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma behind the nearest tree. Let's see if we can take it out and unwrap it..."
❓ "Dude, am I in the shot? I think I'm in the shot."
Lastly... yeah, the Americana is strong with this one, and as a Brit I find that kind of mythology-exultation fascinating (which admittedly means the more generically fantastical episodes, such as the one with the unicorn and the one with the Dungeons and Dragons wizard, are at a disadvantage where I'm concerned: they're just blander and less coherent thematically).
The short with the Hide-Behind is the most blatant and eerie example of that "Americana-rama" - a legitimate figure from American folklore, heavily reimagined (the original critter didn't look like Groot, let's put it that way) but still broad-strokes true to the original stories. It reminds me a lot of how Long Gone Gulch just tossed in all kinds of mythical odds and ends for the heck of it, upon which I was led to the amazingly varied and outright freakish list of American folklore creatures on TV Tropes and Wikipedia. Seriously, this stuff is my jam.
Also, a reminder that this is what crowdfunding can do in the right hands, folks.
More broadly, the show's very concept is steeped in a specific kind of conspiracy-obsessed American subculture. The paranormal especially comes to mind: as much as that's not unique to America, psychics and UFOs and vengeful ghosts and government agents in black and eldritch abominations toying with the minds of men owe a helluva lot of their publicity to the New World melting pot.
Heck, Bill Cipher himself is basically a demonic Eye of Providence, about as significant an occult symbol as you can get (his name might also be a reference to the Beale Ciphers, appropriately enough a potentially-fraudulent cryptographical set of documents that is allegedly a glorified treasure map).
"He favors our undertakings" and "A new order of the ages"? Well, those Latin mottos aren't ominous in the slightest...
In a similar way to how the video game Okami was up to its armpits in Shinto and larger Japanese mythology, legend, and folklore, so large parts of Gravity Falls represent a glimpse at the broader and weirder side of an almost fully-realized, independent cultural soup. To a Brit especially, it has the added tang of the exotic.
And to find all that in an ostensibly child-oriented show is kind of amazing. Especially when the show is also riddled with continuity, secrets, and easter eggs whilst simultaneously being accessible to casual viewers (hello!).
So there you have it. Gravity Falls is not by any stretch a flawless show - it has plenty of flaws, and in fact, some of its flaws are pretty glaring - but damn does it do a lot of things right. Horror elements, comedy and satire/parody, characters, heart, lore...
Hopefully, we'll be able to poke more at future episodes in the coming... weeks? Months? I'm still deciding the details; current plan is to focus on one ep at a time and post general reactions and notes. Now we've seen the forest, time to look at the trees.
Uncover the secret... if you dare...
GROO GSVM! RNKLHHRYOV MFNYVIH, LFG! (RM ZGYZHS)
Till then! Impossible Numbers, out! (In Atbash)
"Whatever, man. Party now. Physically couldn't care less."
Also, don't worry: future blog posts are not going to be this jam-packed. I just happened to get a bit carried away. Just this once.
I uh, I think I'll tone it down from this point on.
It's actually kinda of terrifying how much Pinkie Pie and Mabel have in common.
It makes me wonder what Pinkie's attempts at ventriloquism would look like.
Damn it, I love Bill Cipher.
It may just be the sheer coincidence of him being my first worthwhile exposure to animated music videos, *but did he ever grow on me for all sorts of reasons.
He does a pretty good job though.
Seriously the dude's a action hero. It be kind of scary if it wasn't a cartoon.
Everything freaky goes down on the east coast.
Ironically that's kinda of what everyone does at the end of the show.
Mabel gets to deny her brother moving away to pursue a worthwhile career, the Pines Brothers get to live their both of their dreams...
I think the only ones who lose out are Dipper and Wendy. Even Robbie finds love, although I forget with who.
Interesting thought.🤔
I just assume it's a reference to the baffling intricacies that is our financial system.
Speaking of conspiracies, I think we all know that Bill Cipher is still alive.
What you may not know is that when his soul was fragmented, some of it became a pony in Equestria.
Now he toils away in a government office, serving as head of their financial sector.
CELESTIA'S CAKE HOLE ISN'T GOING TO STUFF ITSELF YOU KNOW!
Interesting prologue. I look forward to your future thoughts on the series.
*Fun fact, the song was I Can't Decide, and I thought all Animated Music Videos sounded like the original actor. Boy was I surprised.
*Another fun fact, I probably wouldn't have known that song had it not been sung by the Master, another deranged villain in "Doctor Who's" "The Last Of The Time Lords".
5685396
"Overexcited bizarre girl" has since become a pretty prevalent character trope in Western animation. Not that I mind the trend all that much, but you do wonder where it started precisely.
How does someone who looks like a Doritos mascot end up being this devilishly awesome? 😈
Tangentially, I love how Alex Hirsch voices, like, half the major players and still manages to give each one a distinct flavour. Bill's the obvious favourite, but I particularly love the sardonic grumble/roar of rage he gives Grunkle Stan whenever it's needed.
Trust me: Dipper will get plenty of love over the course of this blog series. I might be one of the few people who like him more than Mabel (that's relatively speaking: Mabel's still a good'un). I won't go into too much depth now, though.
Oh boy, we'll have plenty to discuss come the series finale. Again, don't want to jump ahead too soon, and in any case I might need to rewatch it closer to the time. Let's just say that, as of this moment in time, I'm not convinced it was a high scorer on all fronts.
The "Bill" part at least makes an obvious reference to the Eye of Providence on the dollar bill. That's where I assumed his name came from, before I stumbled across some fan discussion pointing me to the Beale Ciphers. And the "Cipher" seemed more a general cryptography nod than anything specific.
Well, that and a certain backwards-message, but Shh! Shh! We'll get there, we'll get there.
As for the spoilered bit, I just assumed he came back as the King of Demons
, though that might just be Hirsch not varying the voice enough.
I am being watched... there are eyes everywhere... 😳😲😨😱
Also, neat vid. Scissor Sisters, huh? The Master had interesting tastes in music.
I see one notable absence in your Disney rundown. Well, there are others like Phineas and Ferb, that are closer to being family fare, and while I still found several of them enjoyable, they definitely have a different feel to them. But what I'm talking about is Star vs. the Forces of Evil. It started off great but fizzled pretty hard. I still liked the characters as much all the way through, but the plot for the last couple of seasons was an eye-rollingly heavy-handed allegory for racism that not only removed a lot of the show's tension, but also made them get rid of the show's one compelling villain and completely undercut the menace of the other who was potentially compelling. So... starts off great, loses much of its luster, and has a pretty dumb ending. S1 was great, though, and some of S2.
5685429
I fizzled out of Star Vs the Forces of Evil towards the end of Season 3 for many of the reasons you cite, and what I’ve heard and been told about the remaining content, while containing some positives, has not endeared me to finish it, even though I liked the majority of what I’ve seen (though generally less with each season, I’ll agree). It’s a bit sad, as I remember finding the characters still very compelling even when the plot wasn’t. Just not so compelling that I’ll put up with the remaining plot if it makes that many bad decisions as others have told me.
5685429
Star Vs was a weird one for me because I actually stumbled across it on YouTube in December 2020, well before I gained Disney+ a year later. So, being familiar with it well ahead of time, it felt oddly independent and divorced from the other Disney shows I later watched when I got the streaming service. (Unusually, I was forewarned regarding the controversial ending, so when I watched it I never made it further than the middle of Season Four.)
I won't go into blow-by-blow depth here, because it's not really the show I'm aiming to focus on for the time being, so in brief: I found Season One fun enough prior to its game-changer, the rest of Season One plus Season Two and the beginning of Season Three arguably its strongest stretch, and even most of Season Three pretty solid once it stopped meandering and found a new plot thread with Eclipsa's arrival and development. At least there the racial relations plotline felt like it was doing something big and bold with its next villain. That said, the show definitely felt like it was losing steam early in Season Four, to the point that by the time I reached "Cornonation" the mid-season climax, I thought it best to bow out while the going was still (relatively)... good? OK? Watchable?
That said, I didn't mention it in the blog above because it simply didn't have much to do with my Gravity Falls experience: Owl House and Amphibia were much closer in time for me, and so useful as quick reference points.
I daresay I'll discuss the show proper another time, at the very earliest once Gravity Falls has had its run on this blog series.
5685444
The three you mention are definitely their strongest run, and nice that they were pretty much consecutive as well, so that there was always something good for somewhat grown-up people to enjoy. The newest ones don't seem to have replicated that feel. I do watch The Ghost and Molly McGee, mostly because my son likes it, so I watch it with him. But it's just okay. I haven't tried Hamster and Gretel. Even though it has a good pedigree, the trailer just didn't grab me.
If you want some good old campy stuff, I bet Disney+ has the old Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century movies (live action). Of course they have all the Star Wars stuff too. I'm not including Disney in my blogs, so I haven't discussed any of Star Wars, but the original Clone Wars (5-minute shorts) was great. The regular series was fine, up until a great cliffhanger to end S5, at which point it stopped because it was Cartoon Network Show and Disney had just bought Star Wars. S6 got caught in limbo and eventually aired exclusively on Netflix, but it didn't pick up the previous plot, and it wasn't until several years had passed that Disney finally made a S7, which was great.
Then they started making other series that aired on their network channel, and each successive one got worse: Rebellion was pretty good, though a step down from even the worse seasons of Clone Wars, and Resistance was pretty mediocre.
I still need to see Star Wars: Visions, but I've heard good things about it.
I would guess they have W.I.T.C.H. too. Not a bad series.
5685423
It's certainly a thing now that I think more about it.
Maybe Dee Dee from Dexter's Lab? She was pretty early when it came to that trope.
Although I do find it amusing to think of Pinkie Pie going around and being a old man sounding ventriloquist like Mabel in her youth.
And we have some basis for it in "A Party Of One".
Grunkle Stan is great.
A total badass with some great lines, although the rough comedy part of his character faded away over time (along with some of my favorite jokes).
I really like his whole character (occasional shenanigans aside.)
In case it's not imediatly obvious by now, I love her comedy routines.
She'd probably be a pain to live with though.
It's very flashy. Back when I was younger, that was enough.
Now I will still watch it, but it definitely has some flaws.
You could make a case that both are true.
That being said, the implication that there is actually multiple Bills.
There's a swarm of Goat Pigs in "Star vs" that share his distinct eyes.
Yeah it was a pretty pivotal moment for me.
I think it stuck in my mind because it was the first time I had seen a live action villain sing. Plenty of animated villains, but no live action ones.
Plus he does a decent job matching the song here.
I would also imagine that he sees it as being very relevant to himself.
David Tennant's run was just really entertaining, for all the problems I have with it.
When I was 25 I went back to school, and moved from a small Canadian city, to a smaller Canadian town, and all the kids I hung out with were my classmates who were themselves like 18-22 year old dirtbags from even smaller towns…
One time I was at my friend’s apartment waiting for him to finish a shift at whatever department store, and i was hanging out with his roommate who was like this super shy, terminally dorky, kind of bizarre but kind hearted nerd, and, like, to be kind I said something like, “so what are you into…?”
And the next hour of my life was him explaining what gravity falls was, which turned into him showing me deep dive YouTube fan theory about Bill Cipher, and then fan theory videos about how Rick from Rick and Morty, and Stan Pines were friends, and then how every single show is interconnected, and then that snowballed into him showing me his Minecraft server somehow, and further and further I went down this bizarre rabbit hutch of like lore about Herobrine and then FIve Nights at Freddy’s lore, and by the end I was grasping for polite things to say. Which is ironic, of course, because I’ve written (poorly) about talking horses engaging in coitus…
That said, I really liked how Gravity Falls felt so very inspired by, and frequently nodded to and referenced Twin Peaks. I think they even had Kyle McLaughlin do a voice or two in Gravity Falls.
Actually, I would love to know what you think about Twin Peaks?
I was a huge fan of Gravity Falls and followed it as it aired, mostly because I had been told about the hidden ciphers in the episodes. I liked it well enough to start with, but it just got better and better as it went along, and is one of the few series I feel is nearly perfect.
I actually made it a point to save and watch episodes with some friends at "mysterious" places around California like the Desert Megaphone out in the Mojave, and the Mystery Spot in the Santa Cruz mountains. In fact, I'm certain that Hirsch knew and visited the Mystery Spot, because it has that exact cheesy Touristan vibe that the Mystery Shack has.
I'm eagerly looking forward to your posts!
Just responding to a few points, this time. I've been busy the last couple of days, and now I got the Ancestral Tribute contest on top of other things closer to home to deal with, it's likely I'll be busy again. Erm, which is another good reason not to pack too much into future blog posts, aheh!
5685486
Funny you should mention that one, because I watched it some time back too. As much as I enjoyed it in the moment, not much has stuck with me afterwards (and the finale of Season One felt waaay too rushed and anticlimactic). Did like how Libby's... crush? Friendship? Relationship with Molly developed (the Bat Mitzvah ep is one of my favourites), and some of Scratch's crueller moments or Molly's breakdowns were darkly funny. Had some nice eps with cosy lessons here and there. Bit too manic for its own good at times, though.
5685507
Well, according to the wiki, he did voice the bus driver in the finale. Never would have guessed, myself.
Ah. Here, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you: I never watched it. The show simply passed me by. I've heard of it, but never investigated beyond that.
5685518
My opinion wouldn't go that far, but it is remarkable that the show creators Hirsch et al had the sense and grace to bow out while the going was still good. How tempting it would have been to milk a show like this for all it was worth (and then some). Although I think part of that was because they were feeling burnt-out after Season One, and decided to wrap it up for Season Two?
Squares with the general "biographical" detail of the summer vacation concept. And I really like the attention to detail, though I don't think I've been to such places (well, not often or recently enough to recall...). There's an episode later in the series where Stan visits (and sabotages) a bunch of cheesy tourist traps outside Gravity Falls, and that reminded me of some of the weirder gimmicky roadside stuff in Australia, of all places.
5685871
I've been in hundreds of small town "museums" around the world that have been undeniably cheesy, but the weird supernatural aspect is usually lacking. Plenty of ghosts, but not the really outré stuff like the Mystery Spot's "gravitic anomaly." I tended to think of the Sam and Max style locations as uniquely American. As a kid, all of our family trips were peppered with such places.
As far as Australia goes, I've only been to Sydney, but I'm betting that the gimmicky stuff there is mostly along long stretches of otherwise boring roads. That seems to be the sort of place where they naturally spring up.
P. S. this:
An exciting prospect, this blog series is!
I also ended up checking out Gravity Falls courtesy of it existing on Disney+. I’m amused at the thought of wacky backwoods Americana being exotic! But I can agree it’s a compelling series. I look forward to reading more of your thoughts about it.
Love Gravity Falls, I re-watch about once a year or so. It was one of the more intelligently written programs at its time (and unlike many, didn't conflate cruelty and cynicism with intelligence).
One correction I'd make to your post:
Li'l Gideon isn't really a middle finger to child celebrities in general; but rather, is mainly a reference to one specific child celebrity: Larry Larimore, a traveling evangelical child preacher from the 1960s. Obviously there's more to the character than that, but the image of Gideon and his "Tent of Telepathy" is a dead ringer for Larimore and his "tent revival" style of preaching (something that seems to be distinctly American). Not surprised that most people don't know that, especially non-Americans; since he was never particularly well know outside American Evangelical circles; but he's become one of the go-to images of the "child preacher" phenomenon, along with more well-known examples like Marjoe Gortner.
Just more weird Americana that Hirsch worked into the show.
5685396
derpicdn.net/img/2013/8/26/410773/large.png
The future is in the past! Onward Pinkie Pie!
5686170
I am more than happy to be corrected, especially when it comes to a show as rich in detail as this one.
5686302
_Gravity Falls_ is steeped in small-town Americana, including stuff that I would think would be fairly obscure or outright incomprehensible to non-Americans.
5685871
Going to make this point real quick since I just thought of it last night, and I'm not sure how relevant it is.
If guys like Venom are the anti-heros of comics, then Ford and Dipper are kinda of like anti-villians.
Both are born with physical abnormalities that are embarrassing.
Both are ostracized and shamed for it by their respective social circles and peers. Both become extremely isolated as a result.
Both develop a increasing obsessive focus on what boils down to incredibly niche interests and goals to compensate.
And both use their incredible brilliance and obsession as a means to develop solutions to their problems.
Dipper by utilizing his cool demanor and adaptive imagination for coming up with ingenious plans to utilize common resources to thwart his enemies.
Ford by using his imagination and scientific know how to build advanced gadgets that would make a Sci Fi protagonist jealous.
Basically the only thing separating them from the likes of Penguin, Babydoll and so on, is the paranormal element, and the fact that they don't use their talents for evil.
5686812
I think you've got the anti-heroes/anti-villains terms mixed up there, but otherwise I see your point. The parallels between Dipper and Ford seem very much intentional (especially during their team-up phase in Season Two), to emphasize the relationships both sets of twins have. I wonder if you could draw as many parallels between Stan and Mabel? That'd complement the picture.
Not a huge surprise that they share traits with tragic villains like the Penguin and Baby-Doll: I mean, give them a terrible life like you said, and literally all you'd need is Dipper/Ford going off the deep end as a result. Then they'd pretty much be tragic villains.
And they deserve tremendous credit for not going off the deep end, considering how tempting it must have been in the face of regular outright disrespect/being trapped in unfathomable dimensions for decades!
5686814
Yeah probably.
There are a few parallels there to be sure.
Both are socially adept.
Both have a teasing emotional dependent relationship on their sibling.
Both are fairly adept at dreaming up bizarre scenarios to fulfill their fantasies.
Both are more than a little full of themselves and sometimes oblivious to just how much others dislike them.
And as charming as they are, both have what might be considered a off color sense of humor.
One has to wonder if that is what actually happened to Bill Cipher.
Certainly the contempt he shows when speaking about his planet is the type born of being unable or unwilling to relate to anyone there.
Fear not, I didn't ignore this. I've been busy lately, but I am reading these blogs. Slowly. Gravity Falls was a good show, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the episodes in detail.
5694997
That's all right; I'm still writing these blogs. Glacially.
There's a reason I didn't commit myself to a regular schedule.
I did watch ahead quite a few eps, and while some flaws stick out more on a rewatch, it's definitely still an overall good egg. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
5695431
Should've just reviewed the whole season at once in one huge multi-part megablog TBH. Needs more memes and swearing, too.
5695447
I learn from the best.