Disney's Gravity Falls: Thoughts

Gravity Falls is a funny, enjoyably goofy, and playful series, with a childish wonder to it. It is about twins Dipper and Mabel are sent to their great-uncle’s Stan's place for the summer where they meet people and go on adventures in the strange and mysterious town of Gravity Falls. Like Yin and Yang, Dipper is a precocious amateur detective, while Mabel is a fun-loving free-spirited girly girl. There’s strong development with the characters of Stan Pines and Dipper. The cartoony animation and dedicated voice-acting aid it in its charm. Its offbeat humor is aided by its adult edge, this being occasional adult jokes and a physical horror permeating the series. The show has quite a few horrific moments and some scenes, when thinking about how they managed to get past the censors, are a marvel. But there’s also a strong sense of family and humor to balance it out. Also, the series is coated in addictive mysteries, incorporating significant easter eggs. There are ciphers hidden throughout the series to decode, which adds a greater sense of interactivity.

However, the show has several shortcomings, the existence of which has been acknowledged by the creator, Alex Hirsch, who based Dipper and Mabel off of himself and his twin sister. The inability to call out Mabel’s problematic behaviour (she constantly puts her needs and wishes over Dipper's, never apologized for her mistakes, makes Dipper break up with Gideon for her, etc.) is a detriment to the series. While Dipper grows as a character, and is called out for his negative behaviour, the same does not happen to his sister. The show is much harsher on him than his sister, presumably a consequence of Alex Hirsch feeling more comfortable judging a character based on himself than a character based off his sister. She ends up feeling more of a secondary character than being half of the protagonist role; Dipper does the important stuff, while she is stuck with the B-plot. This is slightly remedied, however, in the newest official comics, which are a fun romp. Speaking of other characters, supporting characters Wendy and Soos are fleshed-out and enjoyable-to-watch. Gravity Falls is about mystery and horror, but it’s also about the fun of summer and meeting new people, forming long-lasting relationships.

The show’s quality degrades in the second half of season 2, (following an incredible mid-season finale) where the staff's exhaustion becomes apparent. The plots become convoluted (the family going on a road trip in one episode despite the previous episode detailing the importance of protecting the home, the Infinity Dice giving way to a quickly-disposed villain of the week).

The finale had many holes (Stan getting his memory back, a lack of closure with Blendin the time-traveler, Gideon avoiding jail, an inability to call Mabel out, etc.) This has also been remedied by spin-off media, giving explanations and details. The show was Alex Hirsch’s first big project, explaining some of the shortcomings, which ultimately are not much of a deal. Gravity Falls is an accomplishment, just plain enjoyable.