Ten years ago, on June 15, 2012, to be exact, an incredibly unique animated series first premiered on Disney Channel, and it was called Gravity Falls. Created by Alex Hirsch, the series follows the twins Dipper and Mabel Pines (voiced by Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal) as they spend the summer in a rural town, the titular Gravity Falls. They are living with their great-uncle, or as he prefers to be called, Grunkle Stan (Alex Hirsch), who runs a tourist trap called the Mystery Shack.
Over the summer, Dipper and Mable become close friends with many of the town’s residents, in particular Mystery Shack workers Soos (Alex Hirsch) and Wendy Corduroy (Linda Cardellini). Inspired by an unusual journal, the twins also go on unbelievable adventures as they investigate paranormal activity and supernatural monsters, unraveling the town’s mysterious history. The series quickly garnered universal acclaim, winning multiple awards, while also surpassing many viewership records during its second season on Disney XD. By blending multiple genres together, through a mix of single-episode stories and series-long arcs, Gravity Falls created a new storytelling benchmark for animated series that very few others have been able to achieve since.
With Gravity Falls turning ten years old, let’s revisit this strange town we’ve grown to love by looking back on the series’ ten best episodes.
“Irrational Treasure” (Season 1, Episode 8)
The townspeople of Gravity Falls are celebrating Pioneer Day, when they pay their respects to the town’s founder, Nathaniel Northwest. Dipper and Mabel are eager to learn more about the celebration after they find out Nathaniel may have been a fraud. This is a very funny episode that splits its attention across two stories. The first being Dipper and Mabel meeting the town’s true founder, Quentin Trembley (Alex Hirsch), who is also the 8½th President of the United States. The three are chased around town by the incompetent police duo of Deputy Durland (Keith Ferguson) and Sheriff Blubs (Kevin Michael Richardson) who need to keep Quentin under wraps.
The second follows Stan being tormented by Li’l Gideon (Thurop Van Orman), a two-faced child celebrity in Gravity Falls who everyone loves. This episode doesn’t tie into any larger story too much, but it’s a lot of fun that highlights many of the series’ amusing side characters.
“The Time Traveler’s Pig” (Season 1, Episode 9)
Attempting to impress his crush Wendy, Dipper completely humiliates himself. Heartbroken, he fortunately bumps into time traveler Blendin Blandin (Justin Roiland) and steals his time traveling measuring tape. Dipper now has a second chance to impress Wendy, but this leads to some unexpected consequences. Meanwhile, Mabel wins a pig that she names Waddles. Welcome to the series, Waddles!
This episode does a great job of building on different characters’ relationships, with an extra layer of insanity added to it thanks to time travel. Gravity Falls is also prone to having lots of Easter Eggs throughout the series, and this episode is no different. Apart from meeting Blendin, who has appeared in the background of other episodes since the pilot, we also get a very brief first glimpse at someone who looks like Stan, but more on him later!
“Boss Mabel” (Season 1, Episode 13)
Mabel makes a bet with Grunkle Stan, saying she’d make more money at the Mystery Shack in three days than he can. Amused, he accepts the bet, giving himself a mini holiday, so he can go on the TV game show Cash Wheel. Dipper also tries to impress tourists by luring a real monster to the Mystery Shack, instead of Stan’s poorly made and fake exhibits.
Arguably one of Gravity Falls' funniest episodes, there are shenanigans a-plenty across each main story, and by the end, they all tie together nicely. Mabel’s time in charge and Dipper’s instance on finding a real monster get lots of laughs, but Stan’s brief time on TV and interactions with customers are comedy gold. This episode also has one of my favorite Stan lines: “We put the fun in no refunds!”
“Dreamscaperers” (Season 1, Episode 19)
Desperate to get revenge on the Pines family, Li’l Gideon summons a demon named Bill Cipher (Alex Hirsch) to enter Stan’s mind and find the combination to his safe, containing the deed to the Mystery Shack. Dipper, Mabel and Soos follow Bill to try and stop him.
This is Season 1’s penultimate episode, and it’s a big one! After many Easter Eggs and teases, we finally meet Bill Cipher, the main antagonist of the series, though we don’t know what his ultimate plans are yet. We also get to learn more about Stan’s past, which he likes keeping private, getting brief looks at his childhood, family, and how he truly feels about having Dipper and Mabel in his life. Though the animation is always stellar, “Dreamscaperers” kicks it up a notch with some very creative imagery inside Stan’s mind and an exciting fight against Bill.
“Society of the Blind Eye” (Season 2, Episode 7)
Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy, find an unlikely ally in Old Man McGucket (Alex Hirsch). Despite his kooky nature, the group investigate the Society of the Blind Eye, a group which erases the townspeople’s memories of the supernatural. Meanwhile, Stan continues to work on his secret machine beneath the Mystery Shack.
This is another big episode that showcases many side characters, particularly McGucket, and sheds some light on how all the strange occurrences in Gravity Falls are connected. We also get some more clues about the three journals and their unknown author. Though Gravity Falls has always embraced serialized storytelling, as we approach the midpoint of Season 2, many lingering narrative threads are now joining together as we start getting answers about some of the series’ biggest mysteries.
“Northwest Mansion Mystery” (Season 2, Episode 10)
After defeating the Society of The Blind Eye, the townspeople of Gravity Falls are finally starting to notice all the supernatural activity in town. With Dipper often stopping these threats, Pacifica Northwest (Jackie Buscarino) asks him for help as her family is hosting a big event in their mansion, which is being haunted by a vengeful ghost.
Despite being a mostly self-contained story, this is a very significant episode in the series. With supernatural activity now being public knowledge, many townspeople are afraid of what is happening to the town, seeing Dipper as an authority figure on the evolving situation. Pacifica, once Dipper and Mabel’s rival, also has a redemption arc, allowing her to confront her sketchy family history and their impact on Gravity Falls.
“Not What He Seems” (Season 2, Episode 11)
Wow. This is the episode that changed Gravity Falls forever. Grunkle Stan is arrested by government agents, leading Dipper and Mabel to question how much they really know about him. This leads them to discovering Stan’s true identity as he finally activates his secret machine beneath the Mystery Shack. Very few animated series come to mind that have been able to achieve an episode like this. There are so many big reveals and moments that put you on the edge of your seat, and then…the MASSIVE ending twist, the arrival of Stan’s long-lost twin brother Stanford Pines (J.K. Simmons).
“Not What He Seems” dramatically resolves so many mysteries and storylines in spectacular fashion, while also setting the stage for an epic second half of the season with more twists to come.
“A Tale Of Two Stans” (Season 2, Episode 12)
It’s hard to believe we’ve had three game-changing episodes back-to-back. Set mostly in flashbacks, “A Tale Of Two Stans” showcases Stanley (aka Grunkle Stan) and Stanford’s relationship, and how they slowly drifted apart from young kids to adulthood. These flashbacks answer even more mysteries, particularly those about the journals, and Old Man McGucket’s history as a scientist. In the present day, the brothers begrudgingly discuss how they will move forward now that they’re together again.
This is, yet again, another big episode that recontextualizes the entire series as we know it. Like Dipper and Mabel, we now know the shocking truth about Grunkle Stan and Stanford’s past, and Gravity Falls can never be the same.
“Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future” (Season 2, Episode 17)
It’s the beginning of the end of Summer…and the world. As Dipper and Mabel’s 13th birthday approaches, both start to realize they’re growing up and that they can’t stay in Gravity Falls forever. With only one week left before they have to go home, the twins find themselves distressed, being at odds with their emotions, responsibilities, and what the future could bring.
This is a heavy episode of the series that doesn’t try to sugarcoat Dipper and Mabel’s feelings one bit. Not even Grunkle Stan is in a joking mood. When Mabel reaches out to him, he remains honest and down-to-earth, saying how he’ll miss her and Dipper. As the audience, we feel for them all. Like the twins, we’ve grown attached to Gravity Falls and its odd citizens too.
The episode ends with Bill Cipher beginning his master plan of taking over Earth, leading us into the Gravity Falls series finale…
“Weirdmageddon” (Season 2, Episodes 18-20)
Yes, the series finale is technically three episodes, making this list 12 episodes long, but how can you split them up?! “Weirdmageddon” is ONE massive event. The culmination of every single storyline and character decision in the series. An emotional rollercoaster that sees everyone in Gravity Falls team up to defend their town, and the entire world (or even universe!), from Bill Cipher.
It’s action-packed, heartfelt, hilarious, extremely dramatic, even scary at times, but above all else, epic in scope. “Weirdmageddon” is as close to a perfect series finale that you could get because it does more than just stick the landing. It pays tribute to everything in the series that comes before it, ultimately giving many, if not all the characters, main and secondary, a fitting farewell.
Gravity Falls is available for streaming on both Disney+ and Hulu.