The best episodes of Gravity Falls exhibit the best of its comedy and world-building seamlessly entwined with character development. Gravity Falls revamped Disney Channel TV, telling a profound story about the challenge of maintaining family relationships and the enigmatic supernatural town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. As twins Dipper (Jason Ritter) and Mabel Pines (Kristen Schaal) unravel the town’s mysteries, audiences are further entertained by the series’ wickedly clever and random humor.
The highest-rated and the darkest episodes of Gravity Falls tend to be the same because these episodes are when the most is happening. Additionally, the majority of Gravity Falls’ best episodes are in the second season because this is when the overall plot picks up and the series’ content becomes more sophisticated. However, Gravity Falls is still one of the last TV shows that makes the case for filler episodes, and certain pieces of season 1 shouldn’t be ignored for their comedy and what they do for the characters.
10 Season 1, Episode 5, “The Inconveniencing”
Wendy’s First Adventure With The Pines Twins Is Full Of Spooky Humor
“The Inconveniencing” is Wendy’s (Linda Cardellini) first real episode, when Dipper realizes his crush on her and invites himself and Mabel along to hang out with her friends. Dipper’s interest in Wendy is a bit of a joke from the beginning (the cut to him “lying awake at night thinking about her” is perfect), but this episode sets Wendy up as a true friend who will happily go on adventures with the twins. Furthermore, the teenage stereotypes Wendy’s friend group collectively represents subtly contribute to the show’s running theme of youth and growing up.
The gang’s trip to a haunted convenience store isn’t Dipper and Mabel’s first encounter with the supernatural, but prompts some pointed jokes about having to “rethink everything.” This episode does the necessary work of establishing the Dipper and Wendy storyline, even if the real character growth isn’t going to happen until much later. However, it is a great example of the show setting up its signature comedy in the early episodes, with a subplot about Grunkle Stan (Alex Hirsch) being stuck watching an obvious Downton Abbey spoof because he can’t find the TV remote.
9 Season 2, Episode 1, “Scary-oke”
The Dark Zombie Plot Perfectly Segues Into The Pines’ Goofy Musical Moment
“Scary-oke” has a lot of fun with its references to other zombie/alien movies when the whole resolution to the one-off conflict is the Pines shattering the zombies’ skulls by all singing together. The season 2 premiere is comparable to being doused in cold water when it takes a dark turn after initially seeming like another light-hearted beginning. It also introduces the storyline of the government agents tailing the Pines family, which might seem like a redundant inconvenience at first (and essentially goes nowhere in the end).
After this dark, hopeless atmosphere, it organically switches to a weird family bonding moment with the three-person karaoke performance.
However, “Scary-oke” makes up for this with its sense of growing dread, as the situation becomes increasingly dangerous. It is the first episode the audience is watching with knowledge of what lies underneath the Mystery Shack, which creates dramatic irony. Stan’s ultimate admission that he has always known about the supernatural is a great moment, recasting the twins’ caretaker and the series’ other main character yet again. However, Gravity Falls turns things around fast. After this dark, hopeless atmosphere, it organically switches to a weird family bonding moment with the three-person karaoke performance.
8 Season 2, Episode 12, “A Tale Of Two Stans”
*Almost* All Is Revealed In The Episode Gravity Falls Fans Have Been Waiting For
The episode immediately following the reveal of the author’s identity is longer than usual and includes a barrage of (necessary) exposition. The fact that it is revealing everything about Stan and his brother Ford (J. K. Simmons) counts for a lot, which constitutes a realistic story about a wedge being driven between the brothers. It is discernible that at this point that Gravity Falls is setting up a storyline to parallel Dipper and Mabel’s adventures, with the two generations of twins in danger of becoming estranged if they do not realize their mistakes.
Gravity Falls
fans can learn more about the characters’ backstories and the setting from the tie-in books
Gravity Falls: Journal 3
and
The Book of Bill
.
There are some good comedic moments, mostly from Mabel and Soos (Hirsch). Stan and Ford’s backstory draws connections to other mysteries the twins have investigated while hinting at things Ford is still hiding. The cleverly titled “A Tale of Two Stans” is more subdued compared to what comes before and after it but is still well-written and immensely satisfying to watch for the people who have been with the series since the beginning (and possibly guessed that Stan had a twin, something that will be made fun of in the next episode).
7 Season 1, Episode 1, “Tourist Trapped”
Dipper & Mabel’s Mysterious & Funny Introduction
Nothing is as characteristic of an introduction to Gravity Falls as Mabel thinking she has scored a vampire boyfriend, who is revealed to actually be a troupe of gnomes stacked on top of each other. The twins’ contrasting personalities and Stan’s secret activities are all introduced, combined with the absolutely wild hijinks that will define the rest of the series. Additionally, the inciting incident of Dipper discovering Journal No. 3 happens, bringing with it some darker themes.
Dipper is immediately entranced by the promise of a detective quest, while the journal warns him to “trust no one.” However, “Tourist Trapped” is one of the best episodes because it presents what is essentially the conclusion of the series: while Dipper and Mabel have different personalities and interests, they will always be there for each other. The episode’s final moments pull off an interesting blend of morbid foreshadowing and Dipper writing his first entry in the journal, the uplifting assertion that he will always trust Mabel.
6 Season 2, Episode 15, “The Last Mabelcorn”
Mabel Clashes With Unicorns While Dipper Learns The Truth In A Perfect Filler Episode
As far as Mabel is concerned, the comedy does not get better than in “The Last Mabelcorn,” a title referencing The Last Unicorn. Dipper and Mabel prove that they can have separate adventures; in this case, Mabel takes Wendy, Candy (Niki Yang), and Grenda (Carl Faruolo) out for a girls’ adventure to retrieve some unicorn hair needed for a spell to protect the Mystery Shack. The results are hilarious, with Mabel disavowing her previous love for unicorns before the girls and the unicorns all start fighting each other.
Knowing that it is a filler episode, “The Last Mabelcorn” lets Mabel carry the comedy torch while using its extra screen time to clear up some of the remaining questions about Bill (Hirsch). The whole episode is tons of fun, showcasing some low-key character development for both of the twins. Going into the dark final episodes, this side adventure is something the series really needs, while providing the basis for the plot point of the Mystery Shack being protected during Weirdmageddon.
5 Season 2, Episode 10, “Northwest Mansion Mystery”
The Best Of Pacifica’s Character In An Episode With Classic Horror Vibes
“Northwest Mansion Mystery” draws upon the genre of gothic horror for Dipper’s one-off adventure of exorcising a ghost from Northwest Mansion. There are some good character beats for Dipper, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda, but the award for the most growth goes to Pacifica Northwest (Jackie Buscarino). The series had previously hinted at Pacifica being more than her superficial outward persona, but “Northwest Mansion Mystery” shows her defying her parents and taking action, accompanied by some dark and dramatic notes.
The episode ends with a strange celebration of Gravity Falls itself: When Pacifica opens the gates to the townspeople, all the crazy fan-favorite characters crash the party, before Old Man McGucket (Hirsch) warns Dipper of the next big thing coming. One of the scariest episodes of Gravity Falls features a great blend of the characters simply having fun while showcasing the most horror-inspired moments yet and hinting at more to come.
4 Season 2, Episode 2, “Into The Bunker”
Gravity Falls’ Custom Thrills With Dipper & Wendy’s Complex Storyline
“Into the Bunker” also demonstrates how Gravity Falls can deftly combine its specialized brand of humor with genuine horror. Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, and Soos explore the Author’s secret bunker, where they encounter a new terrifying monster and repeatedly risk life and limb. Yet moments like Mabel and Soos doing something dumb, proving they are not the shapeshifter, and Soos laughing “good luck sleeping tonight” at the monster taking Dipper’s frozen form are ironically, morbidly hilarious.
This episode also shows a lot of emotional maturity with how it mostly resolves Dipper’s crush on Wendy.
This episode also shows a lot of emotional maturity with how it mostly resolves Dipper’s crush on Wendy. After Dipper accidentally confesses this, Wendy admits that she’s known all along, while Dipper acknowledges that he’s known all along that Wendy is too old for him. Yet Gravity Falls is all about the bittersweet intersection of giving up one thing but gaining another. In this case, Wendy makes it clear that dating is out of the question, but Dipper is still one of her best friends. It is a relationship even more profound than the one Dipper had imagined.
3 Season 2, Episode 11, “Not What He Seems”
There Is Wonderful Tension Surrounding Stan’s Past Catching Up With Him
No episode showcases a dramatic buildup like “Not What He Seems,” in which the twins finally discover what the audience has now known about for years: the lab underneath the Mystery Shack. The stakes skyrocket after Stan’s arrest and the possibility of the portal he is building destroying the world. Mixed in are several very chilling reveals as the twins question everything they know, as well as some fantastic action when Stan escapes custody.
At the core of this episode are themes of logic conflicting with loyalty and trust. Dipper often dominates the story as the narrator and leading detective, but what Mabel brings to the table becomes clear in “Not What He Seems.” Mabel is capable of an act of faith like trusting Stan’s plan in a way Dipper simply isn’t, allowing Ford to return to their dimension. Of course, the episode then ends with the predicted but still well-executed reveal of the journals’ author, confirming a correct theory destroyed by the Gravity Falls McGucket hoax.
2 Season 2, Episode 19, “Weirdmageddon 2: Escape From Reality”
The High Point Of Wierdmageddon’s Emotional Storyline
Bill Cipher is the villain who completes Gravity Falls as a series. The final episodes are entirely about him launching Weirdmageddon on the town before his defeat. Settling on the best of these episodes is difficult, although one might just consider them all a single unit. However, “Escape from Reality” does the most for Dipper and Mabel’s character development while illustrating another dark but different and realistic face of this strange apocalypse.
All Weirdmageddon is punctuated with moments of sharp humor to remind the audience what show this is. In the case of “Escape from Reality,” it mainly surrounds the weirdness of Mabel’s fantasy world and everyone else’s disgusted reactions to it. However, the main event is the storyline of Dipper and Mabel’s relationship and them facing growing up together coming full circle. The rest of Weirdmageddon is mostly action, but this episode is the true culmination of the series’ main themes — and it does it beautifully.
1 Season 1, Episode 20, “Gideon Rises”
The Perfectly Timed Season 1 Finale In Which The Twins Face Off With Gideon
The season 1 finale has fantastic timing and great payoffs for some of the series’ running storylines up until that point. Yet, because it is only the season 1 finale, it still reaps the benefit of some mysteries remaining. Dipper and Mabel both come into their own, saving the day in ways befitting their characters: Dipper by finally believing in himself, and Mabel by finally getting to use the grappling hook she acquired in the series premiere.
The episode also returns to the vending machine question, which hadn’t been addressed since the first episode. The reveal that Stan has the final journal is the perfect, elegant conclusion, which brings together one of the loose threads with a character and mystery that has been there all along. Gravity Falls has many great stories to tell within its two-season run, but the journals are at the center of it all, and the moment of the trio being completed is one of the show’s most satisfying reveals.
