1x02 The Legend of the Gobblewonker

[9.0/10] Oh my god, this was the funniest thing I’ve seen in forever. The gags here were so damn good! Dipper being obsessed with having cameras around to snap a photo of the monster to avoid the monster hunt cliches, only for Mabel and Soos to inadvertently/intentionally destroy them over and over had me in absolute stitches. Mabel’s imagine spot about her being in a giant hamster ball was incredible. Gruncle Stan pestering locals at the lake with his terrible jokes and awkward desire to have a fishing buddy was hilarious. The old man talking about how contrived it is that he’s able to build big mechanical monsters was a hoot. And this is all before those adorable, hilarious beavers! The whole tone and approach to comedy in this was aces all around.

But it’s also a good episode on a story basis. The idea of the kids going in search of a Loch Ness-type monster to win a prize is a good story engine. The two of them teaming up with Soos and going on an ill-fated cryptozoological adventure creates lots of potential for hijinks and excitement, and the dynamic between the siblings and their coworker is a good one. The reveal the “monster” chasing them is the same crazy old man who clued them into the threat, as a ploy to spend more time with his lake patrolling son, is loony, but amusing. And the twist that there really is a Gobblewonker at the bottom of the local lake is the icing on the cake.

I also adore the end of this one. This episode could totally have worked as a zany, hilarious adventure about finding the truth behind a local legend. Instead, Dipper and Mabel take the lesson from the crazy old man that what drove him to this was older people feeling lonely and neglected. As hilariously awkward as Stan’s lakeside interactions with various anglers is (including a burly fisherman voiced by John DiMaggio who strongly resembles The Scotsman from Samurai Jack), there’s something irrepressibly sweet about the kids putting on his hand-stitched fishing hats and having fun with the older relative who just wants to bond with them

Overall, this one was a home run -- an episode that made me crack up again and again, and closed by tugging at my heartstrings, with a fun adventure to boot. What more can you ask for?