2x19 Weirdmageddon 2: Escape from Reality

[7.5/10] I’m a big fan of the message here. We here in modern times know even better that the real world can be a disappointing, dispiriting, even scary place at times. But as fun as it is to dip into shows like Gravity Falls to be entertained for a half hour now and then, that’s not a reason to live in a fantasy world. I love not only that theme, which the show also presented to some extent in “Soos and the Real Girl”, but the other side of it -- that as hard as things are, we can get through them with the help and support of the people we care about. It’s an idea that Gravity Falls has turned to time and again during its run, and for a reason. You’ll find few notions stronger or more heartening than acknowledging the hardships that this world inflicts, but reassuring audiences that they can get through them with a little help from their friends (or in this case, siblings).

Here’s my one gripe -- I wish we got to see a little more of how Dipper went from being ready to sign up for an apprenticeship with his Grunkle Ford, to reassuring Mabel that he’ll go back home with her at the end of the summer. I don’t want to hit the point too hard, because more often than not my main gripe is with television shows laying those ideas on too thick. It’s not a big stretch to suggest that between Wendy’s speech about how the twins are magic together, and this shimmering illustration of how hard his plans hit his sister, that Dipper would internalize the lesson and decide to stay. But it feels like we’re one beat short of the show fully earning that. Some reflection on how being apart messed things up for Stan and Ford might have been a good note to play there too.

That minor beef aside, the show comes damn close with the juxtaposition of the twins’ roughest days when they were kids, and how each comforted the other. I love how those flashbacks illustrate Dipper’s point, that despite the hard days in reality, they’ve been saved by Dipper and Mabel helping each other at their lowest moments. Mabel getting gum in her hair on picture day, only for Dipper to shave a line in his head so they can both be goofs together is sweet as all hell. And Mabel constructing a special sibling valentine for Dipper on the day he didn’t get any is just as kind. There’s been a lot of subtle Simpsons homages in this show, and a broken sibling bond being fixed with recollections of kind deeds past at a pivotal moment feels of a piece with Bart and Lisa reconciling in similarly heartwarming terms in “Lisa on Ice”.

I also enjoy the idea that Cypher Bill’s most ingenious trap to keep Mabel situated right where he wants her is a fantasyland where those inside are anesthetized and mesmerized by their deepest wants. Mabel Land itself is fantastic, with a bevy of familiar faces like her dream boys who showed up in Stan’s head, the star that helped her defeat Harry Claymore’s stop motion goons, and even our beloved Duck-tective! The Lisa Frank-inspired brand of the cuddly and fantastic all over everything makes this a fun and amusingly cloying setting for everything, and makes it extra scary when they drop the layer of cuteness and become nightmare fuel.

The temptations for the rest of the crew are just as good. Wendy getting to connect with her friends to mess with her principal is a laugh. Soos leaving to go play catch with his dad (whom he imagines as a luchador from a hot sauce bottle) is the right mix of sad and loopy. And Dipper having the maturity to recognize that the version of Wendy saying he could be the right age here and they could be together is off the charts. It takes strength to turn down your heart’s desire because, in your heart of hearts, you’d know it’s a hollow falsehood, and the terror that ensues is almost as good.

Likewise, I appreciate the hints we get at what’s going on outside. Cipher Bill turning the town’s residents into a giant throne once again walks the line between goofy and terrifying nicely. He and his eldritch abomination gang wanting to conquer the world only to find themselves trapped in a bubble is worthy of a good eye-raise. And I especially like the end reveal, that Stan is holed up with a bunch of survivors in the Mystery Shack, trying to stay safe amid the apocalypse. We rightfully spend most of the episode in Mabel Land, but the episode does a good job of showing us just enough of what’s going on in the real world in parallel.

The courtroom scene is even better. Jon Stewart as a southern cat judge is a wonderful bit of absurdity, as is a jury full of Mabel clones and, best of all, “Dippy Fresh”, Dipper’s Poochie-esque cool guy alternative. The legal setting makes for a good forum to debate the question of reality versus fantasy, and provides plenty of space for the writers to crack outlandish jokes amid the whole thing.

Despite my qualms, the resolution hits hardest. However they get there, Dipper convincing his sister that whatever reality throws at them, they can get through together is wholesome as all hell, as is their awkward/sincere sibling hug. The charge out of the bubble on a giant Waddles makes for a fun sequence. And the choice from both siblings to avoid going down the road that Stan and Ford did, because they recognize how much better they are together, is a heartening one.

The grand finale remains, and with it, undoubtedly an epic clash to defeat the bad guys and save the day. But the more important victory may come here, with brother and sister choosing to face the hardships on the horizon as a team, with their friends in tow, because living in the real world with the help of people you care about is worth more than even the most vivid fantasy. It’s the kind of heart Gravity Falls has had from the beginning, and one that still plucks the heartstrings as the series heads into its final frame.