Upcoming Review: Gravity Falls - Season 1

[93ImperatorPenguin]

Cuck... do you have a long lost brother or cousin you never told us about?

You shouldn't keep secrets like that.

[cdrood]

The episodes 9-12 still follow the theme where Dipper pursuing individual goals is wrong. While he and Mabel work well together, note how she got the pig and he did end up trick or treating with her. Now, you can argue that his pursuit of Wendy is unrealistic, and it is at this age, but there's still the fact that she's usually the one who gets her way. Upon being slightly taller, she immediately begins the teasing and for some reason Dipper, who does understand science, never brings up the simple fact that more often than not a male sibling will end up significantly taller than a female one.

[CharlesPhipps]

The episodes 9-12 still follow the theme where Dipper pursuing individual goals is wrong. While he and Mabel work well together, note how she got the pig and he did end up trick or treating with her. Now, you can argue that his pursuit of Wendy is unrealistic, and it is at this age, but there's still the fact that she's usually the one who gets her way. Upon being slightly taller, she immediately begins the teasing and for some reason Dipper, who does understand science, never brings up the simple fact that more often than not a male sibling will end up significantly taller than a female one.

The thing about Dipper pursuing his individual goals is the fact that in both those cases he ended up putting his own ambitions over hurting other people, which is a very different thing. Dipper's date with Wendy requires Pacifica eating Mabel's pig (she didn't take it for a pet) and then ditching the candy needed to placate an evil monster.

I also like the fact that Mabel's tallness focus is because Dipper as the serious one usually does win their little competitions (even if it's never mentioned before).

[CmdrKing]

It's worth remembering as well that Gravity Falls was designed as a limited series with a clear endgame, meaning a lot of these patterns are established to create greater impact down the road.

For Posterity: https://sfdebris.com/videos/animation/gravityfallss1_3.php

[Thebestoftherest]

I do wish they have Mabel lost more. But I hate what she did in the shapeshofter episode.

[Mecha82]

I do think that personality wise Dipper and Mabel balance each other out well. Dipper is serious while Mabel is over energic. Both have they own dreams and goals that some time conflict with each other.

[SigilBreaker26]

Dipper is essentially someone trying to grow up too fast and Mabel is someone who doesn't want to grow up at all.

The problem is that Dipper gets a lot of development over the course of the series and Mabel just doesn't, which is why I wouldn't necessarily say it's a problem in the early stuff (as people have mentioned Dipper is often being selfish) but later on begins to become more and more obvious.

[Trinary]

Just a quick thing to remember about some of the issues surrounding Mabel and Dipper and the fairness or unfairness of Dipper seeming to have to give up more for Mabel than vice versa: Alex Hirsch said he based Dipper and Mabel on himself and his own twin sister, respectively. So it's easier to frame the show around the sort of things Hirsch/Dipper had to learn and accept rather than making Mabel out to be the problem.

Plus I figure if you make a show based on yourself and your sibling and spent a number of episodes making your sibling out to be the one in the wrong, the one who received a lot of finger wagging, that'd just make future family gatherings awkward.

[CharlesPhipps]

I actually do love the rare Mabel learns episodes.

Like when she kidnapped One Direction and kept them as pets.

[Steve]

I actually do love the rare Mabel learns episodes.

Like when she kidnapped One Direction and kept them as pets.

That's coming up in the next video, I believe.

Although Season 2's episode with the puppets was the best of those, I think. And the lost legends graphic novel did a story where Mabel had to face this element of herself as well.