The Definitive Ranking of EVERY Episode of Gravity Falls
One of our fave shows of the century, Gravity Falls, is airing its final episode on Monday, February 15th on Disney XD. We wanted to give the show a proper sendoff, so we ranked EVERY episode of the show leading up to the big finale. Major spoilers are ahead, so be careful if you're not caught up!
39. "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" (Season 1, Episode 4)
Can we just start by saying that even our lowest-ranked episode on this list is SO good? It's mostly at the bottom of the list because we find Li'l Gideon EXTREMELY creepy. At first, his crush on Mabel is cute, but as the story progresses we learn that he's willing to do anything to make her his girlfriend, and the fact that he can use mind control and telekinesis to get whatever he wants makes us extra uneasy. Of course, all of those things are the mark of a great baddie, and his return episodes are some of our faves in the series.
38. "The Legend Of the Gobblewonker" (Season 1, Episode 2)
When Dipper and Mabel read about a local monster photo contest, they set out to snap a photo of the legendary Gravity Falls Gobblewonker on a fishing trip with their Grunkle Stan. While the family moments have a ton of heart, the reveal of Old Man McGucket's mechanical Gobblewonker is a bit of a let down. Of course, it does set the stage for some great later moments with McGucket!
37. "The Love God" (Season 2, Episode 9)
Cupid shows up in Gravity Falls for a music festival, inspiring Mabel to steal his potions and play matchmaker. When Mabel decides to make Robbie and Tambry fall for each other, it ends up dividing the entire friend group. The episode is a little weird because in the end, things miraculously work out and everyone is one big happy family again. But the episode gets extra points for Grunkle Stan's balloon:
36. "The Golf War" (Season 2, Episode 3)
Pacifica Northwest and Mabel face off in a mini golf contest, unaware that the courses are controlled by living golf balls called Lilliputtians. Mabel decides to cheat with their help, but when she decides that she wants to win fair and square, the Lilliputtians turn against both of them. Mabel and Pacifica end up working together to fight them off, and for the first time, their rivalry turns into a friendship. Overall, it's one of the sillier episodes, even if it does include a couple of poignant moments.
35. "Land Before Swine" (Season 1, Episode 18)
A pterodactyl shows up in Gravity Falls and snatches Mabel's pet pig, Waddles, so the whole family (plus Soos) go on a rescue mission. This episode turns Grunkle Stan into a real hero, bravely punching the pterodactyl in the face with the adorable Waddles strapped to him in a baby carrier. This scene is definitely a highlight:
34. "Bottomless Pit" (Season 1, Episode 14)
In this episode, Dipper, Mabel, Grunkle Stan and Soos fall into a bottomless pit, giving them some time to tell each other stories. Dipper's story about drinking a potion to transform his voice into an announcer voice is funny if you love the character, but probably the weakest of the 3 stories. Soos' story is called "Soos' Really Great Pinball Story: Is That A Good Title? Do Titles Have To Be Puns or Whatever?" The title itself is perfection, but his story of being trapped in a pinball machine feels like it has real stakes. Mabel's story, "Troof Ache," has Stan forced to tell the truth, revealing some hilarious fibs along the way, because of magical teeth implants. When they see the magical teeth ACTUALLY in the bottomless pit, and we realize Mabel's story really happened, it's a really special moment.
33. "Little Gift Shop Of Horrors" (Season 1, Episode 6)
Like "Bottomless Pit," "Little Gift Shop Of Horrors" is another anthology episode consisting of 3 stories, all of them made up by Stan to try to sell Mystery Shack junk to a tourist. Our personal favorite is the one where Waddles eats science goo that makes him super smart and voiced by scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, but the stories about Stan's runaway hands and Mabel's fear of claymation monsters are solid, too.
32. "Little Dipper" (Season 1, Episode 11)
As twins, Mabel and Dipper have always been the same height, but when Mabel grows to be a millimeter taller, Dipper uses a magic crystal to even the playing field. When Li'l Gideon discovers this, he finds the crystal and shrinks both Mabel and Dipper to ant size. When Mabel reveals she's jealous of Dipper's accomplishments and was excited to finally beat him at one thing, he feels terrible and they work together to stop Gideon in one of our favorite sibling moments of the whole show.
31. "Tourist Trapped" (Season 1, Episode 1)
A lot of shows suffer from a weak first episode. Gravity Falls isn't like a lot of shows. The first episode eases us in to the town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, as our heroes Mabel and Dipper visit to spend the summer with their Grunkle Stan. Soon, Dipper discovers a mysterious journal and learns that there's a LOT more to Gravity Falls than there seems. Bonus points for Mabel's first Gravity Falls boyfriend, Norman, who turns out to be a bunch of gnomes posing as a boy in a hoodie.
30. "Boss Mabel" (Season 1, Episode 13)
Mabel thinks that Grunkle Stan is too strict about the way he runs the Mystery Shack, so he challenges her to be the boss for 3 days and make more money than he makes on a game show. Mabel quickly learns that asking politely for things and giving the employees freedom doesn't get the job done, and even allows Dipper to set a Gremloblin free in the Shack to terrorize customers. At the end of the day, she makes a single dollar, but she STILL wins the bet because Stan loses all of his money in the final round, not knowing the word "please."
29. "Boyz Crazy" (Season 1, Episode 17)
This episode features the wonderful fictional boyband Sev'ral Timez, made up of 5 clones, all voiced by Lance Bass. Mabel kidnaps her favorite band when she realizes that Sev'ral Timez' manager keeps them in a giant hamster cage. But Mabel becomes just as bad as the manager, also preventing them from living out in the real world. When she finally comes to her senses and lets them all walk into the sunset together, it's a beautiful thing.
28. "Irrational Treasure" Season 1, Episode 8)
Silly Mabel is the BEST Mabel. Mabel and Dipper discover that Nathaniel Northwest may not have been the real founder of Gravity Falls and set out to discover the truth. Northwest's great-great granddaughter, Pacifica Northwest, happens to be the most popular girl in Gravity Falls, and makes Mabel self conscious about how silly she is. But as Mabel and her brother uncover the clues to the real origins of Gravity Falls, they find out that Mabel's silliness is the biggest asset they could have– especially when she discovers former president Quentin Trembley encased in a giant peanut brittle.
27. "The Stanchurian Candidate" (Season 2, Episode 14)
When Grunkle Stan runs for mayor, Dipper and Mabel are forced to step in and make him wear a necktie that allows them to control all of his actions. It becomes even more important that Stan wins when the twins find out that Li'l Gideon is controlling his father's bid in the race. We love this episode because it showcases all of the totally ridiculous townspeople of Gravity Falls. Tyler Cutebiker really did deserve to win in the end.
26. "The Inconveniencing" (Season 1, Episode 5)
If you're prone to crushes, chances are that you can relate to this episode. When Dipper is invited to hang out with Wendy and all of her teenage friends, he sees that as his BIG opportunity to finally impress her. Of course, the teenagers want to do said hanging out at haunted convenience store. The convenience store ghosts do NOT like being disturbed, particularly by teenagers, and Dipper has to embrace the fact that he's still a kid, even if it will hurt his relationship with Wendy, to save them all. Plus the "Lamby Lamby Dance" gives us life.
25. "Gideon Rises" (Season 1, Episode 20)
With the help of the evil dream demon Bill Cipher, Li'l Gideon manages to manipulate the entire town into doing everything that he says. Up until now, Dipper has trusted the mysterious journals full of Gravity Falls' secrets, but now he knows that they can do a lot of damage if they fall into the wrong hands. The episode includes some heartbreaking moments as Stan considers sending Mabel and Dipper home, and all in all it's a pretty epic finale to the first season of the show.
24. "Carpet Diem" (Season 1, Episode 16)
A staticky magical carpet swaps the bodies of any two people who step on it at the same time. When Mabel and Dipper exchange bodies, they realize that it's tougher to be the other person than they thought, and it brings them closer together than ever. But THE best moments probably come from Soos' body swap with Waddles the pig.
23. "Dipper Vs. Manliness" (Season 1, Episode 6)
When Dipper decides it's time for him to become a man, he tries to make it on his own in the forest. It's not long before he runs into a tribe of Manotaurs who take him back to their Man Cave, telling him that the only way he can become a real man is by slaying the Multi-Bear. As he fights the Multi-Bear, Dipper learns that its favorite song is "Disco Girl,"and the Manotaurs were just bullying it for liking a "girly song." In the end, he lets the Multi-Bear live, tells the Manotaurs they're jerks, and decides to define what manliness is for himself. You do you, Dipper!
22. "Roadside Attraction" (Season 2, Episode 16)
"Roadside Attraction" is a welcome break from some of the more hectic season 2 episodes. Stan brings the family on a road trip to sabotage other tourist sites throughout Oregon while Dipper is trying to get over Wendy. When he gets a phone number from a girl, he gets a boost of confidence that inspires him to meet a lot of girls on his trip, but things don't go so well when they find out about each other. Also, Stan woos a terrifying spider lady who we still have nightmares about.
21. "Summerween" (Season 1, Episode 12)
Gravity Falls takes place in the summer, and the writers creatively constructed the "Summerween" workaround to do a spooky episode in the show. Dipper and Mabel are excited to go trick-or-treating as peanut butter and jelly before Wendy invites Dipper to a Halloween party and he decides he's a little too old for it. But Dipper is forced to trick-or-treat when a monster shows up saying he'll eat them if they don't collect 500 pieces of candy. By the end of the episode, Dipper is forced yet again to choose between impressing Wendy and making his sister happy, and of course he chooses to put on his peanut butter costume and go for one last Summerween spin.
20. "Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons" (Season 2, Episode 13)
"Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons" is another break from some of the heavier episodes about Stan and Ford's backstory. Dipper and Ford get to know each other, bonding over a nerdy board game, but when they both get trapped in the game because of an infinity-sided die, Stan and Mabel are forced to learn the game to save their twins. Not only does the episode highlight a growing divide between Mabel and Dipper, but it also features the season finale of Duck-tective, which is worth a LOT of watches.
19. "The Deep End" (Season 1, Episode 15)
We love any episode where Mabel gets to have a bit of a summer romance! In this one, she falls for a merman named Mermando who's trapped in a public swimming pool. Mabel is thrilled to be able to hang out with Mermando every day, but when she sees how much he misses his family, Mabel decides that she has to get Mermando back to the wild. It's a dangerous job, but she eventually gets him back to the lake AND has her first kiss with him (but only after Dipper gives him reverse CPR).
18. "The Last Mabelcorn" (Season 2, Episode 15)
Ford aims to build a magical shield around the Mystery Shack, but he needs unicorn hair to make it all work. He recruits Mabel to fetch the hair, but when she meets a unicorn, the unicorn claims she isn't pure of heart, completely crushing all of Mabel's dreams. Meanwhile, Dipper suspects that Ford hasn't been entirely open about his experiments. In the end, Dipper learns an important lesson about trust, and Mabel finds out that NO one can tell you whether your heart is pure but you.
17. "Society of the Blind Eye" (Season 2, Episode 7)
"Society of the Blind Eye" FINALLY reveals some of the details of Old Man McGuckett's past as a brilliant scientist, and offers an explanation to the fact that no one in Gravity Falls seems to notice anything weird is going on. It also poses an interesting question– if you could erase your most painful memories, would you do it?
16. "Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future" (Season 1, Episode 17)
Mabel and Dipper's 13th birthday is just a week away, and the twins are confronted with some difficult questions. Ford offers to make Dipper his apprentice, but that would mean staying in Gravity Falls and not going home with Mabel. When Dipper reveals his plans, Mabel is crushed, giving Bill Cipher a chance to take advantage of the rift, and make the first steps toward ending the world. This one will break your heart at least a little bit.
15. "Fight Fighters" (Season 1, Episode 10)
If you've ever played Street Fighter or other fighting video games, "Fight Fighters" is going to be at LEAST twice as funny. When Dipper types a cheat code into an arcade machine, the game's main character, Rumble McSkirmish, steps out into the real world. Dipper tricks him into fighting Wendy's boyfriend, Robbie, claiming he's a really bad guy. When Dipper realizes what he's done, he finally tells the truth, but Rumble is still itching for a fight, so Dipper is forced to fight him.
14. "Sock Opera" (Season 2, Episode 4)
When Mabel meets a cute puppet enthusiast named Gabe, she decides to put on a sock puppet rock opera to impress him. In the middle of the show, Bill Cipher possesses Dipper's body, and Dipper is forced to use a sock puppet to communicate with his sister. Mabel has to make the choice between pulling of a flawless opera (which we totally thinks she achieves) and saving her brother, ultimately making the right choice. In the end, Gabe is disgusted with her, but he kisses puppets, so she gets over him pretty quickly.
13. "A Tale of Two Stans" (Season 2, Episode 12)
Um, Grunkle Stan has a twin! This episode reveals the entire backstory between Stanley and his twin brother Stanford, including their childhood together and how Stan came to take over Ford's place in Gravity Falls. The episode draws a LOT of interesting parallels between Stan and Ford and Mable and Dipper, and it's just the start of a growing divide between the 2 younger twins. It's a lot of exposition, but after all of this waiting to know the truths of Gravity Falls it is SO satisfying.
12. "The Time Traveler's Pig" (Season 1, Episode 9)
When Dipper discovers a time traveling device, he realizes he can use it to make his day with Wendy go perfectly, but only at the cost of Mabel losing her new beloved pet pig, Waddles. Not only is this a great episode about making the right decision, but it's also where Mabel gets Waddles, and since Waddles is one of THE cutest cartoon animals is TV history, extra points all around. This episode also introduced the time traveler Blendin Benjamin Blandin, who you can spot in a bunch of earlier episodes if you keep your eyes peeled.
11. "Into the Bunker" (Season 2, Episode 2)
"Into the Bunker" has one of THE best and scariest monsters of all time in the form of a shapeshifting monster. The episode hints a little more at the identity of the journals' author, but mostly we love it because it's the episode when Dipper finally has to admit his feelings for Wendy. AND since Dipper's admission comes when the shapeshifter, in Wendy's form, looks gravely hurt, the pivotal moment only happens because of the baddie. How good is this show?
10. "Weirdmageddon Part 1" (Season 2, Episode 18)
The first segment in the Weirdmageddon trilogy gets off to a VERY weird start. At this point, the show transforms into a creepy fantasy world filled with Bill's monster friends. Mabel gets kidnapped and trapped in a dream bubble, and Dipper and Wendy team up to save her. Everything about the episode is a bit haunting. Can we just talk about the Horrifying Sweaty One-Armed Monstrosity?
9. "Headhunters" (Season 1, Episode 3)
1 word. "Duck-tective." This is the first episode of Gravity Falls featuring the glorious show within a show about a duck private eye, and for that reason alone it deserves a spot near the top of the list. When Grunkle Stan's new figure at the wax museum is decapitated, Mabel and Dipper seek out the criminal who did it and soon find that the wax figures are alive. Wax Sherlock Holmes is our personal fave.
8. "Northwest Mansion Mystery" (Season 2, Episode 10)
Up until now, Pacifica Northwest had always seemed like kind of a snob, but this episode made us seriously ship Pacifica and Dipper. Finally, we realize that Pacifica isn't as cold as she seems, and she's only that way because of her snooty parents. We also get to see some very creepy scenes from the lumberjack ghost who curse's Pacifica's party, but the best moments may be Grenda's romance with the Austrian baron that Mabel and Candy fail to woo.
7. "Scary-oke" (Season 2, Episode 1)
"Scary-oke" proved that the stakes would be a LOT higher in season 2 of Gravity Falls. Government agents start investigating the town for paranormal clues and Stan starts acting more and more mysterious. In the middle of it all, Dipper accidentally summons a zombie outbreak, and we find out that Stan can kick a LOT of butt when he has to, and that karaoke can take down zombies. "Taking Over Midnight" by &ndra (pronounced Ampersandra) is our jam.
6. "Dreamscaperers" (Season 1, Episode 19)
"Dreamscaperers" introduced Bill Cipher, one of the creepiest and most mysterious villains we've seen on TV. He's a dream demon who can invade you mind in your sleep, turning your nightmares and memories against you, and using your mind to turn you against the people you care about. We TOLD you he was creepy! This was also the first episode ending in a "To Be Continued," meaning even more of the evil Bill was left to come.
5. "Double Dipper" (Season 1, Episode 7)
Grunkle Stan is throwing a weekend party, and Dipper knows Wendy will be there, so he sets a strict set of guidelines on exactly what to say and do to impress her. Soon, Dipper learns that Stan's copy machine can make copies of ANYTHING, so he makes a bunch of copies of himself to get the night exactly right. But when Dipper tries to deviate from his plan, the paper Dippers will do anything to stick to the script. This is also the episode where Mabel meets her Gravity Falls besties Grenda and Candy, and they make literally everything better.
4. "Soos and the Real Girl" (Season 2, Episode 5)
Soos starts playing a Japanese dating simulator when he has trouble finding a real date for his cousin's engagement party. Soos gets close to the fictional .GIFfany (or is it pronounced .JIFfany?), but when he befriends a real-life girl, .GIFfany gets jealous and tries to escape the game to put a stop to the relationship. We didn't know that such an adorable and harmless looking character could be SO evil.
3. "Blendin's Game" (Season 2, Episode 8)
There's nothing better than the setup for "Blendin's Game." Blendin has escaped from the Infinitentiary in the year 207̃012 to challenge Mabel and Dipper to a gladiator-style match called Globnar. As Mabel and Dipper try to avoid their fate, they go back in time to Soos's childhood and learn that he hates his birthday because of his absent father's empty promises to visit. Mabel and Dipper take up the Globnar challenge and win, giving their prize, an invaluable time wish, to Soos instead of taking it for themselves. The episode explores what it really means to be family. Plus, Soos uses his wish on an infinite slice of pizza, which was definitely the right choice.
2. "Not What He Seems" (Season 2, Episode 11)
EVERYTHING comes together in this episode! Gravity Falls experiences bursts of zero gravity, and the government agents suspect that Grunkle Stan is responsible. When they present the evidence against Stan to Dipper and Mabel, they have to reconsider whether they trust him. The final moments are gut-wrenching, with Mabel forced to decide whether she believes Stan at the risk of her own life. As a viewer, you have to seriously think about whether YOU trust Stan. And when the dust settles, we finally meet the author of the journals, Stan's twin brother. MIND. BLOWN.
1. "Weirdmageddon 2: Escape From Reality" (Season 2, Episode 19)
"Weirdmageddon 2" mostly takes place inside of Mabel's Prison Bubble, where Bill Cipher has made it so that all of her wildest dreams are reality. After all of the terror of the first Weirdmageddon episode, Mabel's fantasies are all kitties and rainbows and waffles. Mabel wants to stay in her dream forever, where she'll never have to grow up, but Dipper convinces her to fight for reality, because Mabel and Dipper will be there for each other until the very end. Plus, the episode sets us up for one HUGE finale…
If you made it all the way to the bottom of this list, you MUST take THIS QUIZ to find out which Gravity Falls character you are!