Gravity Falls (season 1)

The first season of the American animated television series Gravity Falls consisted of 20 episodes on the Disney Channel, and aired from June 15, 2012 to August 2, 2013.

Gravity Falls
Season 1
Cover art for digital distribution (volumes 1 and 2 respectively)
Starring	Jason Ritter Kristen Schaal Alex Hirsch Linda Cardellini
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	Disney Channel
Original release	June 15, 2012 – August 2, 2013
Season chronology

Development

Concept

The season revolves around the various antics of two fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, who were handed over to their Great Uncle (or "Grunkle") Stan, who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack, in the town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. They soon realize that the town holds many secrets, and when Dipper obtains a book that he finds in the magical land he’s transported to, he and Mabel find their everyday life changes. Alongside them in their antics are Soos and Wendy Corduroy, who work for The Mystery Shack, the latter of whom Dipper has a crush on.

Prior to working on the series, series creator Alex Hirsch's primary inspiration growing up was the popular animated sitcom The Simpsons, where he observed that "animation could be funnier than live-action. That animation didn't have to just be for kids. That it could be satirical and observational and grounded in a sense of character interaction". Hirsch graduated from the California Institute of the Arts, and was hired to work as writer and storyboard artist for the Cartoon Network series The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, where he was paired up with Pendleton Ward, the creator of Adventure Time. Afterwards, he moved on to co-develop the Disney Channel animated series Fish Hooks, shortly before he pitched (and was subsequently green-lit) Gravity Falls.[1]

Production

Hirsch explained in an interview with The A.V. Club during production of season 1, that a typical episode is conceived in a room reserved for writers, where a simple synopsis is presented, and from then on dramatic structure is defined, and the plot is modified to include a character-driven subplot, which Hirsch expresses as "the hardest thing... to find a character story that actually uncovers, explores, or pushes tension – on something our characters care about – that is properly explored via the magic or monster or impossibility of the week."[1]

B- and A-stories are created, and are given to a writer to produce an outline, which is then subsequently checked-off by Hirsch for feedback. The writer produces a draft from these edits, where more notes may be given. Hirsch states that he and creative director Mike Rianda may personally create a draft for themselves before a final script is produced, in which the dialogue from the draft received from the writer is majorly revised; Hirsch states that the revising process "is not a discredit to our writers – it's just we have a very particular vision. In particular, I usually rewrite almost all of Dipper's dialogue and most of Mabel's dialogue, just because I have them in my head. Me and Mike will stay up for about 48 hours prior to the delivery of every script. We'll take the weekend, we'll work all night, we'll drink Red Bull, we'll sleep on the couch in shifts like maniacs, we'll slap each other in the face".[1]

A script is delivered, which then gets translated into a storyboard, where feedback is received from Hirsch to the board artists if a certain element, such as a gag, doesn't work. Afterwards, a pitch for the episode is given to the network, where they do a read-through, and then the episode is either checked out by the network, or retooled in the small amount of time allocated before an animation studio must receive something to work with.[1]

Cast

This season employs the likes of voice acting veteran Kevin Michael Richardson (left), who voices the character Sheriff Blubs, and has guest starred well-known figures, such as Larry King (right)

The main characters comprises the voices of Jason Ritter as Dipper and Kristen Schaal as Mabel, with series creator Alex Hirsch portraying Grunkle Stan and Soos, and Wendy Corduroy played by Linda Cardellini. Hirsch stated in an interview, tongue-in-cheek, on the role of Mabel that he "knew from the get-go that it's got to be [Schaal] or there's no show. I would've just stopped working. If we hadn't gotten her, I would have probably quit".[1]

Of the recurring characters comprises the voices of Dee Bradley Baker as Mabel's pet pig, Waddles, and Hirsch also playing Old Man McGucket, the "local kook" of the town. Kevin Michael Richardson plays Sheriff Blubs, with partner Deputy Durland being voiced by Keith Ferguson. Frank Welker voices Gompers, a goat who lives in the forest of Gravity Falls. Voice acting veteran John DiMaggio plays Manly Dan, a strong lumberjack and father of Wendy. Niki Yang plays Candy Chiu and Carl Faruolo plays Grenda, two of Mabel's best friends. Toby Determined, a journalist for Gravity Falls' Gossiper, is voiced by Gregg Turkington, and Will Forte plays Tyler the Cute Biker.

The series commissions various guest stars to voice characters who portray one-shot characters, or in some cases, cameos of themselves, as is the case in "Headhunters", where both Larry King and Coolio can be seen as wax sculptures of themselves.[1] Other voices include John Oliver, who plays a wax figure of Sherlock Holmes (also featured in "Headhunters"), Alfred Molina as Multi-Bear and Jennifer Coolidge as Lazy Suzan in the episode "Dipper vs. Manliness".[2] Justin Roiland plays a time traveler by the name of Blendin Blandin in "The Time Traveler's Pig". Brian Bloom is the voice of Rumble McSkirmish, a video game character featured in the episode "Fight Fighters".[3] Corey Burton voices an unnamed lawyer in "Little Dipper". Jeff Bennett plays the role of The Summerween Trickster in the episode "Summerween". Matt Chapman and Michael Rianda both voice Mermando and Mr. Poolcheck respectively, in the episode "The Deep End". Lance Bass voices the band consisting of clones, Sev'ral Timez, in the episode "Boyz Crazy"; Matt Chapman returns to voice some members of the band.[4] Greg Cipes and John Roberts voice Craz and Xyler, characters from the fictional film "Dream Boy High" in the episode "Dreamscaperers".

Broadcast

Internationally this was broadcast in Canada via Disney XD (Canada) with some numbering alterations reflecting the production codes: Headhunters (as Head Hunters) is counted 2[5] instead of 3 and The Inconveniencing is counted 3[5] instead of 5.

Episodes

• Production codes for this season start with the string 618G-1 (the first three numbers numerically represent the birth month and date of series creator Alex Hirsch), with the last two numbers representing the order the episodes were produced in, which may not represent the order in which they air.[6][7][8]
• Episode 19 has been released on different platforms under two names: "Dreamscaperers" and "Dreamscapers".[9]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	1	"Tourist Trapped"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch	June 15, 2012	101	3.40[10]
Two fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, arrive at the remote town of Gravity Falls to spend their summer break with their great uncle Stan, but a mysterious journal hidden in the forest found by Dipper reveals the town's strange and uncanny secrets to the duo, and Dipper tries to save Mabel from her strange new boyfriend who appears to be a zombie, but is actually something much stranger.
2	2	"The Legend of the Gobblewonker"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch & Michael Rianda	June 29, 2012	102	3.14[11]
Dipper, Mabel and Soos embark on a boating expedition to prove that a sea monster exists beneath, hoping to win a thousand dollars. Meanwhile, Stan, after being abandoned by Dipper and Mabel, tries to find fishing partners. Guest stars: Conrad Vernon as Tate McGucket, Will Friedle as Reginald
3	3	"Headhunters"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch & Aury Wallington	June 30, 2012	103	2.71[12]
Mabel sculpts a life-sized wax sculpture of Stan to add to his collection of wax museum figures, but when the wax figure's head goes missing, the twins are on the case. Guest stars: John Oliver as Wax Sherlock Holmes, Larry King as Wax Larry King, Coolio as Wax Coolio, Greg Ellis as Wax William Shakespeare
4	4	"The Hand That Rocks the Mabel"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch & Zach Paez	July 6, 2012	104	2.95[13]
Dipper and Mabel meet an intriguing new neighbor: a psychotic child fraud named Li'l Gideon. When Gideon begins obsessing over Mabel and tries to win her over, Dipper tries to stop him.
5	5	"The Inconveniencing"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Alex Hirsch & Michael Rianda	July 13, 2012	105	3.55[14]
Dipper attempts to woo Wendy by lying about his age. Hanging out with Wendy and her friends, the kids end up in an old, abandoned shop that is seemingly haunted. Guest stars: Ken Jenkins as Pa Duskerton, April Winchell as Ma Duskerton
6	6	"Dipper vs. Manliness"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Tim McKeon	July 20, 2012	106	3.14[15]
When Dipper wants to become more "manly", he wanders into the forest on an epic quest and meets a strange species that teach him the ways of their masculinity. Meanwhile, Mabel tries to get Stan to impress Lazy Susan. Guest star: Alfred Molina as The Multi-Bear
7	7	"Double Dipper"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Story by : Mitch Larson Teleplay by : Alex Hirsch, Tim McKeon & Michael Rianda	August 10, 2012	109	4.18[16]
Stan throws a party at the Mystery Shack; while Dipper produces clones of himself to help him impress Wendy and Mabel faces off against her new rival Pacifica Northwest in a karaoke battle.
8	8	"Irrational Treasure"	John Aoshima	Story by : David Slack Teleplay by : Alex Hirsch & Tim McKeon	August 17, 2012	108	3.87[17]
On the annual Pioneer Day at Gravity Falls, the kids discover that the town's founder was a fraud and a hoax, so they set out to expose the truth. However, when they do, Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland go after them to stop the secret from being revealed.
9	9	"The Time Traveler's Pig"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Alex Hirsch & Aury Wallington	August 24, 2012	107	4.14[18]
Dipper's wish comes true when he steals a Time Traveler's time machine to undo a mistake and win Wendy over, while Mabel accompanies him to keep on winning her pig, Waddles, until when Dipper finally undoes his mistake, Mabel loses her pig to her nemesis, Pacifica Northwest. Elsewhere, Stan rigs a dunk tank to scam the town. Guest star: Justin Roiland as Blendin Blandin
10	10	"Fight Fighters"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch & Zach Paez	September 14, 2012	110	2.94[19]
Dipper brings a video game character, Rumble McSkirmish, to life so he can fight Robbie, but when things go too far Dipper realises he needs to save Robbie. Meanwhile, Mabel tries to end Stan's fear of heights. Guest star: Brian Bloom as Rumble McSkirmish
11	11	"Little Dipper"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Alex Hirsch, Tim McKeon & Zach Paez	September 28, 2012	111	2.60[20]
Feeling insecure that Mabel is becoming the alpha twin, Dipper seeks a magical crystal to grow taller. But when Gideon finds the crystal, he uses it to shrink the kids and tries to use it on Stan to take over the Mystery Shack.
12	12	"Summerween"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch, Zach Paez & Michael Rianda	October 5, 2012	112	3.48[21]
The people of Gravity Falls love Halloween so much that they also celebrate it in summer, with jack-o'-melons and much trick-or-treating. Dipper and Mabel are excited to join in on the fun, but when Wendy casually mentions that trick-or-treating is for kids, Dipper's outlook on the evening changes. The night gets even more complicated when a monster that Dipper accidentally insulted makes them fulfill his candy quota by the night's end, or else he will eat them. Guest star: Jeff Bennett as The Summerween Trickster
13	13	"Boss Mabel"	John Aoshima	Story by : Tommy Reahard Teleplay by : Alex Hirsch & Tim McKeon	February 15, 2013	114	3.45[22]
Mabel bets Grunkle Stan that she will make more money at the Mystery Shack by treating people nicely than he does by being rude and cranky. He heads off to win a fortune on a TV game show, while she deals with lazy employees and a real monster captured by Dipper.
14	14	"Bottomless Pit!"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Alex Hirsch & Michael Rianda	March 1, 2013	115	3.10[23]
As the kids, Stan and Soos fall into a seemingly bottomless pit, they tell each other stories to pass time. Voice Over: Dipper takes a magical tonic to prevent his voice from ever cracking again. Soos' Really Great Pinball Story: When Soos and the twins try to cheat at pinball, they find themselves trapped in the machine. Trooth Ache: Mabel gives Grunkle Stan a set of truth-telling dentures to keep him from constantly lying.
15	15	"The Deep End"	Joe Pitt & Aaron Springer	Nancy Cohen	March 15, 2013	113	4.50[24]
Mabel befriends a cute merman trapped in the deep end of the public pool, and is determined to return him to his family in the ocean – even though that means her whirlwind of a romance will come to an end. Meanwhile, Dipper learns that Wendy is a lifeguard at the pool, so he decides that the best way to spend time with her is to volunteer. Elsewhere, it's all out war for the best lawn chair at the pool between Stan and Gideon.
16	16	"Carpet Diem"	Joe Pitt	Alex Hirsch, Tim McKeon & Zach Paez	April 5, 2013	117	3.36[25]
Soos discovers a hidden room inside the Mystery Shack, and Dipper is happy to claim it as his own independent space, but there is one problem – Mabel wants the room too. They both compete for Stan's approval to win the room as part of a contest that gets even trickier when the siblings switch bodies due to the room's mysterious shag rug.
17	17	"Boyz Crazy"	John Aoshima	Matt Chapman & Alex Hirsch	April 19, 2013	116	3.16[26]
When Mabel discovers that her favorite boy band is actually a bunch of imprisoned clones, she sets them free, only to decide on keeping them for herself. Meanwhile, Dipper thinks that Robbie has brainwashed Wendy using a secret message hidden in the lyrics of one of his songs. Guest star: Lance Bass as Sev'ral Timez
18	18	"Land Before Swine"	John Aoshima	Alex Hirsch & Tim McKeon	June 28, 2013	118	3.50[27]
A prehistoric pterosaur snatches Waddles after Grunkle Stan throws him outside, and Dipper, Mabel, Stan, Soos and Old Man McGucket go after the beast in order to save Waddles, while also working out friendship issues between each other.
19	19	"Dreamscaperers"	John Aoshima & Joe Pitt	Matt Chapman, Tim McKeon & Alex Hirsch	July 12, 2013	119	2.70[28]
The kids and Soos travel through Grunkle Stan's mind to defeat an ancient demon named Bill Cipher, summoned by Gideon to retrieve the code to Stan's safe in a ploy to get the Mystery Shack. Note: This is the first of a two-part season finale.
20	20	"Gideon Rises"	John Aoshima & Joe Pitt	Matt Chapman, Alex Hirsch & Michael Rianda	August 2, 2013	120	3.18[29]
After Gideon swindles the Mystery Shack away from Stan, everything in Gravity Falls appears to be even more west of weird – Dipper, Mabel and Grunkle Stan are forced to move in with Soos and his grandmother, while the town remains enamored with Gideon's charm. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan isn't certain he can take care of the twins, and is considering sending them back home. Thus, the kids get on a bus to leave Gravity Falls; but a giant robot with Gideon inside starts chasing after them because he thinks Dipper has Journal 1. However, the twins defeat Gideon and win back their home. Grunkle Stan exposes him as a fraud, which causes him to go to jail. At the end of the episode, Grunkle Stan has started the activating sequence for the portal in the shack basement after he collected all 3 journals. Note: This is the second and last part of a two-part season finale.

Ratings

The season received wide acclaim from critics.

Review grades

No.	Title	Air date	The A.V. Club (A-F)
1	"Tourist Trapped"	June 15, 2012	B+
2	"The Legend of the Gobblewonker"	June 29, 2012	B+
3	"Headhunters"	June 30, 2012	B
4	"The Hand That Rocks the Mabel"	July 6, 2012	A-
5	"The Inconveniencing"	July 13, 2012	A
6	"Dipper vs. Manliness"	July 20, 2012	B+
7	"Double Dipper"	August 10, 2012	A-
8	"Irrational Treasure"	August 17, 2012	A-
9	"The Time Traveler's Pig"	August 24, 2012	B+
10	"Fight Fighters"	September 14, 2012	B
11	"Little Dipper"	September 28, 2012	A-
12	"Summerween"	October 5, 2012	A-
13	"Boss Mabel"	February 15, 2013	B+
14	"Bottomless Pit!"	March 1, 2013	A-
15	"The Deep End"	March 15, 2013	B
16	"Carpet Diem"	April 5, 2013	B
17	"Boyz Crazy"	April 19, 2013	B+
18	"Land Before Swine"	June 28, 2013	A-
19	"Dreamscaperers"	July 12, 2013	A-
20	"Gideon Rises"	August 2, 2013	A

References

1. Adams, Erik (September 28, 2012). "Comedy Showrunners Week: Alex Hirsch on the real in the unreal of Gravity Falls". A.V. Club. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
2. Wilkins, Alasdair (September 21, 2012). "Dipper Vs. Manliness – Gravity Falls". A.V. Club. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
3. Goldman, Eric (September 14, 2012). "Gravity Falls' Big Video Game Episode". IGN. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
4. West, Abby (April 16, 2013). "Lance Bass does boy bands proud on Gravity Falls". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
5. "Gravity Falls". RogersOnDemand.Com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Season 1
   EP 3 The Inconveniencing Aired on 11/03/12
   EP 4 The Hand That Rocks The Mabel Aired on 10/27/12
   EP 2 Head Hunters Aired on 10/20/12
6. "Gravity Falls on Disney Channel". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
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