It’s time to take back the Falls! [Gravity Falls series finale review]

Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for the full episode.

Nobody could have guessed Gravity Falls would reel fans into its strange and mysterious world as easily as it did with its quirky humor, hidden ciphers, and lovable cast back in 2012. It was an instant hit among viewers and found itself revered by fans around the world. We laughed when Dipper did the Lamby Lamby Dance to save his friends in “The Inconveniencing”, we fell in love with Waddles as much as Mabel did in “The Time Traveler’s Pig”, and we freaked out when it was revealed that Stan had a twin brother in “Not What He Seems”, but nothing could compare to what “Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls” had in store for fans this past Monday.

“Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls” was nothing I could have ever imagined from an hour-long series finale and it blew me away the entire time. The finale did not lack in action as Dipper and Mabel stormed Bill Cipher’s floating pyramid fortress with their friends and a mechanized battle-ready Mystery Shack in order to save the townsfolk of Gravity Falls and their great uncle Ford. Along with the action, there was plenty of humor to keep the episode from falling too deep into itself like when Soos has McGucket watch mecha anime to make a robot design for the Mystery Shack, or when Larry King’s disembodied wax head made his random appearances.

The episode reached its climax with the Pines family having a showdown with Bill Cipher and it did not disappoint. The animation was stunning as Bill transformed into various forms to take on the Mystery Twins. Every action scene was perfectly paced as Dipper and Mabel ran through the maze of Bill’s Fearamid, and not to mention the amazing soundtrack matching all of the action going on.

The most poignant event of the entire finale also served as Grunkle Stan’s greatest moment when he traded places with Ford to put an end to Bill’s Weirdmageddon. Tears welled up in my eyes as Stan sacrificed his own mind, if it meant taking Bill with him in order to protect his family. The image of Stan kneeling in the forest clearing with no recollection of who he was, how he had saved Gravity Falls, and what Dipper, Mabel, and Ford meant to him was almost too much to bear. It was beautiful and tragic, something I never imagined could have happened in a series that started out in such a lighthearted manner. The moments following when Stan regained his memory were just as beautiful and emotional as the tragedy before it.

Even the ending itself left me feeling choked up as Dipper and Mabel said goodbye to Gravity Falls and got onto the bus back to California.

While this finale felt perfect, I was also left with this feeling that more could have been done to close out the series. Many characters from throughout the show appeared in the finale but it felt as though their roles were underutilized, especially when it came to the characters that were meant to represent the symbols in the zodiac circle that Ford discovered was the key to defeating Bill. Characters like Pacifica and Robbie are brought together to fill a quota rather than coming together on their own as a group who had gotten to know each other over the summer and through the struggles of surviving a cataclysmic event. Even worse, there was little fulfillment with the prophecy of zodiac circle being used to take down Bill as it was cast aside in lieu of the Pines family being the ones to stop bill once and for all.

Those are minor issues for an overall fantastic ending, though, and the root of my complaints stemmed from my strong desire to not want to see Gravity Falls end. I fell in love with characters like Soos, Wendy, McGucket, and Pacifica and wanted to see more of their character growth. I wanted more crazy adventures with Dipper and Mabel as they discovered new supernatural phenomenon that they had to survive against, more of Grunkle Stan’s insane schemes to con tourists, and more laughs and tears.

A part of me that wished that summer could have lasted forever in Gravity Falls, but I honestly cannot imagine the series ending any other way. Alex Hirsch created a masterpiece with Gravity Falls and ended it in a way that would satisfy everybody who watched it while also leaving just enough mysteries unanswered that fans could continue deciphering and debating for years to come.

What else could anybody truly ask for?

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All reviews are personal opinions and may not reflect the attitudes of other writers for DisneyExaminer.com unless stated otherwise.

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