On just forty episodes, Gravity Falls has proven itself as an animated series that pushes the norm on Disney Channel in terms of storytelling, thought-shaping and world-building. With its array of memorable characters, its episode is laden with intrigue about the supernatural secrets of the titular town, leading up to an Armageddon-centered finale.
With that, here are the ten best episodes of the show, according to their IMDb rating. While opinions vary from each viewer, their commonality is their supernatural stakes.
And disclaimer, the episode “Weirdmageddon 4: Somewhere in the Woods” will not be included for technicality sake.
Spoilers ahead!
Society of the Blind Eye (9.2)
In this Season 2 episode, wanting to retrace the author of the Journal 3, Dipper and Mabel, along with Wendy and Soos, track down Old Man McGucket to investigate. However, their search takes a drastic turn when the team discover a hidden cult underneath Gravity Falls that zaps people’s memories of the supernatural occurrences within the town.
A stark portrayal of cults, “Society of the Blind Eye” is a leap forward of the series’ main arc of Grunkle Stan’s hidden plot and the resurrection of the Pines twins’ formidable foe.
Northwest Mansion Mystery (9.2)
In terms of fan reception, this is a favorite, thanks to the character development of Pacifica Northwest. Here, Dipper and the gang are invited to the Northwest’s party at their manor. While Mabel, Candy and Grenda try to gain attention of one boy, Dipper and Pacifica investigate the haunted tremors that rock the manor. And diving in, they discover a horrible secret that leads Pacifica to take a drastic turn.
The twist here is incredibly profound and socially relevant. And surprisingly, Dipper and Pacifica’s tandem pay off with romantic hints.
Gideon Rises (9.3)
As the first season finale, the Gideon rivalry culminates in an epic way. In a glorious attempt to overthrow the Mystery Shack, the young malevolent rival steals the deed of the Shack from Grunkle Stan, causing the gang to move to Soos’ grandmother. With Stan nearly giving up, the twins take a final stand against Lil’ Gideon.
While the latter character is an intentionally hateable character that gets under the skin, he is largely entertaining as a never-say-die antagonist. And the Pines twins’ showdown against the Gideon-bot is a riot.
Into the Bunker (9.3)
After deciphering parts of the journal, Dipper leads the gang to the supposed author’s hidden bunker and ends up finding an evil shapeshifter. As a truth-revealing episode, it is an interesting one that involves the gang delving to the mystery further on its roots. The encounter with various creatures in the bunker gives an Alien-meets-Goosebumps vibe. And the encounter with the shapeshifter is a deliriously frightening one.
More than that, it is a genuine character moment for Dipper to admit his feelings for Wendy, which she sympathizes over their experience.
Weirdmageddon 2: Escape from Reality (9.3)
The second part of the epic series finale, after a series of obstacles that catapulted the town to Weirdmageddon, Dipper, Soos and Wendy infiltrate Mabel’s reality bubble where they see her in a different zen and an elaborate world that is derived from her own “reality”.
This is the loosest of the Weirdmageddon episodes since it allows more creativity and fun in the fantasy parts of Mabel’s world and the chase scenes. And the reality bubble concept is a clever one to watch, seeing different formats pop in the screen.
Dipper & Mabel vs. the Future (9.4)
The most crucial character piece before Weirdmageddon, while Mabel is excitedly preparing for her and Dipper’s 13th birthday party, Dipper and Uncle Ford encounter a crash site of giant UFO that provides the technology that Ford used to construct the dimensional portal. Their journey leads for Ford to see Dipper’s true potential and for Mabel to despondently accept the twins growing up and growing apart. Bill Cipher finds this helpful to make himself enter the world.
This is truly Mabel’s episode as she tries to grasp the reality of growing pains and Dipper nearly drifting away from her. Truly poignant.
Weirdmageddon: Part 1 (9.5)
Speaking of Weirdmageddon, this is the start of the fate of the world. With Bil Cipher being released to the physical world, he releases his allies from their respective dimensions and unleashes every creature to wreak havoc around Gravity Falls. Meanwhile, Dipper and Wendy try to rescue Mabel from her prison bubble while they are pursued by Lil’ Gideon in a homage to Mad Max: Fury Road.
Gloriously entertaining and gratifying, Weirdmageddon throws the series’ world-building in a single table of elaborate set pieces. This is summed up in an alternative opening that features Bill Cipher’s version of the town.
A Tale of Two Stans (9.6)
The whole truth about Grunkle Stan has been revealed in this episode that is one part flashback and one part aftermath of the last episode. Stan finally confesses that he is actually Stanley Pines, and his brother is Stanford, who was sucked in the dimension where Bill Cipher is. And Stanford was the original author of the journals.
While the present-day scenes are excellent as usual with the twins reeling the deep truth, the flashback scenes are genuinely poignant as it started with a sweet childhood scene, then segues to a compatible Stanford trying to deal with a reckless Stanley.
Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls (9.7)
The last part of the “Weirdmageddon” saga and the last episode of the series, everything about the show culminates in this thrilling episode. The surviving residents of Gravity Falls who are not petrified by Bill Cipher gang up to reclaim the town with their own mecha contraption. And Dipper and Mabel, along with closest allies, cooperate in thwarting Bill Cipher’s supernatural havoc, even in most necessary of sacrifices.
Alex Hirsch throws everything he has in mind in this engaging series culmination, with characters teaming up, coming back and battling the fate of the town. The world of Gravity Falls leads to this, with Dipper and Mabel affirming their real destinies.
Not What He Seems (9.8)
And the best episode, by unanimous choice from fans and audiences, is really “Not What He Seems”. This one is hard-hitter as it revealed a dimmer side of Grunkle Stan, even with his conning and money-hungry schemes. When Stan was taken into government custody, the twins discovered the portal’s ticking timebomb and must figure out a way to deal with it and an untrusting Stan, who escaped eventually, and a ticking clock.
The true heart of the episode is on the character development of the twins as Dipper places his misgivings on Grunkle Stan’s character and Mabel finds herself in a crucial position of trust. That culminates in a powerful image of Mabel deciding to trust her “Grunkle”, even in the probable cost of her life. Of all the emotional investments that Mabel placed herself, this is the most powerful.