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"Little Dipper"[1] is the 11th episode of the first season of Gravity Falls. It premiered on September 28, 2012 on Disney Channel.[1]
Official overview
Dipper feels self-conscious that Mabel is taller than him and is becoming the alpha twin, so he seeks out a magic way to grow himself the same height as her. Meanwhile, Li'l Gideon takes advantage of Dipper's and Mabel's height discrepancies.[1]
Synopsis
Gideon pops out of the check.
The episode begins with Gideon in his room, plotting revenge against the Pines family. As he considers various schemes—such as summoning demon caterpillars and causing blood rain—he ultimately decides that taking control of the Mystery Shack is his best option.
A man arrives at the Shack's front door. Stan, mistaking him for a tax collector, frantically hides his money. However, the man announces that Stan has won ten million dollars, with the condition that he must sign a contract to claim it. Stan seemingly agrees, but Gideon suddenly reveals himself by tearing through the massive check. He explains that the contract was actually a trick to get Stan to sign over the deed to the Shack. However, instead of signing his name, Stan had written an insult directed at Gideon, foiling his plan. Furious, Gideon vows revenge on the Pines family, though his threats lack intimidation due to his height.
Dipper gets a crystal.
Later, Dipper and Mabel are playing chess when Soos asks Mabel to retrieve a brain in a jar from a high shelf. When Dipper questions why Soos chose Mabel over him, Soos explains that Mabel is taller. Dipper denies it, prompting Soos to measure them—revealing that Mabel is taller by a mere millimeter. Mabel and Stan tease Dipper about his height, and he storms off to his room.
Flipping through Journal 3, Dipper discovers the existence of height-altering crystals in the forest and sets out to investigate. He finds several crystals that emit pink and blue light—the pink light causes things to shrink, while the blue light makes them grow. Dipper fastens a crystal to his flashlight and tests it, successfully enlarging and shrinking a chess piece. Pleased with his invention, he uses it to grow a millimeter taller than Mabel.
Gideon shrinks the twins.
However, Mabel insists that she'll still end up taller, leading Dipper to zap himself again. Suspicious, Mabel wonders if Dipper has a wizard hidden in his closet. After repeatedly denying it, Dipper finally admits to using the flashlight, which Mabel immediately wants to try. Meanwhile, Gideon arrives at the Shack with cursed Egyptian super termites, intending to destroy the building, but Stan knocks over the jar, causing the termites to attack Gideon instead.
Back inside, Mabel and Dipper fight over the flashlight, which falls into Gideon's hands. When Mabel inadvertently reveals its function, Gideon shrinks the twins and traps them in an empty jar, taking them back to his house.
Gideon interrogating Dipper.
In his room, Gideon places Mabel inside a bag of Gummy Koalas, which she eagerly starts eating. He then interrogates Dipper about where he learned about the crystal, but Dipper responds by blasting an air horn in Gideon’s ear. Enraged, Gideon nearly crushes Dipper but instead decides to use the twins for his next plan.
At the Shack, Soos and Stan finish setting up the new Maze of Mirrors attraction when the phone rings. Stan answers, leaving his fez behind, which Soos playfully puts on. On the line, Gideon threatens to harm Dipper and Mabel unless the deed to the Shack is signed over. Stan refuses, prompting Gideon to head to the Shack, armed with the magic flashlight, intending to shrink Stan and claim the Shack for himself.
The twins escape.
Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel escape using strands of hair from a brush as a rope and ride a balloon back to the Shack. There, Mabel distracts Gideon by messing up his hair with a gummy koala while preparing to enlarge Dipper. However, the twins begin arguing about their height difference again, allowing Gideon to recapture them. He then shrinks what he believes to be Stan, but it turns out to be Soos, who had been wearing Stan's fez.
When Soos inadvertently reveals Stan's location, Gideon places the jar containing the trio into his shirt pocket and heads for the Maze of Mirrors. Inside, Dipper asks Mabel why she kept teasing him, and she admits that since Dipper tends to beat her at everything, she just wanted to win at something for once. They quickly reconcile and escape the pocket.
Gideon corners Stan.
The trio climbs up Gideon's jacket and along his neck, though Soos is knocked off. Gideon, unable to find Stan, starts smashing mirrors to draw him out. Suddenly, Stan appears, demanding $500 for each broken mirror. Seizing the moment, Dipper and Mabel tunnel under Gideon's shirt and tickle his armpits, making him laugh uncontrollably. Unable to fight back, Gideon is easily rolled out of the Shack by Stan.
Gideon plots again.
Back to their normal size, Dipper and Mabel destroy the crystal by stomping on it, but the shattered pieces spell out "HELP SOOS." Realizing that Soos is still shrunken, they attempt to glue the crystal back together to restore him.
Later, at Gideon's house, he paces in frustration. His father, Bud, reassures him that he'll get his revenge someday. However, Gideon angrily insists that it's not just about revenge—he wants the Shack itself because there is a hidden secret inside, and he will stop at nothing to uncover it. As he laughs maniacally, Bud feeds him ice cream.
In the credits scene, another person arrives at the Shack, claiming that Stan has won ten million dollars. Stan, unimpressed, slams the door shut. The money is then offered to Old Man McGucket, who proceeds to eat the oversized check.
Credits
- Written by:
- Directed by:
- Storyboards by:
- With the Voice Talents of:
- Additional Voices:
- Corey Burton as Lawyer
- Jennifer Coolidge
- Alex Hirsch as Old Man McGucket and TV Announcer
- Casting by:
Production notes
- See also: List of allusions and List of goofs.
Character revelations
- Dipper is a millimeter shorter than Mabel.
- Stan isn't familiar with texting.
- Old Man McGucket's full name is revealed to be Fiddleford H. McGucket.
- Bud Gleeful is a used car salesman.
- Mrs. Gleeful is disturbed and traumatized.
- Gideon is extremely ticklish and hates being tickled.
- Soos wants to eventually wear Stan's fez and take over the Mystery Shack.
Series continuity
- The model of the Mystery Shack made of popsicle sticks and the dolls of Mabel, Stan, and Dipper that Gideon created in "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" reappears.
- The painting that Stan stole from the Gleeful household in "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" is still missing, leaving a mark on the wall.
- Gideon mentions the Mystery Shack housing a powerful secret, a reference to his belief that Journal 1 is buried somewhere on the property, as revealed in "Gideon Rises."
- Soos dream of owning the Mystery Shack and wearing Stan's fez comes true at the end of "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls."
Trivia
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 2.599 million viewers on its premiere night, which is the lowest of Season 1.[2]
- The episode's name might be a reference to the constellation "Little Dipper," internationally known as Ursa Minor.
- This episode marks the mid-season finale of Season 1.
- During the scene where Dipper and Mabel are playing chess, the game board is resting on the skeleton of the "something that doesn't exist" from the Phineas and Ferb opening.
- After Mabel throws and breaks the crystal on the ground, when they realize they forgot to bring back Soos to normal height, the broken crystals behind him spell out 'HELP SOOS'.
- Within the closet contain Alex Hirsch's signature plaid shirt.
- This is the first appearance of Gideon's mother and Bud's wife, Mrs. Gleeful.
- Gideon claims he will text Stan a picture, despite not having a phone that appears to be capable of texting.
Cryptogram
- During the end credits, there was a cryptogram that read "GSV RMERHRYOV DRAZIW RH DZGXSRMT." Once decoded, it reads "THE INVISIBLE WIZARD IS WATCHING."
Gallery
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sept ep premieres (August 14, 2012). Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved on November 14, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2012). Friday Cable Ratings: 'WWE Smackdown' Wins Night, 'For Better or Worse,', 'Diners Drive Ins & Dives', College Football, 'Yukon Men', 'House Hunters' & More. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved on November 14, 2020.