What the HECK!? Gravity Falls 2x16 Episode 16: Roadside Attraction Reaction

Get access to early, full, unedited reactions, a private discord server, hand written postcards and so much more here:
/ moscomoon
Click "Join" to become a member of the Hamish Coven and get access to cool badges and emojis in the comments / Livechats!
Don't forget to subscribe and like the video and follow me on my socials for more:
Other channel: Wee Scottish Lass
Twitter: WeeLassReacts
Instagram: Wee_Scottish_Lass
Music: www.purple-pla...
Sound Effects: freesfx.co.uk/

[@jaxcraft2848]

This episode was meant to take place before "Northwest Mansion Mystery" but airred after "The Last Mabelcorn". That's why they're going on a road trip after they put a barrier around the shack.

[@jaysea3690]

Was it a production issue then that meant it came out later?

[@jaxcraft2848]

@@jaysea3690 I don't know. But I think the commentary version of this episode says why.

[@Omniscient87]

That makes so much sense

[@jucathedog]

It also explains why Ford isn't even mentioned on this episode Also, couldn't they fix this problem on Disney plus? I mean, when I saw that they mixed jimmy neutron's season 4 episodes on HBO max, I thought that they could change the order of the episodes when they put on streaming

[@reneevandyck7017]

One of the codes reads: Carla Mccorkle returned all his flowers, Marilyn divorced him after only 6 hours. Beatrice slapped him for being a cad, old goldie's the best girlfriend Stan ever had. Which is kinda sad. (not part of the code but true) Also, remember Marilyn. I think you'll find her significance very interesting.

[@AceOfSerberit]

The "don't move" tip is for when you're stuck in the wilderness, so you can't just find other people. If you move around too much when you don't know where you're going. You risk evading the search party by, for example, moving into an area they had already searched and written off as you not being there. Not to mention you would tire yourself out

[@aramyengoyan.7325]

To be fair while it's not a wall maze and you can pass through the field it might still be difficult not to walk in circles when everywhere looks the same, unless you're leaving traces?? Idk my 2 cents

[@Gemini-Lion]

Also, you’re likely to go deeper into the area, rendering yourself even more lost than you previously were.

[@randomchannel1184]

Hope you enjoyed the last “chill” episode. It’s all plot from now on.

[@Mirthful_Panda]

Or calm before the storm

[@SammyOmane]

Pretty Much!👍🏾

[@baileycox6847]

I love how the Scottish word for sweats is sloggies. That’s amazing

[@WeeLassReacts]

I dont thinm everyone in Scotland uses it, speaking to my work colleagues it defo feels like a West Lothian thing LOL

[@Omniscient87]

In the DVD commentary for Land Before Swine, Alex (in character as Stan) describes Stan's Ex thus: "You know I was actually married for less than a day. Vegas situation. Reached for the same slot machine handle and it was love at first sight. Marilyn, had hair like an air line stewardess and a neon pink shirt that said "Over 30 and Very Flirty". Man, I was like putty in her hands. You should've seen the way she threw dice. One time right at my head. Turns out she only married me to distract me while she stole my car and all my winnings. So I guess her name was fake, and her hair was fake. But you know, the love was real. She really was the one that got away. Like, literally, it was a proper getaway. She was chased by cop cars for about a mile out of Vegas before ducking out the door and into a canyon and making off with all my loot. Sometimes I still think of her. That pale bingo hall skin. That one weirdly sharp tooth. Sorry I'm getting nostalgic. " Also fun fact: Eda's human alias (revealed in Yesterday's Lie) is Marilyn.

[@abthedragon4921]

"This is a lot for a kids animated TV show" Gravity Falls in a nutshell

[@ToxicBanana]

Hamish in that bi-flag is such a vibe

[@Veralos]

Guess that makes him a Bi-land cow.

[@BillCipherMuse]

I think that's just a scarf

[@SebastianWeinberg]

The code in the credits decodes to: *"Soos, like a noble golden retriever, eventually found his way homeward, and befriended a talking bulldog and sassy cat along the way."* A reference to a certain movie. The code on the journal page translates to: *_Carla McCorkle returned all his flowers,_* *_Marilyn divorced him after only six hours,_* *_Beatrice slapped him for being a cad,_* *_Old Goldie's the best girlfriend Stan ever had._* "Old Goldie" being a reference back to _Soos and the Real Girl._ Similarly, "Carla McCorkle" was mentioned in _Boyz Crazy_ in Season 1. Far more interesting, though, is the reference to "Marilyn", who never appeared or was mentioned on-screen, but only in the peripheral lore of the show. Released background art from the Season 1 finale (specifically _Dreamscaperers)_ showed that Stan's subconscious mind was supposed to contain a coded graffiti message that translated to "Curse you, Marilyn!", but it was cut. And then, when the DVD collection came out, the episode _Land Before Swine_ had an additional "commentary" track, narrated by Grunkle Stan in character, and one of his tangential rambles is all about Marilyn, his wife of six hours, the proverbial "one that got away". As in, she made an _actual_ getaway, stealing his car and his Las Vegas winnings, pursued by the cops. In his description of this mature but very vivacious woman ("Over thirty and very flirty" her T-Shirt said), one particular thing stood out to many people: *"…that one, weirdly sharp tooth."* _Remind you of anyone?_

[@DuckyMapping]

I think the bulldog could be a reference to Dreamscaperers as well with how Soos had a nightmare about a talking british bulldog

[@tritiumH3]

Tourist traps are a pretty American thing. I think the nearest European equivalent would be those miniature villages I remember all over the place. The Mystery Shack always struck me as being based on the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, California.

[@gryphonvert]

It's kind of a combination of the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery in southern Oregon, and Confusion Hill in northern California. If there's one place it most closely resembles (in terms of the surroundings), it would be Confusion Hill (which sits amongst all these giant redwoods, just like the Shack does). (And Confusion Hill is the place that has question marks all over, like the Shack.) But Alex Hirsch wasn't basing it super specifically on any one. (None of those tourist traps involve the kind of wacky taxidermy creations that are the centerpiece of Stan's operation.)

[@mrpalaces]

Luckily for myself, I don't blush (or I'd be doing it constantly), but I also shared deeply the second hand embarrasment wheb Dipper was caught

[@WeeLassReacts]

I blush SO badly *sobs*

[@thebluecloak7273]

One fun fact, a lot of these tourist places are based on Real Oregon tourist destinations, the Large Lumberjack especially! Thank you for these, love your work!

[@MichelleK.B.]

The Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues are actually In Klamath, California just a short drive south of the Oregon border

[@AnimeMe40]

The basic gist is that it was highly encouraged that you travel by car and even make vacations out of it. So many States started making “Tourist Traps” to break the distance apart and profit. In my home town there was a whale themed pond playground… it is no longer in service.

[@brinnshea]

Not a tourist attraction but that whale themed pond you mentioned made me think of Conny The Whale, a hollow statue at the Children's Museum here in Connecticut. Poor Conny was dismantled this year after being there for decades, but at least they saved the tail.

[@alexandruulesan7009]

The upside down grafitti on the Shack at the end was a nice touch

[@SilverScribe85]

Grenda and Mabel's reaction to Candi having a crush on Dipper...that was US, after we found out Elijah was crushing on you, Mos

[@DrSuperLuigiSeth1]

That is…adorable.

[@SilverScribe85]

@@DrSuperLuigiSeth1 And fitting, don't you think

[@f1nger605]

As the American highway system started to connect the cities separated by vast, vast, countryside, many small towns that weren't tourist destinations themselves started coming up with reasons for people to stop there. So a lot of these kinds of gimmicky tourist trap places started popping up. Some are giant balls of twine, some are little oddity museums like the Mystery Shack. There are so many that all of the places in this episode make sense even if they aren't references to anything specific.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

I've often heard this described as the worst episode of Gravity Falls ever, and I think that's solely due to it's placement this late in the season. If it had come out right after "Into the Bunker" like it was supposed to, I think it would've been much better received, and not messed with the flow of the show's overall narrative. Because by itself, it's actually pretty decent, save for the Dipper and Candy pairing which comes right out of nowhere and is never brought up again.

[@xmant8842]

I was so confused before learning it was supposed to happen earlier. Because I was like "What the heck dipper? What about you and Pacifica?"

[@athara_hani]

I personaly dont think it was bad I think is actualy a good Quick break before the big finale I just dont like it cuz aracnofobia

[@dracoangelrojo]

Eh, to be fair, the issue isn't just the placement: the fact that Ford isn't even mentioned and that the entire family leaves after protecting the Shack feels completely absurd, and honestly, this episode wrecks of double standard all the way through, with Mabel and the girls attacking him and villanizing him over stuff they have been doing ALL the way through the summer, when Dipper didn't even come close to that, it was just having memories of Wendy and talking friendly to other girls.

[@siili6432]

@@dracoangelrojoYes well most of these things are things that would have been handled with it being right after into the bunker. Sorry for my bad spelling

[@dracoangelrojo]

@@siili6432 The placement and Ford's dissappearance, yes, absolutely, but the double standard of the narrative would still be there.

[@CasuKaga]

i just started watching your gravity falls reactions yesterday because they popped up in my recommended. after watching your first episode, i opened up your gravity falls playlist, scrolled down to see only up to s2e16, and went "oh where's the rest of the season? was it a copyright strike? [slowly looks down to see "5 days ago"] OH WAIT SHE'S STILL GOING-" LMAO. you're such a joy to watch and i've so enjoyed seeing you put together all the clues as you go through the season!! i look forward to your future reactions and i'll def be sticking around to watch your other ones! ;')

[@MacTechG4]

The reason that the spider-lady was so angry with Grunkle Stan is because she’s one of his many ex-wives, he didn’t just marry Eda Clawthorne…

[@tenmark7055]

Roadside attractions used to be a thing, esp in the midwestern & western US... not so much anymore. I remember The World's largest ball of Twine and also the Worlds largest ball of string (not twine!). Not sure they still exist. Mostly they were roadside museums dedicated to famously obscure outlaws & people. Anything to get travelers to stop, pull off the road and spend a few bucks

[@gryphonvert]

Oh, a lot of them still absolutely exist! It's just that, yeah, most of them were created when the roads they were on were the major routes to travel around the U.S. After the interstate system was built, a lot of traffic switched over to that, which didn't give people the chance to actually SEE these roadside attractions and get curious enough to stop there. But places that were big and popular enough put up billboards to advertise themselves. And they kind of stayed talked-about enough in the popular culture that some people will always make a point to seek them out. It's just a different model of business these days. Not "let's be outlandish and pique people's curiosity, that will get them to stop and spend money!", but just, "if we're strange enough, word will spread, and people will want to come here". In 2017, I made a trip to see the full lunar eclipse in Salem, OR, and took 2 weeks before that to drive north from San Francisco and stop at as many tourist traps as I could. I stopped at Confusion Hill (on the *actual* Redwood Highway in northern California), The Trees of Mystery in Klamath, CA (which Mystery Mountain in this episode is based very deliberately on), Prehistoric Gardens, and The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery. And there were definitely places we passed, but didn't stop at, especially in California. When I'm traveling somewhere by car, I will definitely check to see if there are any neat, kitschy tourist traps on the route.

[@tenmark7055]

@@gryphonvert Yep, my parents & I took a couple of long, long trips in the late 50's & early 60's and often there was pretty much nothing on long stretches of road except for the 2 headed snake farm (the snake was dead) and the worlds largest yam (in the sun too long).. As the empty stretches filled up with strip malls many of these wonders disappeared... but if you know where to look... :)

[@theknightwithabadpictotall7639]

Ah yes, the episode where Dipper went from no rizz to too much rizz

[@jakobnunez4964]

Honestly imo dipper didn't do anything wrong he never said he was asking them out or anything.

[@maxthorn7308]

Absolutely. He didn't even ask them for their information, they pushed it on him (not that he minded), and then acted as though that meant he exclusively belonged to them. Of the several things that bug me about this episode, that bugs me the most...

[@zibus8456]

Favorite roadside attraction/tourist trap I've been to is Point Pleasant, WV which has the Mothman Museum, a local cryptid. Lots of cryptic themed places. They had a big buff mothman statue which is very fun.

[@JAce94007]

Beyond this episode taking place around the "love god" episode and not here chronologically (why Ford and the safety of the house arent mentioned), Stan references his "ex- wife" Marylin. (Her name also given in the end codes). In the Owl House, Edas earth name in the coffee shop is Marylin. I think its cannon that Stan and Eda got married for 6 hours and she left with all of his human possessions to sell in the demon realm

[@gryphonvert]

So, the thing is -- canon is anything that actually appears in the show. For Gravity Falls, yeah, you can extend that to information given in the codes put within the show. And most people count the published Journal 3 as *very close to* canon (since it was written by Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti). So, Stan having been married to someone named Marilyn for 6 hours: that is canon. Eda having used the name Marilyn while visiting Earth (specifically Connecticut): that is canon. But it's not confirmed in "The Owl House" that Eda-as-Marilyn married 'Stanford' Pines at any point (or maybe it was while he was Stanley, we don't know exactly when) . Obviously, if it was going to be confirmed anywhere, it would have to be in The Owl House, since Gravity Falls was over before TOH started. If it's not actually confirmed somehow within the show itself, then it's not canon. It's just a fun in-joke that the creator of TOH put in, for the fans to have fun with. They are dots that are very easy to connect, and speculating about how things happened is fun. And that's fine! It's cool to have little easter eggs like that.

[@ima-human9593]

@@gryphonvertthere was another thing! Eda mentioned an ex husband in one of the episodes

[@xmant8842]

This episode was supposed to take place before all the Ford stuff. I believe canonically, this happens before northwest mansion mystery

[@instantchaos2385]

should've let her know that before she watched it

[@HeenaScribbles]

Journal 3 mentioned that Ford sent them all on a road trip so he could research more about the rift without anyone getting in his way or something like that, so this episode does take place after The Last Mabelcorn. But it's clear it was intended to be an earlier episode in the season yeah

[@instantchaos2385]

@@HeenaScribbles well they retconned it

[@GeekCredTrivia]

Tourist traps are mostly located in poor areas off major interstates, some of my favorites are the torture museum and looney bin

[@christinashaffer7745]

One of the codes is Soos like a noble golden retriever eventually found his way homeward and befriended a talking bulldog and a sassy cat along the way So he does find his way back

[@Alfazil]

They moved the airing of this episode to later in the season as a way to explain why Soos never appears again.

[@jhonatasalves8871]

Mosco said in one reaction that she blushed when she was embarrassed or shy and everyone could see how she felt because of that, but seeing her turning red here 13:25 still made me laugh out loud kkkkkkkkkkkk

[@spiritsofwolves]

I cant see it for some reason maybe i'm just not good at telling when people are blushing

[@twofacetoo75]

A bunch of other comments are probably going to say this (and probably with more accurate information) but the reason this episode feels so out of place is because it was actually meant to air much earlier than it did, sometime after the bunker episode but before Ford came back. Hence why Ford isn't in this episode at all, why (as you said) they suddenly up and leave RIGHT after they finish protecting the Shack, and why Dipper is still so hung up on Wendy despite seeming very much over it in previous episodes.

[@foxynonym6384]

This episode just suits Stan perfectly 😂 Also I love your content Mosco 🎉 It always gets my mood up when I had a bad day.

[@EnderStine]

Next Episode will change EVERYTHING

[@jaysea3690]

So Grunkle Stan, a human (?), can't be shown with nipples...but that one Minotaur from S1 could have fists for nipples... Ok Disney...you do you...

[@gryphonvert]

Well, but also -- right in that scene, Dipper has nipples. (I was surprised Mosco didn't comment on it, since as soon as she said it about Stan, the scene switched to Dipper, and there his nipples are.)

[@1handedtyper]

As far as I can tell, this episode takes place between the events of "Love God" and "Northwest Mansion Mystery."

[@gryphonvert]

I kind of want it to take place before The Love God, even -- because people are correct when they point out that Mabel was supposed to have learned a lesson in TLG about not trying to match-make and force people together... and in this ep she... tries really hard to match-make Candy and Dipper, and force them together.

[@1handedtyper]

@@gryphonvert Aye, but her listing them as potential matches is how you can tell it takes place after "Love God."

[@maxthorn7308]

​@1handedtyper SHe could have been thinking Candy might start liking him again? It did happen once, it could happen again...

[@jaxcraft2848]

This is the calm before the storm. Get ready.

[@eeveefennecfox]

hush

[@jaxcraft2848]

@@eeveefennecfox 🤫😈

[@Gonk373]

They are actually safe during the Road Trip because they are outside the bubble around Gravity Falls. Ford tells Stan that the dome was really more people staying at the house in a supplemental book

[@n1t-m1n103]

First credit code: Key vigenare: Soos, like a loyal golden retriever, eventually found his way homeward, and befriended a talking bulldog and sassy cat along the way (key: Dopper) Second: Combined Cipher (the 3 used in season 1): Carla Mccorkle returned all his flowers, Marilyn divorced him after only 6 hours, Beatrice slapped him for being a cad, old Goldies the best girlfriend Stan ever had. (Sad, but true)

[@kae9793]

Codes: "SOOS, LIKE A NOBLE GOLDEN RETRIEVER, EVENTUALLY FOUND HIS WAY HOMEWARD, AND BEFRIENDED A TALKING BULLDOG AND SASSY CAT ALONG THE WAY" "CARLA MCCORKLE RETURNED ALL HIS FLOWERS, MARILYN DIVORCED HIM AFTER ONLY SIX HOURS, BEATRICE SLAPPED HIM FOR BEING A CAD, OLD GOLDIE'S THE BEST GIRLFRIEND STAN EVER HAD." I might have already commented this, because I think I accidentally deleted my comment, but I was wondering what shows you are planning on next and suggesting Bob's Burgers. It has some LGBTQ+ representation and lots of mental illness representation, and since barely anyone on KZbin have reacted to it, it would be really cool is you did. Also, the voice actor who plays Mabel also plays a main character, who I think you'll like better than Mabel. Also, there's a movie, of you didn't want to react to the whole show, and it's really good too!

[@WeeLassReacts]

I've seen a few eps of Bobs Burgers, it's not really my bag but thanks for the suggestion!

[@residentfan1521]

@@WeeLassReacts ⁠​⁠​⁠btw Soos being referred to as a golden retriever making his way homeward and befriending a young bulldog and sassy cat is a reference to two old live action Disney movies called Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Homeward Bound 2: Lost in San Francisco. The movies follow a Golden Retriever named Shadow, an American Bulldog named Chance and a Himalayan cat named Sassy trying to get home after getting lost. They’d make great reaction videos if you haven’t seen them.

[@imlianduh._.]

Trust me moscow, the next episode is absolutely one of the best episodes I've ever watched

[@EnderStine]

agreed

[@FaeVoidling]

This episode was kinda freaky with the way she transforms into her spider form. Lol. I really think you're going to love the next episodes. They're pretty epic. I look forward to seeing your reactions!

[@Heavensrun]

The US has huge swaths of empty space in the Midwest. Farm country, deserts, etc. When the US highway system was built during the early 1900s, people who were driving to and from the big population centers on the opposing coasts needed places to stop along the way. States would build rest stops along the way, but entrepreneurs built motels and tourist attractions to make money by breaking up the monotony of those week-long cross-country drives. They'd basically make money by being the only thing in the middle of nowhere, and they'd compete by having unique attractions. The esoteric weirdness of roadside tourist traps has kind of become a staple of American culture and history.

[@Drakin292]

Codes this episode. Credits: SOOS, LIKE A NOBLE GOLDEN RETRIEVER, EVENTUALLY FOUND HIS WAY HOMEWARD, AND BEFRIENDED A TALKING BULLDOG AND SASSY CAT ALONG THE WAY. (This is a refference to the film 'Homeward Bound'.) Numbers: CARLA MCCORKLE RETURNED ALL HIS FLOWERS MARILYN DIVORCED HIM AFTER ONLY SIX HOURS BEATRICE SLAPPED HIM FOR BEING A CAD OLD GOLDIE'S THE BEST GIRLFRIEND STAN EVER HAD This wraps up the last non-plot relavent episodes. Everything from here on out gets serious and deep.

[@lukasuhlenkamp9850]

I realized watching this episode that I almost completely forgot about this episode. All the others were permanently welded to my tween brain but this one took until the spider lady to ring a bell. Definitely should have been an early season episode as intended, it got overshadowed by the main storyline.

[@eeveefennecfox]

I forgot this episode existed,maybe it's cause I have a fear of spiders and I try to stay away from this episode

[@dracoangelrojo]

The problems with Roadside Attraction are: 1. The placement: you can't just put this filler episode right in the middle of The Last Mabelcorn and Dipper and Mabel vs The Future, cutting off the pacing and rythm of the main plot, right before the series finale. 2. The episode taking place after The Last Mabelcorn makes absolutely no sense: Ford doesn't appear or isn't even mentioned, and they are leaving the Shack RIGHT AFTER Ford warned them about Bill and placing a full barreer around the Shack to protect them. 3. The narrative's double standard: the entire episode bashes Dipper for having his own personal memories with Wendy, for having a hard time moving on from her, and for talking to 3 girls friendly 5 minutes each and portrays him as the bad guy and a player, all by Mabel no less...after spending THE ENTIRE SHOW seeing Mabel doing the same and FAR worse, as she has been taking pictures and even facial hair of every boy she crossed paths with and flirting aggressively with each, and even trying to erase her own mind to forget about them, but unlike Dipper, she was never called out for it, in fact, she was portrayed as a sweet, funny charm. 4. It makes Mabel forget her lesson in The Love God, by basically orquestating to get Dipper to date Candy while ignoring his feelings, consent and will, and when it backfires, she blames him for the entire mess and gangs against him with her friends. The only good thing about this episode was the little bonding time Dipper and Stan had, specially considering that it was one of the little times he was actually supportive of Dipper instead of mocking him.

[@targetdreamer257]

Yeah your third point kinda irked me. Why is it such a horrible thing that Dipper got a little flirty and not for Mable?

[@dracoangelrojo]

@@targetdreamer257 My point exactly. We've litterally seen Mabel flirting aggressively with any boy she crosses paths with, even downright stalking and chasing them, from the very first episode of the series, and that is always played for laughs, but Dipper talks with 3 girls, 5 minutes each, not even flirting, just being friendly, and he is a jerk? What the heck?

[@gryphonvert]

I largely agree that what Dipper was doing didn't come across as really that bad. I think what they were trying to do, by having him collect the girls' email addresses or phone numbers (and he's shown to have more than just the 3 we actually saw him interact with) is suggesting that he went further, and sort of made a promise to follow up with those girls, when he had no intention of doing so. That was kind of the bad thing. When you flirt with someone and then get their phone number, that is seen as an expression of actual interest and intention of going further. So, technically, he would have been a lot more in the clear if he hadn't gotten those emails/numbers, or, hadn't pretended that he'd call or write. The episode treats getting the numbers themselves as signs of success, but that ignores the feelings of the girls, who are expecting him to get in touch with them. Dipper does wonder at first if he SHOULD follow-up with the first girl, and Stan tells him no, he should just keep practicing. Later, in the hot tub, Stan tells him, "That's the best part 'a flirting on a road trip. You're not gonna see any of these gals again." That confirms that he wasn't going to email or call any of them. The ep could have had Dipper flirting with them, *without* getting their numbers. But I think they put that in as a way to indicate that the girls were actually interested in him and taking his flirting seriously. And yeah -- go ahead and flirt with lots of girls! But once you get one's number, it *is* kind of jerky to go around collecting other numbers "just in case". Unless you're clear with all of them that you're dating around -- which people do! And that's fine! But you have to be up front about it. Dipper wasn't -- which is why all the girls got mad later. The contrast with what Mabel's been doing all summer is that, at the time, for each boy Mabel was interested in, she was completely serious about it. If one of them had worked out at the time, she would have been happy becoming his girlfriend. (Well... not Gabe, obviously. But her intention with Gabe was serious, up until Gabe himself rejected her, and she realized he wasn't that great after all.) Mabel wanted a relationship, which is the opposite of what Dipper wants in this episode. I can't really think of a case of Mabel leading one of her crushes on? And I don't think she's shown trying to get with several boys at once; she tackles them one at a time. But I mean -- yeah, this ep is just a mess. I feel that the situation with Dipper is really contrived -- and against character. I feel like it would have been fine and in-character if he'd just tried talking with the girls, but not on a "romantic" basis. But so much of the episode is built around that and these "lessons" about how guys treat girls badly, and they shouldn't (with Stan, who keeps bragging about being a "loveable jerk", getting his comeuppance from a flirty woman turning the tables on him). I always felt like the writers were struggling to get this story to come together, and they hit on this idea, and then force everything in the episode to tie back to it. But it definitely DOESN'T make sense, especially coming this late in the season. Dipper isn't really in character, and Mabel forgets her own important character development. So the problem is that you could improve on what they did... but if you did, the episode would have to change substantially. (But maybe that would be a good thing. I just don't like this ep!)

[@dracoangelrojo]

@@gryphonvert They tried to do that, yes, but they fail when litterally Dipper never asked these girls out, he simply talked 5 minutes with each friendly and kept email or number for contact, and he made clear he was just learning how to talk to girls, not actually getting further than that, and that he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. That's not equal to dating or a compromise, it's just a way to keep contact with people you just met. That's something all kids do and no one gets offended. Also, Mabel did try to get with several boyfriends at once, like in The Love God, of when she hyperfocused on Gabe while still contacting Mermando. And let's not forget she also lied and put on a facade to impress Gabe, and on the top of that, she and her friends basically cornered Dipper to make him go out with Candy without taking into count his own feelings, and then accused him of being "a traitor", when litterally all those girls Dipper had talked to, were before Candy made her move. So yeah, it feels like a huge double standard.

[@gryphonvert]

@@dracoangelrojo Yeah, absolutely, I agree that they failed in what they were trying to do. That's why I'm saying that them putting in Dipper getting the numbers and stuff is supposed to *convey* that he is making a promise to the girls, and leading them on, when he doesn't intend to. BUT, yes, that isn't nearly strong enough to convey that, so it all just falls flat. As I said, it's just a mess of an episode. I think, though, that you're misremembering The Love God. Mabel doesn't try to get with ANY boyfriends in that episode -- she's completely focused on match-making other people. And yes, she's still contacting Mermando -- that's a case where she knows she can't be with him, but still considers him a friend. (Technically -- Mermando is still contacting *her*; he's the one who sent the messages.) Mabel knows she has no chance with Mermando any more. Romantically, that's over. I think you're kind of moving the goalposts there, by pointing out that she lied to Gabe trying to impress him. That wasn't the point we were talking about. We were talking about the fact that, in the case of each boy she is interested in, Mabel is focused only on him *at that time*, and she's serious in her intentions. Obviously, things wouldn't have worked out with Gabe no matter what, but that's part of the episode's point. But yes, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda all come off really badly in this ep. It's a terrible ep. I think the show usually does a much better job constructing its stories, but this is the one where it seemed like they were trying to force this one to work out, and wound up making a lot of things too contrived. I don't know if they were just seriously pressed for time and needed this ep (I know they *did* feel they needed something "easy" because writing the last four eps (really five, considering the last ep is a double) was such a huge task.), or what. Maybe if they'd had more time, they would have realized it was weak, and wouldn't have developed it any further. (There were any number of episode ideas they came up with, that got scrapped because they couldn't quite make them work -- like the one where Stan was going to teach Wendy to pull off a diamond heist or something.) Of all things, *this* is the episode I wish had gotten abandoned.

[@jonrusek6503]

Thanks to an unused line from an earlier episode about Stan's one day Vegas marriage fans have theorized that his ex-wife was Eda the owl lady.

[@jbleichman]

I hate… I mean, HATE… the term “filler episode”, but this episode is the fillerest filler that ever fillered.

[@jakeroo123]

This episode is a bit... strange, really. An odd bit of a breather. Stan going to war with other tourist traps is pretty funny. Darlene is... Um. I feel like she shouldn't have gotten away with... All this. Codes: SOOS, LIKE A NOBLE GOLDEN RETRIEVER, EVENTUALLY FOUND HIS WAY HOMEWARD, AND BEFRIENDED A TALKING BULLDOG AND SASSY CAT ALONG THE WAY (key: DOPPER) CARLA MCCORKLE RETURNED ALL HIS FLOWERS MARILYN DIVORCED HIM AFTER ONLY SIX HOURS BEATRICE SLAPPED HIM FOR BEING A CAD OLD GOLDIE'S THE BEST GIRLFRIEND STAN EVER HAD Oh hey Marilyn's back. That'll never become relevant again.

[@hopejaworski9097]

This episode wasn't supposed to come out when it did. It was planned to air after Into the Bunker and before Northwest Mystery Mansion. That's why there's no mention of Ford, and Dipper is still pining over Wendy. As for Darlene, I feel like there's weirder concepts in this story.

[@jakeroo123]

@@hopejaworski9097 While it's difficult to be certain, this appears to be a rumor. Production codes imply that the episode was produced in late Season 2.

[@meganhammer7857]

I've always thought this episode was supposed to be earlier in the season, and other comments are telling me that's actually true. It is still nice to have as a little breather in between plot-heavy episodes though, I never hated it. As for the gimmicky roadside attractions, yeah those are actual things. North America is big and there's a lot of space along those roads.

[@remingtonbrannan8808]

As a American I did not know we had a ball of yarn thing

[@Sirengirl02]

Hi I love watching the channel Gravity falls and the Owl House are 2 of my favorite shows, it's so cool that you are reacting to them. Really cool fact is that gravity falls the owl house and a show called Amphibia are all connected, Highly recommend by the way. it is actually cannon that Eda is Stan's ex-wife they were married for less than a day Cause they met in Vegas and she did the whole marriage thing just to run off with his winnings.

[@rileyanthony]

@WeeLassReacts it’s a fun episode as it’s the calling before the storm and this show is a western animated series and yes us people in the west have some very interesting stuff that’s for sure.

[@liamwarner5749]

I remember seeing a short comic a few years back with "now and then" as the them basically its a series of strips detailing how people act in one stage of their life then anohter. The one I'm thinking of had the first panel showing a girl getting ready in a panic and calling out 10 more minutes for "Dating" then her and her boyfriend going to dinner in sweat pants and her asking "Should I put on make up" and him replying "They know what we look like" titled marriage.

[@jasonskeans3327]

when your country is as big as the us you got to break the monotony of the road with stuff

[@osmanbilgili5884]

Another american attraction you migth found even more absurd: in fulton,missouri there is an old British church (church of at.mary the Virgin) carried brick by brick over the pond and rebuilded also ı heard they got a part of berlin wall as well

[@willowarkan2263]

And this is how they wrote soos out of the story.

[@WeeLassReacts]

COULD YOU IMAGINE????

[@willowarkan2263]

@@WeeLassReacts Would have been wild, although might have caused a riot back in the day.

[@distantmind956]

Yeah, ngl, definitely one of the lower episodes. They've had like two other filler episodes where they tell non-canon scary stories. This would be a great opportunity to give Ford a chance to tell a story from when he was stuck between dimensions and leave the others pondering whether it was true or not.

[@gryphonvert]

At least, it would have been nice if there'd been a B-plot with Ford interacting with... anybody, really. Can you imagine how wacky a Ford and Wendy episode would be? (But, they really COULD have done something with Ford encountering some of the people he knew back when he lived in Gravity Falls. After all, he knew Wendy's father when he was still being called "Boyish Dan" -- Dan let Ford used his "exceedingly haunted cabin" at one point, according to the Journal.)

[@obsidianwolf1999]

15:39 she did warn us

[@GrahamChapman]

I am SO looking forward to the next three episodes (or maybe four, depending on how you decide to do with the double-length final episode).

[@TheCryptofHorrors-DerCryptaxis]

Tourist trap attractions in the middle of nowhere like these are real in the usa yes

[@Schrodinger_box]

Hi from your biggest italian fan!

[@sasamichan]

In America The original Rout 66 Its original length in 1926 was 2,448 miles, and by 1960 it had shortened to 2,238 miles. (3.939 and 3.601 km respectively) as you drove around art installations and miniature museums and places with gimmick ideas would be built to draw people to certain locations. Some of them hotels or dinners, some just strait up art or places Similar to the Mystery Shack The Website "roadsideamerica" shows them off if you want to see some of them. You can also see them in The Wizard Iron Man Atlantic City 1980 national lampoon's vacation The Mitchells vs. the Machines RV Sam and Max Hit the Road Little Miss Sunshine The Long Long Long Trailer Cars and many other films looking to the UK some equivalents Arria Holgate Windmill The Guardian White Horses of Wiltshire The Crooked House, Dudley, England The Sculpture of the Monty Python Dead Parrot The London Eye Forbidden Corner, North Yorkshire The Gnome Reserve - Devon the Upside Down House Kind of like it but more historic The Hobbit House from LotR Aby Road The Blarney Stone Teletubbies Farm Sherwood Forest 100 Acher Wood Stone Hendge Loch Ness Baker Street If you draw a line on a map 3.939 and 3.601 km long that'll tell you how far you have to drive to have the equivalent of what we got or 3,906 kilometers if you go from coast to coast. the thing with the UK it its a lot of OLD history. Castles and such. I don't see much art on Google but that could be poor advertising. This list is the ones that appeared on multiple lists throw-out Google.

[@sasamichan]

How many episodes you have left depends on weather you count the finally as 1,3 or 4 parts. and then there's some stuff you'll only find on KZbin

[@matthewpaul6904]

I like the upside down house guys graffiti

[@mandodiaz7647]

Mabel could have gave her bro a heads up about Candy

[@gryphonvert]

I do not like this episode. But, my favorite thing about it is that they based Mystery Mountain very closely on "The Trees of Mystery" in Klamath, CA. If you do a web-search for it and look at photos, you'll see what I mean. The Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statue are *exactly* the statues they have at Trees of Mystery. And the sky-tram is very faithfully drawn to look like the one they have at Trees of Mystery. (Its main attractions are NOT spiders or mummies! It's redwood trees, among which are some unusual or notable trees that grow in weird ways, and a bunch that have been carved into different things. But yes, it is at the foot of a mountain, and you can ride the sky-tram up to the top. There's not really anything to do up there except look at the view, though. Which is pretty!) Between finishing Season 1, and starting on Season 2, Alex Hirsch about 15 or so others from the crew got in a couple of vans and went on a big tour of tourist traps in northern California and Oregon, for inspiration. Trees of Mystery was one of many stops. There's a page about it on the GF wiki, and there's a gallery of photos they took, which are really fun. (They left a bunch of drawings of Bill in various places. Some could still be seen, when I visited some of the same places in 2017.) gravityfalls.fandom.com/wiki/Mystery_Tour_2013

[@_kfry101_8]

Singing piano bill incoming!!!!!!

[@Hope-uo1nz]

The stuff on the map are references to real places

[@Hope-uo1nz]

I live in the area the show is based on

[@targetdreamer257]

All I got to say is BUCKLE UP AND STRAP in because it is going to get weird!

[@viarobixknof]

7:09 I just got the joke oh no 😂

[@feliperuiz7458]

The most pretty sure thing about this episode: Elijihs is going to get more traumatized for the spider lady than for Hollow mind

[@McBeelzebub]

Of course there’s a reason to not be yourself in order to trick someone into a relationship. To steal their money!

[@tahraethestoryteller6079]

Fun fact: the original trigger for Dipper becoming a ‘player’ was him trying to flirt with some girls but failing Personally I think that would make for a better set up than the Wendy thing but to each their own

[@RasmusVJS]

I think the Wendy thing would have worked better if it did come out right after the Bunker episode.

[@f1nger605]

I think Loch Ness counts as a tourist trap.

[@WeeLassReacts]

You're comparing one of Scotlands' deepest lochs with century old legends and myths, with more freshwater than all of England, Ireland, and Wales combined... to an American giant ball of yarn??

[@IceMetalPunk]

Spiders are our friends! 🕷🥺

[@HotDogTimeMachine385]

Please I hope you'll watch the shorts!! They're incredibly fun! This is the weakest episode of Gravity Falls, which says a lot about how high quality this show is

[@fejknamn6853]

I have now seen a weird thing and cannot unsee it, so I will curse you, the reader, with the same thing: The door on the house-car when they arrive at the Mystery Mountain... the hinges are by the door handle, somehow, so it opens the wrong way! Alright, got that out of my system. Now, I liked this episode somewhat, some parts were great, some less so. Like many have pointed out in the comments here, it fit better as a MUCH earlier episode, back when Dipper was more obsessed with Wendy, and before Mabel were supposed to have learned not to meddle in other people's love-lives. And the double-standard "moral" they try to show with Dipper just doesn't work for me. But I loved Stan's bonding with Dipper, Dipper being a corny little guy and trying to learn to be more confident, all the roadside attractions and hijinks, the spiders and the way Stan messed up, it was pretty good stuff! All in all, it's an episode that's pretty good if you can excuse the inconsistent placement in the episode order.

[@MurderLamb]

Your videos make me smile :D

[@WeeLassReacts]

YEY I am glad!!

[@MurderLamb]

@@WeeLassReactsYooo thanks for replying :D

[@TheRhuen]

tourist trap is used to describe a lot of things which yeah vary in quality. Some things people call tourist traps actually require tickets in reserve and are big things that had to be set up or have guides, like walks through "haunted" asylums, weird museums, down to the less popular and mostly gone now niche amusement parks *like Jesus and Fairy Tale pals roadside amusement parks* kind of stuff. But some of these tourist traps are just art someone made like their demon clown garage, giant metal dinosaurs, real working robot death army, and so on. But then you will get the rip offs, the *its just some guy's pet snakes* or *I don't think this is legal or remotely safe tour of a cave in some guy's backyard (the own acres but following a guy from his house in a pick up to a tiny cave with a flash light just feels all kinds of off to me*.

[@ameliaporto]

12:56 : Gravity Falls fans 15:47 : How I met your Mother fans

[@cravdraa]

yes, this is absolutely real stuff US people do.

[@kingnidoking1826]

"Some third word starting with a 'C'" its c0cky if you haven't figured it out yet

[@christiancontreras5057]

Gravity falls been there done that.

[@janaihamilton1895]

6:06 this is literally me I hate it

[@racermigs1]

We're reaching the endgame now.

[@Travis_D_Travesty]

Stan meets a Black Widow. Stan should have tried harder to keep Eda🦉/Marilyn.

[@Travis_D_Travesty]

Smokey the bear parody.

[@adamhinton3441]

5:20 yes we have to much time on our hands and will literally try to make money off of just about any thing we can think of

[@janaihamilton1895]

15:12

[@foxynonym6384]

I like and don't like this episode at the same time

[@sayianace2067]

We are in the endgame now....

[@jacobb4795]

Have you ever watched amphibia?

[@Travis_D_Travesty]

That maze is corny 🌽

[@ma.2089]

Worst episode of the series. I legit think the characters are OoC here, and Dipper was fully in the right. The girls were being awful and hypocritical. They could’ve replaced this episode with anything else, and it would’ve been better for the characters and narrative lol

[@dracoangelrojo]

Entirely agree, honestly, I would change this episode for litterally anything else: an episode about Ford and Mabel bonding, a Wendy focused episode, an episode where Ford is the main focus to spend time with his family, litterally ANYTHING.

[@Lynel104]

Poor Soos.😞

[@alexandrenogueiradasilva-yb5ti]

Engajament

[@michaelmiller2418]

next episode...

[@mikeconner3684]

What's the purpose of this episode? To give us a little more funny before the end. WEIRDMAGGEDON IS NIGH!!

[@mikeconner3684]

And don't forget, whatever you think about Stan's method, it did get him Eda. Fpr, y'know, a day? Before she stole his car. But still. Eda. Yeah.

[@gutscross9706]

soos? uhhhhhhhhh, unless he wants to get dating advice from yandere simulator, maby dont ask soos on this one

[@maxthorn7308]

I really despise the attitude of ''you were nice to me, I own you now''. No matter which gender is having the attitude.