Gravity Falls Season 2 Review

Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Season 2 - 20 episodes (2014-2016)

Buy Gravity Falls on Amazon
Created by: Alex Hirsch
Starring: Jason Ritter, Alex Hirsch, Kristen Schaal, Linda Cardellini, John DiMaggio
Rated: TV-Y7

Plot
Fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines spend the summer with their Great Uncle Stan who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack, in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The twins soon discover the mysterious town is home to many secrets.

Verdict
This show is so awesome. From the animation to the characters it's inventive and charming, something that adults and younger children can enjoy. It can be silly and clever, always coming back to the bond of siblings Dipper and Mabel.
While season one skewed a bit too much to burgeoning teen drama, this season evolves the mythology rapidly. All questions are answered, though I wish we had a few more self contained adventures, or even a couple more seasons.
Knowing this was the final season is disappointing and it feels like they were trying to finish the mythology and answer all the questions before the end. It's a fun adventure from a great show and great season. The three part finale is fantastic, rivaling many live action shows.
Watch it.

Review
Gravity Falls is a great series. Check out my review of season 1. The animation looks great and adds to the charm. This is a series I want to go back and watch again because I know there are bits I missed. It's well crafted, boasting incredible depth. Dipper and Mabel's love for each other is  a constant throughout the series, a backbone to the adventures. Despite their adventures or pre-teen crushes, that doesn't get in the way of caring for each other. A running arc for Dipper is his crush on co-worker Wendy. He often tries to seem older since she's a teen and he's not.
While Dipper is the worrier, Mabel is the fly by the seat of the pants type. In every episode she sports a new and eccentric sweater. I love the humor in the show, from Stan's ruses to time agents Lolph and Dundgren.

Mabel and Dipper

The strange happenings of Gravity Falls.

While I wished season one was more mythology, I wish this season had slowed down a bit. Every other episode seemed to have a big revelation. This easily could have had a third season, including a few one off adventures in this season that weren't strictly mythology oriented. I would have welcomed another season.

Grunkle Stan

Wendy, Dipper, Sous, Mabel

At the end of the season one we finally saw all of the journals. In this season we see the power they hold. They include instructions to build a portal. We also see the author's bunker and realize McGucket had a much larger role than we ever would have imagined. While he can't remember who the author is, I was stunned to learn McGucket's back story. Most of that is revealed in episode seven when Dipper and Mabel discover a secret society to help keep Gravity Fall's secrets secret.

Episode 11 blows everything up, finally revealing the author.  We learn the origins of the journals and get a few facts about Stan. He had some big secrets. Amidst the revelations Sous has a great throwaway line, "Tell me what happened. I hope this doesn't ruin my fan fiction." This series by nature generates a lot of speculation and I have to imagine there were a lot of theories. It's nice the creators acknowledge that.

The parting shot of Gravity Falls.

The three part finale is spectacular with big set pieces and heartfelt moments. Cipher Bill plays a large role, and the finale rivals many live action shows. This is one of those shows that after the final episode I'm disappointed because I won't see any new episodes. There is so much in this season I can't reveal without spoiling too much of the mysteries, and it's completely worth watching. Thankfully this show doesn't leave us hanging on any fronts. We get answers on everything by the time Dipper and Mabel's summer comes to an end.