Not What He Seems facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Not What He Seems" |
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| Gravity Falls episode | |
Stanford Pines, the author of the journals, reveals himself
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| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Stephen Sandoval Ian Worrel (art director) |
| Written by |
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| Editing by | Kevin Locarro |
| Production code | 618G-210 |
| Original air date | March 9, 2015 (Disney XD) April 17, 2015 (Disney Channel) |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Not What He Seems" is an exciting episode from the second season of the animated TV show Gravity Falls. It was created by Alex Hirsch. The story follows twelve-year-old twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines. They spend their summer with their great uncle, Grunkle Stan, at his tourist trap called the Mystery Shack. This shack is in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.
In this episode, Dipper and Mabel start to wonder about Grunkle Stan's true identity. This happens after police officers arrest him for stealing strange chemicals. The episode changes the show's usual story by introducing Stan's long-lost twin brother. It ends with a big surprise, leaving viewers eager for the next part of the season.
"Not What He Seems" first aired on March 9, 2015, on Disney XD. It was watched by 1.58 million homes in the United States. This made it the most-watched Gravity Falls episode on Disney XD at the time. However, the next episode, "A Tale of Two Stans," broke that record a few months later.
Contents
The Story Unfolds
Stan's Secret Project
While Dipper and Mabel are enjoying their summer, Grunkle Stan has been secretly working. He has a mysterious machine in his basement, hidden beneath the Mystery Shack. He's been trying to get it to work without the twins knowing.
A Day of Surprises
Stan uses drums of strange chemicals to power his machine. He sets a timer for eighteen hours until it will turn on. As the machine gets ready, strange things start to happen around Gravity Falls, like weird gravity changes.
The next day, Stan is playing with Dipper and Mabel outside the shack. Suddenly, police officers arrive and arrest Stan. They say he stole the chemicals the night before. Social workers then take Dipper and Mabel away. The twins decide they must prove Stan is innocent. They plan to use the shack's security camera footage from the night before.
They manage to escape from the social workers' car and rush back to the shack. But when they watch the tapes, the footage actually shows Stan committing the crime! Dipper also finds a box filled with fake ID cards and old newspaper clippings saying Stan had died. Inside the box, Dipper finds a secret password. Mabel realizes it's a button combination for the shack's vending machine.
The Vending Machine Secret
Meanwhile, in a questioning room, Stan asks to make a phone call. He calls Soos, the handyman at the Mystery Shack. Stan tells Soos to guard the vending machine. After another strange gravity event, Stan escapes from the room. He tricks the agents into chasing a taxi while he runs back to the shack.
Dipper and Mabel reach the vending machine, where Soos is guarding it. They have a small argument, but Dipper enters the password. The vending machine then slides away, revealing a secret entrance to Stan's hidden lab! Inside, Dipper is shocked to find that Stan had been hiding the first two mystery journals from him all along.
Dipper puts the three journals together. They form a complete blueprint for Stan's machine. Under a black light, a secret message appears. It warns that when the machine activates, the entire universe could be torn apart!
A Difficult Choice
Dipper decides he must stop the machine. But before he can, Stan rushes into the lab to stop him. Another gravity anomaly happens, making everyone float in the air. Mabel manages to reach the lever that would stop the machine.
Another strange event occurs. Mabel is forced to make a very hard choice: should she trust Stan or stop the machine? Tearfully, Mabel decides to trust Stan. She pulls the lever, allowing the machine to activate. Everything is engulfed in a bright flash of light.
When the strange event ends, Dipper, Mabel, Stan, and Soos are all safe. A man steps out of the machine's portal. He places a six-fingered hand on the first journal, revealing himself to be the author! Stan then introduces the man as his brother. Dipper and Mabel are completely shocked. Mabel asks if someone should faint, and Soos immediately does!
During the end credits, a short flashback shows Stan and his brother as children. They are sitting silently on a swing set, looking out at the ocean.
Behind the Scenes
In this episode [Stan's] secret double life finally catches up with him, and it puts the pressure on the kids to sort of figure out if they're going to rescue their uncle from what's going on here. The question is, does he deserve rescuing? What did he do? Is he a good guy at all?
"Not What He Seems" is the eleventh episode of the second season of Gravity Falls. Alex Hirsch created the show. He wrote this episode with Matthew Chapman, Jeff Rowe, Shion Takeuchi, and Josh Weinstein. Stephen Sandoval directed the episode.
This episode marks the halfway point of the second season. It ends with a cliffhanger, a suspenseful ending that makes you want to know what happens next. The writers planned this so they could take a break (called a hiatus) and work on the next episode.
Alex Hirsch mentioned that about half of Gravity Falls fans had already guessed Stan had a brother. This brother is revealed in the episode as the author of the three journals. Fans even made detailed "PowerPoint presentations" and "flow charts" about their theories. This kind of detailed fan analysis was rare for a Disney Channel show. Hirsch had planned this character from his very first idea for the show. The writers had placed small clues about the brother's existence since the first episode.
Hirsch and the writers knew this big reveal was a risk. He said the ending would shock some viewers. But they felt it was important to keep the characters interesting and change the show's usual setup. Hirsch said Gravity Falls is mostly about its characters. He believed Mabel would forgive Stan, but Dipper would find it harder to forgive both Stan and himself. Hirsch explained that Stan's secret life would be "a huge betrayal" for Dipper. It would make him feel "isolated from his family."
Nick Offerman guest stars as Agent Powers in this episode. He had also appeared in earlier episodes like "Scary-oke" and "Northwest Mansion Mystery." Hirsch described Agent Powers and Agent Trigger as characters who help separate the main characters. This forces Dipper and Mabel to decide where their loyalty lies.
