Gravity Falls Review: Carpet Diem

We open with Mabel and Dipper playing some "Attic stuff mini-golf," and they seem to be having a pretty good time until Mabel's alarm clock goes off.

She mentions that she'll be spending the night with Candy and Grenda, and Dipper is disappointed that she'll be gone and then horrified when he notices Calling All Boys: Preteen Edition and realizes that the sleepover will be taking place in the attic.

Dipper gets fed up and leaves as the sleepover kicks into high gear. He passes on Soos' horrifying death trap of a break room, and winds up sleeping outside where a wolf gnaws his leg

but he still finds it preferable to being inside.

The next day, Mabel and her friends awaken after their sleepover bender.

Dipper returns to find their attic golf course in ruins. They fight and decide they need separate rooms. Which works out, because Soos discovers a hidden room within the Shack.


I didn't catch this on the first viewing, but a friend pointed out the date circled on the calendar probably has some significance. Based on Dipper's expression, he certainly seems to think so.

Grunkle Stan says he'll award to room to whichever twin accumulates more Suck-up Points, so the kids fall over each other to see who can perform the most dangerous and/or demeaning chores.

This goes on for a little while, until Dipper is in the new room. He builds up a static charge while walking across the carpet, and when he touches Mable, the electrical shock causes them to switch bodies. 

They waste no time sabotaging each other. Mabel had previously made Stan an omelet that looked like his face, now Dipper, in her body, makes a sandwich filled with rocks.

Right after that, Mabel as Dipper sings "Breaking stuff is so much fun, I am Dipper and I stink!"

I liked this bit. Pleasantly ridiculous and they move on to other things before it wears too thin.

Soos switches bodies with Waddles and that's pretty entertaining too.

"Yes! I should do out loud wishing more often!"

Old Man McGucket ("Local Kook") tries to eat him, while Waddles in Soos' body works out pretty well for Soos.

A bearded witch chasing a talking pig! My horoscope came true!

Meanwhile, the body switching is starting to backfire. Dipper as Mabel is conscripted for another slumber party where Grenda reads age-inappropriate romance novels and Stan thinks that Mabel as Dipper's odd actions mean that he's going through puberty, so he reads to him from "Why am I sweaty?"

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. As the situations collapses, Dipper and Mabel find themselves in the secret room, but so do Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland, Candy and Grenda and Soos, Waddles and Old Man McGucket. Madcap bodyswapping ensues for a while, until everyone winds up in his or her own body.

My horoscope didn't say anything about this!

Dipper moves into the carpet room and Mabel stays in the attic, but they each miss the other when it comes time to stay good night. Dipper moves back into the attic with Mabel and he gives the carpet room to Soos.

The post credits scene is Soos talking to the woman to whom he became engaged while Waddles was in his body.

Another solid episode. I think the seeds for future developments have been planted here, between the date circled on the calendar and the carpet being number 78 in a series of experiments.