"Headhunters" Heroic Analysis (3 of 40) of Dipper from "Gravity Falls"
“A haunted garage sale, son!” ~ Wax Coolio
Spoilers ahead:
Spoilers ahead:
Dipper seems to be completely familiar with Gravity Falls and all of
the people that live in it by the episode “Headhunters.” We don’t know exactly
how long Dipper and Mabel have been staying with their Grunkle Stan, but we can
assume it has been long enough for Dipper to meet all or most of the prominent
characters that are be revealed. Soos and Mabel are the sidekick tricksters,
Stan and Old Man McGucket are the “wise,” old mentor figures, and a heterogeneous
cast of characters that fit various other character archetypes. But at this
point, the show remains episodic. No overarching shadow to defeat has surfaced,
though we are getting a large number of threshold guardian characters. I hope
that there is a deeper mystery than what appears in this installment of the
show.
In “Headhunters” our hero Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel have
another mini hero’s journey, but I want to look at this episode, and episodes
hereafter, as individual trials in Dipper’s Initiation phase, as well as take
deeper looks into each of the characters in each episode. If Dipper proves to
be a true hero, then episodes 1 and 2 serve perfectly as Dipper’s Separation
phase. They show how Dipper arrives at Gravity Falls and how he adjusts to his
setting. Dipper is curious, adventurous, and brave. Further episodes should
further develop the characters in ways that are consistent with their
establishments, so as the blog continues I’ll also analyze those archetypes.
Phase in Dipper’s Journey: Trial
in the Road of Trials. So far, no overarching shadow to overcome has
surfaced. Because the show is very episodic, I think the Wax Figures will serve
as Threshold guardians for this particular trial.
Dipper Pines – Hero. In this
episode, Dipper Pines, our hero, displays his “keen powers of observation.” The
episode presents a mystery that Dipper has to solve, and he successfully uses those
skills to discover the mystery of the Wax People. We learn that Dipper is
afraid of his “adorableness” and wants to be taken seriously, so these may be
the seeds of heroic flaw. I believe that the best heroes and villains have such
a flaw, but we have yet to see Dipper’s. It may just be that he is not old
enough for some of the future shadows and guardians that he may face, or we may
learn more as we accompany him on his Journey. In this “trial,” Dipper learns that because he
is in Gravity Falls with such mysterious happenings, he should be prepared to
expect the unexpected around every corner. This will probably help him in the
future when unlocking all of the mysteries behind Gravity Falls.
Mable Pines – Trickster / Ally. Mabel
may be another hero, but in relationship to her twin brother, Dipper, she is a
trickster and ally, often doing silly things that both help and hinder Dipper’s
heroic progression. So far, she has fit quite a few roles, ranging from damsel
in distress to heroine, but by episode 3 I think she is starting to cement
herself in this role.
Soos – Trickster / Herald. Soos
is one of Dipper’s greatest allies, but so far he has proved that he is a shenaniganful
goofball who shouldn’t be taken too seriously. However, he has been key in all
3 episodes so far, primarily, and wackily, fumbling onto the episodes
adventure. This time is no different because his trickster actions caused the
gang to find the wax figures in the first place when he accidentally stumbles
across the secret room where they were stored.
Grunkle Stan – Damsel in
Distress / Father. As of now, he is
really hard to place. He hasn’t been that much of a presence in the first 3
episodes. Given that he is their primary caretaker, I want to categorize him as
one of the possible father figures. In the episode where they go fishing,
Dipper has an atonement with him when he realizes that he should spend time
with him. In this episode, he does fit more of a Damsel in Distress archetype.
Though we know from the premiere that he has his secrets, he doesn’t seem
interested in helping Dipper and Mabel find out who cut of the head of his wax
figure. He leaves it up to Dipper to solve it, and so Dipper has to
metaphorically save Stan.
The Wax People –Threshold
Guardians. They are defeated and Dipper and group can move on with their
journey to discover the secrets of Gravity Falls. They act as one stepping
stone to solving the mystery, but the journal doesn’t really help them too much
in this episode to defeat them (I may have missed the moment when the journey
was referenced this time around, but I can’t recall if Dipper referred to it or
not)
Author of Journal #3 (and possibly #1, #2, #4 …) – Mentor / Shadow. We don’t
know who this is yet so it could be either of these two I’m guessing. If he
turns out to be a good guy, then he can fit the mentor role because his writing
has helped Dipper a lot so far, and maybe more in future episodes. If he turns out
to be a villain, then he may fit both of these roles for he would have mentored
Dipper up and created a challenge.
Other Important Characters so far:
Sherriff Blubs & Deputy Durland – Tricksters. Their presence seems strictly comedic so far, and the
pair make a great duo for subplot jokes and gags.
Old Man McGucket – Mentor /
Trickster. Though he is more silly than helpful, he often gives valuable
knowledge to Dipper that Dipper then takes and uses to get passed the guardian.
He tips Dipper off about the Wax people, asking if they were “alive” and if he
could “survive the wax man uprising.” These are Dipper’s first couple of clues
that the wax people are responsible for the defacing of the Stan statue.
Hopefully get future development / my guesses as to what archetypal
roles each character may fit:
Wendy Corduroy – Ally / Goddess.
Other than the occasional conversation with Dipper, Wendy has only helped him
on Screen when she gives him the golf cart. So this guess is just hopeful
Daniel “Manly Dan” Corduroy, the Lumberjack – Trickster or shapeshifter, so far has had many silly, but physical,
antics. I’m interested to see if they show a softer side to him or if he will
remain a bulky tree-puncher
Corduroy Boys – No guess, only rarely mentioned on the show
Tyler, Cute Biker – Trickster,
He is causing laughter when he is on the screen, but he hasn’t really been of
any help or guidance
Toby Determined & Shandra Jimenez – Trickster duo, not much screen time
Werewolf postman – Shapeshifter
Comments
Post a Comment