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"The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" is the fourth episode of the first season of Gravity Falls. It premiered on July 6, 2012 on Disney Channel.

Official overview[]

Dipper and Mabel discover their seemingly cherubic new neighbor, Gideon, happens to be the town’s adored psychic. But when Gideon convinces Mabel to go on a date with him, she soon learns that his cuteness can fade all too quickly.[3]

Synopsis[]

S1e4 watching tv

Soos, Dipper, and Mabel see Gideon's commercial.

Dipper, Mabel, and Soos are watching Tiger Fist on TV when they see a commercial for Li'l Gideon's Tent of Telepathy. They want to test his authenticity as a psychic, so they decide to go to one of his shows, which Grunkle Stan forbids them from going due to Gideon causing him trouble, but they find a loophole and went to the show anyway. At the show, Gideon sings a song about his abilities and everyone is impressed with Gideon except for Dipper. When the show is over, Dipper says that Gideon is a bigger fraud than Stan. Mabel disagrees and says that his dance moves are adorable and compliments his hair. Unknown to them, Gideon was eavesdropping on their conversation.

S1e4 mabel's makeover

Mabel comes back from Gideon's dressing room with a new look.

The next day, Gideon shows up at The Mystery Shack and asks Mabel if she would like to go to his dressing room so they could do makeovers, and Mabel happily accepts. She returns to the Mystery Shack with a new look. Dipper doesn't trust Gideon, but Mabel says to give him a chance since Dipper never wants to do girly stuff with her and he and Soos get to do boy stuff all the time. Dipper and Soos then go to watch hot dogs explode in the microwave, hence proving Mabel's point. Gideon then takes Mabel to sit atop his family's factory. There, Gideon says he's never felt so close to someone and asks Mabel to go on a date with him. Mabel hopes he means a play date or a shopping date. Gideon swears it will only be one date. Mabel reluctantly accepts and Gideon gives her a hug, and not very quickly, sniffs her hair.

S1e4 macaw landing

Gideon uses a Macaw to ask Mabel on another date.

The next day Gideon shows up to the Mystery Shack on a horse, ready to take Mabel on their date. He takes her to a fancy restaurant where people have a hard time saying no to him. Mabel is very impressed with the restaurant. She says she's never seen so many forks or water with bubbles in it. Gideon believes the date was a complete success and promises that tomorrow's date will top it. Mabel reminds Gideon that he promised only one date. Gideon ignores her and uses a South American Rainbow Macaw to ask Mabel to accompany him to the ballroom dance. Mabel really doesn't want to go along with it but with all the local attention the couple has been getting she again accepts in an attempt to hopefully be only just friends. This idea is short-lived though as Stan, of whom was completely against the relationship from the start, gets sweet talked into supporting the young couple by Gideon's dad so that both businesses can merge in an attempt to make a serious profit.

S1e4 dipper mabel hug

Mabel thanks Dipper for offering to help her.

Mabel is upset and confused, and goes into "Sweatertown" and pulls her sweater up over her head, so, to help with the split, Dipper volunteers to bail Mabel out of having to break up with Gideon and decides to do it for her. After Dipper tells Gideon Mabel doesn't want to go out with him anymore, Gideon returns home and uses the mystic amulet to throw a huge tantrum, when his father comes and tells him to tidy his room, he shouts "I can buy and sell you, old man!" Gideon then convinces Toby Determined to get Dipper to go to the factory in exchange for Shandra Jimenez's phone number. Gideon warns Dipper to stay away from the secrets of Gravity Falls and uses his amulet to attack Dipper.

S1e4 mabel with amulet

Mabel wielding the mystic amulet.

Back at the Shack, Mabel and Wendy have a one sided conversation, and Mabel decides to break up with Gideon herself. Meanwhile, Gideon controls/uses telekinesis on Dipper with his amulet and sends a pair of lamb shears at him. Mabel arrives and takes Gideon's amulet from him and throws it to Dipper. Gideon tackles Dipper out the window, and the two fall. Luckily, Mabel uses the amulet to save them. She tells Gideon she'll never date him, and destroys the amulet. Gideon backs into the forest, warning them, "This isn't the last you'll see of little ol' me."

S1e4 book 2

The second journal.

Gideon forces his father to call off the deal with Stan to the latter's dismay. In response, Stan steals the clown painting and runs off. Stan returns home to see an exhausted Mabel and Dipper slumped on the couch. But they lighten the mood by joking about Gideon getting revenge on them. Gideon is then seen in his room, playing with handmade dolls of Mabel, Dipper, and Stan. He pretends as if the Dipper doll is asking him "what are you going to do without your precious amulet," mocking words the real Dipper said earlier in their confrontation, and Gideon replies, "Oh, you'll see boy. You'll see." The episode ends with Gideon closing Journal 2, revealing that he has it and plans to use it to get revenge on the Pines family.

In the credits scene, Mabel "bezazzles" Soos. She turns out the lights, Dipper shines a flashlight on him, and music plays as Soos spins in place, thereby becoming a disco ball. An annoyed Stan says, "You're all fired."

Credits[]

Production notes[]

See also: List of allusions and List of goofs.

Character revelations[]

Series continuity[]

Songs featured[]

Trivia[]

  • Viewership: This episode was watched by 2.954 million viewers on its premiere night.[2]
  • This episode title is based on the idiom "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."
  • This is the first appearance of Gideon Gleeful and his father, Bud Gleeful.
  • The disclaimer at the end of Gideon's commercial reads:

"Void where prohibited, no C.O.D.'s accepted, the letter "p" in the word psychic is silent and used for entertainment purposes only. If unsatisfied, please return unused portion for a full refund. Side effects may include but are not limited to: prosperity, wads of cash, fun at parties, tight pants, 6.2% APR, no money down! Psychic readings may cause a warming sensation in the abdomen. If pain persists, consult your physicist immediately. Carla, I've always loved you but I've never had the guts to say it."
—Tent of Telepathy commercial

  • Gideon's wooden figure of Dipper has a dark green shirt instead of an orange shirt, and his wooden Mabel wears a heart sweater that Mabel never actually wears in the series.
  • During his show, Gideon asks the audience to "Rise up!" while placing one hand on his bolo tie. Dipper is startled that he finds himself standing without having the intention to so. The implication is that Gideon used his amulet to make the audience stand.
  • The first time that Gideon asks Mabel to go on a date with him, he places a hand on his bolo tie and swears that it will be only one date. It is implied that he is using the tie's powers to ensure that Mabel literally can't say "No" to his offer.
  • While Dipper and Mabel are playing their video game, the background music is an 8-bit version of the background music played while the gnome monster was chasing them in "Tourist Trapped."
  • The list of guys that Wendy broke up with is inspired by boys that Alex Hirsch's sister Ariel had crushes on.[citation needed]
  • The credits music is the same as the background music in "Tourist Trapped" during the sequence wherein Dipper looks for proof that Norman is a zombie.
  • The disclaimer at the end of the Tent of Telepathy commercial mentions someone named Carla. There are two people named Carla in the series: Carla McCorkle and one of the hosts of Cash Wheel.
  • Alex Hirsch, Thurop Van Orman, Jason Ritter, and Kristen Schaal recorded their lines for this episode together.[citation needed]
S1e4 Your all fired

Cryptogram[]

  • During the end credits of this episode, there was a cryptogram that reads "FDUOD, ZKB ZROW BRY FDOO PH?" Once decoded, it reads, "CARLA, WHY WON'T YOU CALL ME?" 'Carla' was mentioned at the end of the Tent of Telepathy commercial.

Gallery

Click here to view the image gallery for The Hand That Rocks the Mabel.
Click here to view this page's gallery.

References[]

  1. ON SET EPISODE 16: PHINEAS & FERB AND GRAVITY FALLS PT.4. YouTube (May 10, 2013).
  2. 2.0 2.1 Bibel, Sara (July 7, 2012). Friday Cable Ratings: 'House of Payne' and 'WWE Smackdown' Win Night, 'American Pickers','Say Yes to the Dress', 'Harscore History', 'Mystery Diners', and more. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved on November 13, 2020.
  3. Disney Channel Media Net (broken link). Retrieved on November 13, 2020.

Site navigation

V - E - H - D Gravity Falls episodes
Season one 1. Tourist Trapped | 2. The Legend of the Gobblewonker | 3. Headhunters | 4. The Hand That Rocks the Mabel | 5. The Inconveniencing | 6. Dipper vs. Manliness | 7. Double Dipper | 8. Irrational Treasure | 9. The Time Traveler's Pig | 10. Fight Fighters | 11. Little Dipper | 12. Summerween | 13. Boss Mabel | 14. Bottomless Pit! | 15. The Deep End | 16. Carpet Diem | 17. Boyz Crazy | 18. Land Before Swine | 19. Dreamscaperers | 20. Gideon Rises
Season two 21. Scary-oke | 22. Into the Bunker | 23. The Golf War | 24. Sock Opera | 25. Soos and the Real Girl | 26. Little Gift Shop of Horrors | 27. Society of the Blind Eye | 28. Blendin's Game | 29. The Love God | 30. Northwest Mansion Mystery | 31. Not What He Seems | 32. A Tale of Two Stans | 33. Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons | 34. The Stanchurian Candidate | 35. The Last Mabelcorn | 36. Roadside Attraction | 37. Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future | 38. Weirdmageddon Part 1 | 39. Weirdmageddon 2: Escape From Reality | 40-41. Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls
Animated shorts Candy Monster | Stan's Tattoo | Mailbox | Lefty | Tooth | The Hide-Behind | Mabel's Guide to Dating | Mabel's Guide to Stickers | Mabel's Guide to Fashion | Mabel's Guide to Color | Mabel's Guide to Art | Fixin' It with Soos: Golf Cart | Fixin' It with Soos: Cuckoo Clock | TV Shorts 1 | TV Shorts 2 | Mabel's Scrapbook: Heist Movie | Mabel's Scrapbook: Petting Zoo
Lists Allusions | Cryptograms | Goofs | International versions
Related Media Unaired pilot | Next Time On Trailer | Creature in the Closet | Creepy Letters from Lil' Gideon | Gravity Falls Journal 3 Infomercial | Gravity Falls: Six Strange Tales | Gravity Falls: Even Stranger | The Mystery in Gravity Falls | "Old Man" McGucket's Conspiracy Corner Marathon | Between the Pines | Soos' Stan Fiction | Soos Cast | Gravity Falls – Tug-n’-Talk Shmebulock | One Crazy Summer: A Look Back at Gravity Falls | Call Me Mabel
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