http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/GravityFallsS2E14TheStanchurianCandidate
After the mayor of Gravity Falls suddenly passes away and feeling inferior to his brother in the eyes of the twins, Stan decides to run for mayor—and his main opponent is Bud Gleeful. Not wanting Bud to win, the twins try advising Stan, but he refuses to listen to them. Dipper and Mabel resort to using a mind control tie that Ford invented to get Stan to act political.
Tropes in this episode:
- 0% Approval Rating: Stan starts with one, and it gets worse after his first interview.
Candy: Your approval ratings started at zero. Now it's a number lower than zero.
- Always Someone Better: Stan feels this way about Ford, whom he believes seems smarter, cooler, and more heroic to the twins.
- An Aesop: Like what Mabel told Stan through her scented-marker metaphor: everyone has a right to speak their mind and express their opinion, but sometimes, it's better to just keep your mouth shut.
- Attack of the Political Ad: One of the promos
for the episode. - Berserk Button: Dipper really loathes having his intelligence insulted, since (as we've learned in past episodes) he believes it's the only trait he has that's worth anything. When Stan disrespects this, his injured ego prompts him to reveal their entire mind-control scheme.
- Better the Devil You Know: Initially why Mabel and Dipper decide to help Stan. Although he may not be the best candidate, something is off with Bud Gleeful, and they should thwart him. In the end, neither Stan nor Bud wins, and while Stan and the twins are kind of bummed that Stan lost the election, they're ultimately happier that Bud didn't win.
- Big "NO!": Gideon lets out a series of these when his plan to blow up the Mystery Twins fails.
- Bittersweet Ending: Bud Gleeful loses the election and Stan, Dipper, and Mabel bury the hatchet, but Stan ends up disqualified because of his criminal record, and Gideon is preparing to make another deal with Bill Cipher.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: Dipper and Mabel use mind control to try to get Stan into public office, and Stan himself is a former career criminal who already started stuffing the ballots the second he entered the race. But the twins are trying to defeat Bud, who would have pardoned Gideon had he become the mayor. Gideon himself tries to murder Dipper and Mabel, so the twins do have the comparably higher moral ground. Stan gets disqualified, but at least they've exposed Gideon and Bud.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Gideon via his father ties up the twins and leaves them to die in the ensuing firework explosion from the monument. The twins' cries for help are audible to Stan and the audience in the debate, and Stan rescuing them tilts the election in his favor.
- Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: When controlled, Stan declares that he stands for "America. Freedom. Ameri-freedom!".
- The Bus Came Back: Say hello to Li'l Gideon! (He only made a cameo in one of the first episodes of the season).
- Call-Back:
- The Cameo: Cecil Baldwin of Welcome to Night Vale fame stars as normal human Tad Strange.
- Character Development:
- Ford living with and being allowed to interact with the twins starts to take its toll on Stan, who is aware that he is not as "glorious" as Ford but refuses to admit that he wants the twins' respect. By the end of the episode, he finally admits that he wants the twins' admiration as he's rescuing them.
- The twins in turn start to realize how much Stan wants his family to admire him, and Mabel knits him a sash saying "Our Hero" as a thank you and an apology for using him as a People Puppet.
- On the villainous side, Gideon has become a much more competent Big Bad. After first using his father to manipulate the town for the election, he succeeds in incapacitating the twins and averting Underestimating Badassery on Dipper's part.
- Chekhov's Gun: The bird seed piles that determine which candidate gets the highest ratings end up cushioning Stan and the twins' fall from the monument.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Even though her husband is running for mayor and her son is no longer terrorizing her or the town, Mrs. Gleeful remains absent from this episode and hasn't been seen the whole season.
- Comedic Sociopathy:
- The entire Cold Open is full of this for Stan. No wonder he decides to run for Mayor when the news comes up.
- Mabel testing out the mind-control tie on Soos and making him dance. Soos is visibly freaked out, but the twins are amused.
- Continuity Nod:
- Robbie and Tambry are still a couple.
- Gideon's partner in prison crafts class offers to start a riot, the way one was started in the TV shorts, to cheer him up.
- Mabel while controlling Soos makes him eat a pinecone the way she did in "Mabel's Guide to Life."
- Gideon's arrest and Stan's cons throughout the town are brought up.
- Gideon still calls Stan "Stanford" since he's Locked Out of the Loop on Stan's true identity.
- One of a Long List of crimes on Stan's record is teaching a bear to drive.
- Toby is still using a turkey baster instead of a mic for his interviews.
- Cool Old Guy: Stan scales a monument railing and pulls up the twins with his bare hands to save their lives.
- Disqualification-Induced Victory: After both Stan and Bud are disqualified from the election for mayor of Gravity Falls, Tyler Cutebiker (the only other person running) wins by default.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Tyler Cutebiker receives the mayoral sash and a bouquet of flowers like a beauty pageant contestant winner.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Stan has this all throughout the episode, though by the end he admits that he only wants the twins' respect.
- Easily Elected: Zigzagged. The Town Charter states that anyone is a viable candidate for mayor provided that they "can cast a shadow, count to ten and throw their hat into the provided ring." However, despite Stan Pines getting the most votes, his lengthy criminal record leads to his disqualification. After Stan and Bud are disqualified, Tyler Cutebiker is made mayor by default because he was the only candidate to actually fill out the paperwork, in spite of him not actually having done any campaigning or having any known qualifications.
- Easily Forgiven: Stan isn't angry at the kids (and, by extension, Ford) for temporarily depriving him of his free will; he seems to acknowledge that it was probably for the best because he wouldn't have had much of a chance of winning on his own.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Bud Gleeful can be mean and unethical and is only running for mayor to try and free Gideon from jail, but even he realizes that using black magic to win is a seriously bad idea.
- Foreshadowing:
- When Bud is asked whether he's still in contact with Gideon, he dodges the question by bribing everyone in the room. Turns out he is.
- Stan starts his run by attempting to fix the ballots. By the end, he gets disqualified because of his criminal record.
- When Dipper is talking to Ford, a page is noticeably missing from one of his journals. It later turns out Gideon kept it.
- Fauxtivational Poster: Gideon has a parody of the iconic "Hang in there!" poster in his cell, captioned "Hold on to that branch or die, cat!". Gideon claims it's the only thing keeping him going...then rips it off the wall to reveal it's actually hiding a summoning circle for Bill Cipher.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Shandra is reading Stan's crimes, one listing says, "Telling jokes that go on and on, I mean we have things to do today really."
- Freudian Slip: When the youngsters behind Stan at the cashier line insinuate that, because he's an old man, he'll use some slow method to pay for the light bulb, he impulsively reveals he's stealing it.
- Godzilla Threshold: Gideon making another deal with Bill Cipher counts as this, since all his other plans didn't work out.
- Gosh Darn It to Heck!: When Stan pulls ahead in the polls, Bud launches into a tirade of nonsensical euphemisms in front of his campaign staff. He immediately apologizes for his language.
- Hammerspace Hair: Gideon hid a page of the journal in his over-sized pompadour.
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Stan's 70s-style suit looks surprisingly good on him.
- He Who Fights Monsters: The twins, in trying to stop Bud Gleeful from winning, stoop to Gideon's level. Gideon even lampshades it, remarking upon how much "eviler" they've become since he last met them.
- Hidden Depths:
- The Mayor was a pretty interesting guy before his death. It's actually said that he may have possibly started World War I.
- Bud Gleeful can be a lot nastier than he lets on. Even so, he balks at using Gideon's black magic to win.
- Dipper and Mabel make surprisingly good campaign managers, seeing as how a pair of twelve-year-olds managed to almost win the election for Stan essentially by themselves. On a lesser note, Mabel apparently knows how to breakdance.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Tyler the cute biker's full name is...Tyler Cutebiker.
- Humiliation Conga: The cold open has Grunkle Stan going through a very bad start to his day.
- Ironic Name: According to Soos, the only citizen of Gravity Falls who isn't a tad strange is a man whose name is Tad Strange.
- It Only Works Once: Gideon's page mentions that the spell is "one-time use."
- It's Pronounced "Tro-PAY": Tyler Cutebiker's name is pronounced "Cute-bicker".
- Just Between You and Me: Gideon announces to the twins how he plans to murder them once his father is elected.
- Jerkass Has a Point: As "morally ambiguous" as the mind-control tie was, Stan is forced to admit that the twins weren't completely in the wrong when his attempt at campaigning his way costs him his popularity.
- Karma Houdini: Dipper and Mabel face no consequences for essentially mind-raping Stan (and Soos). Neither does Ford who came up with the idea. Even Stan doesn't seem that upset. Then again, they were trying to help him out and, in the end, even Stan realized that he had no chance of winning the election on his own. Not to mention Gideon almost kills them twice during the election finals.
- Killed Off for Real: Mayor Befufflefumpter is deceased of an unknown cause (most likely of old age) as of this episode.
- Lame Comeback: Stan when he announces his intention take on Bud Gleeful in the election. It still seems to wow the crowd regardless.
Bud: Stanford? No offence, but you're just some two-bit carnival barker. And your head is more ears than face!
Stan: Oh, yeah? Well, your face is more fat... than... not fat!
(everyone gasps)
Tad Strange: Oh, snap!
- The Last Dance: The former mayor's death makes Stan realize that he's not getting any younger, and his legacy consists of the Mystery Shack (which he's soon going to lose) and a lifetime of national and international cons. He tries to be mayor both to add something positive to his legacy and to earn the twins' respect.
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted for Dipper, who wears a campaign T-shirt throughout the episode in place of his usual shirt and vest. He even ditches his pine tree hat for a boater and a visor.
- List of Transgressions: When Stan's rap list is shown on TV, the number of pages is five inches thick, including crimes such as woodpecker baiting, impersonating a dentist, golf cart theft, telling overly long jokes and pug trafficking...and Stan implies there are more crimes that aren't on the list at all.
- Long List: When Shandra announces her intent to read Stan's List of Transgressions, she's given a stack of papers at least a foot thick.
Dipper: What did you do?
Stan: What didn't I do?
- Memetic Mutation: In-Universe, Stan becomes the subject of memes mere seconds after his first radio interview. One of them even parodies the Boromir meme.
Wendy: You're memeing fast, and none of them are good.
- Mind Rape: Dipper and Mabel essentially do this to Stan and Soos (who suffers much worse effects). Gideon later uses a much more explicit version on his father. Neither the twins nor Gideon face any consequences for their actions.
- Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Gideon's power runs far beyond his cell, and he has plenty of backup plans handy. If all else fails, he can call Bill Cipher.
- Misplaced Sorrow: Shandra breaks down while reporting on Mayor Befufflefumpter's death...because it's the first actual news she has reported on in a long time.
- Mood Whiplash: The Stinger starts with one of Gideon's fellow inmates consoling him on his plan failing by asking him to join a riot...but then it ends with Gideon summoning Bill Cipher again.
- My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: Soos experiences this when Mabel tests the mind-control tie on him.
- Never Filled Out Official Paperwork: Every candidate except Tyler Cutebiker and Stan (who was already disqualified due to his criminal record) falls victim to this, making Tyler the winner by default.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When Stan disrespects his intelligence and disregards his plans, Dipper snaps and reveals the entire plan to him, causing Stan to storm out and refuse to wear the tie. This nearly costs Stan the election.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Gideon nearly murdering the twins during the debate ends up costing his father the election, since Stan risks his life to save his family and earns the top-rated approval points (even though he ultimately doesn't win).
- Noodle Incident:
- Mabel borrowed Stan's slippers to carry milk in them, and Dipper took the lightbulbs to make Soos a planetarium suit. It's never explained why.
- Mabel, while controlling Stan, mentions having released a swarm of bees at an elementary school a few years earlier.
- Mayor Befufflefumpter may have started World War I.
- One of the crimes that disqualified Stan from being mayor was a crime that he apparently invented called "burgle-bezzlement." He also engages in "pug trafficking", and committed llamacide because the llama "knew too much".
- In addition, Stan admits he's relieved they didn't get the really bad stuff, and doesn't specify if that refers to his previous crimes.
- According to the town charter, in order to become the Mayor of Gravity Falls, you need to be able to count to ten, cast your hat into a ring...and cast a shadow.
- Ford mentioned he made the mind-control ties for Ronald Reagan's "masters" (presumably Republican Party leaders).
- Non-Answer: Toby asks Bud whether he's still in contact with Gideon. He tells Toby that's a good question and offers him (and everyone in the room) 50% off a used car.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Gideon has learned very well from the last time he encountered the Pines twins. He uses his father to grab both Dipper and Mabel, tie them up, and plan to murder them. If he hadn't engaged in Bond Villain Stupidity by placing them within earshot of Stan, it would have worked.
- Not Himself: Stan recognises before the debate even begins that something isn't right about Bud Gleeful, though he makes no specific accusations. Once the debate begins, Mabel and Dipper realise it too, and just as they figure out Gideon is responsible, they're ambushed.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Mayor Befufftlefumpter passes away, and Tyler is the new mayor in his place.
- "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer: Dipper, while explaining Gravity Fall's electoral process: "I couldn't make this up if I wanted to."
- "Not So Different" Remark: Gideon takes some time to point out that the Mystery Twins are just as immoral in using science to control someone against their will as he is.
- No, You: Soos, controlled by the twins during the big debate.
Soos: That doesn't make sense, Mabel. You don't make sense, Dipper!
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Played for horror when Bud yells "Please, not this again!" when Gideon casts the mind control spell on him, implying Gideon has used magic spells from the journal before.
- The Pardon: Gideon wants his father to become mayor to get him one.
- Paying in Coins: When Stan is at the grocery store, Robbie sneers that he'll probably pay in pennies because he's old.
- People Puppets:
- Ford gives Dipper a tie that can turn someone into this.
- A spell Gideon kept from his journal allows him to take control of his father.
- Ronald Reagan was one to his "Masters."
- Portmanteau:
- Overlapping with Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs, Stan (while being controlled by Dipper) claims to stand for "America. Freedom. Ameri-freedom!".
- Stan has apparently invented (and been convicted of) a crime called "burgle-bezzlement".
- Raised by Wolves: Mayor Befufflefumpter was apparently raised by bears.
- Revenge: Gideon is still bent on getting his vengeance on Stan, Dipper and Mabel.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: After Stan announces his bid to run for mayor:
Mabel: Grunkle Stan, what are you doing?!
Stan: Running for mayor. Did I...did I not make that clear?
- Ridiculously Average Guy: Tad Strange, who's so average that he proclaims his love of...bread.
- Rushmore Refacement: Mayor Befufflefumpter's face is carved in a nearby mountain as a memorial. Gideon blows up one side of it while trying to kill the Pines twins.
- Sand In My Eyes: Stan claims he got confetti in his eyes when Dipper and Mabel notice him crying.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Tyler when Dipper and Mabel scream for help.
- Sdrawkcab Speech: Gideon's incantation to possess Bud is actually the phrase "Spooky evil spells!" repeatedly said backwards.
- Second Place Is for Winners: Even though Stan and the twins are kind of bummed that Stan loses the election for mayor of Gravity Falls, they're happy that Bud didn't win and Stan's happy to have mended his bond with the twins, and nearly tears up when they give him a handmade sash that says "Our Hero."
- "Shaggy Dog" Story:
- Stan trying to change a lightbulb in the Cold Open, forgetting that his brother is a genius who can make another one.
- Stan wins the election for Gravity Falls' new Mayor with 95% of the vote, but he gets disqualified due to his criminal record making him ineligible for office. (Not that he cares anymore; he's at least glad he got a chance to try.) On the bright side, the twins prevented Bud from winning, which was their main goal; Bud (along with the majority of the ballot) was also disqualified from the election due to incorrectly filing his paperwork for his candidacy.
- Shout-Out:
- Single-Minded Twins: This episode probably comes closer than any other to portraying Dipper and Mabel as a single unit—they're nearly identical in motivation, lack of scruples with mind-control, etc.
- Sleazy Politician: Both Stan and Bud almost became this, only to be disqualified. In Stan's case, it's an explicit Deconstruction, as his massive List of Transgressions bars him from office; in Bud's case, he just forgot to fill out his paperwork correctly.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Ford takes a backseat in this episode, but his actions play a big role. His fixing the lightbulb is what makes Stan consider running for mayor, and Dipper's remark that Ford would have been a great mayor is what finally convinces him to do it. Ford is also the one who provides the twins with the mind-controlling ties.
- Smoke Out: Stan tries to pull this off, but the smoke bomb he uses has passed its expiration date.
- Status Quo Is God: Stan becoming the mayor would have ruined the dynamic of the Mystery Shack, as would Soos or Bud Gleeful, meaning Tyler is the only character expendable enough to be allowed to become Mayor. They just have to make sure Gideon doesn't get what he wants.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Stan may have electrified the town with his heroics, but because of his criminal record, he's disqualified from running for public office, even though the election process itself is pretty ridiculous.
- Take That!: After Stan's disastrous Q&A session, Wendy mentions that Stan is being used in memes and that "none of them are good" while showing a parody of the 'One does not simply' meme with Stan in Boromir's place.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Gideon tells Dipper and Mabel that they've "gotten much eviler since I last saw you," in reference to the fact they are mind-controlling their own uncle.
- Traumatic Haircut: Gideon tears out pieces of his pompadour when his father loses the election.
- Villainous Breakdown: Gideon reacts to his failure by destroying the journal page with the mind-control spell and tears out part of his hair, all while screaming in rage.
- The Unreveal: Tad Strange. Before this episode, fans had an array of out-there speculations such as Tad being the same type of creature as Bill Cipher (but a square) to Tad being Gompers' real name (when asked in a Q&A about the goat, Bill said he 'like(s) him better this way'). This episode reveals that not only is he just a normal guy, he's probably the most normal person in Gravity Falls.
- Vote Early, Vote Often: Stan commits voter fraud and stuffs a ballot box at the start of the election.
- We Win, Because You Didn't: Dipper and Mabel's ultimate goal when they agree to help Stan's candidacy is to prevent Bud from winning. While they are disappointed that Stan ends up losing the election, they're at least happy that Bud also lost.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Inverted; Stan wants to win the twins' respect, which is his main motivation in running for mayor.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The twins resort to unethical means to help their Grunkle win and keep Bud Gleeful from becoming Mayor and freeing Gideon.
- Wham Line: Gideon delivers it to a chalk picture of Bill:
"I'm finally ready to make a deal."
- Wham Shot: Gideon has drawn a chalk picture of Bill Cipher and his circle, hiding it behind a poster in his prison cell.
- Why We Can't Have Nice Things:
- The monument that the town built for their former mayor ends up damaged when the explosions that Gideon set up detonate.
- Gideon tears a page out of Ford's Journal #2, and later tears it apart in a tantrum.
- Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing: Stan is disqualified for his criminal record and Bud for trying to murder the other candidate, meaning that Tyler, who was in third place, won the election by default. Though he did do one thing the other candidates didn't: his paperwork.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Mayor Befufflefumpter is mentioned as being 102 years old in the episode "Northwest Mansion Mystery" and the series takes place during the summer of 2012, meaning he must have been born in 1910. He's also described as having potentially started and/or served in World War I, even though he could only have been four at the time it began. (Then again, this may have been the joke.)
- Yandere: After announcing his plan to murder the twins, Gideon says he'll spare Mabel if she marries him. He even made her a dress in crafts class. You can imagine Mabel's response.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Gideon seems to regard the Mystery Twins controlling Stan to be a Worthy Opponent move. Driving the point home, he tells them this as he's bodysnatching his own father.
