Item: Gravity Falls
Rating: 9
Author: Max Nicholson

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow.

Ever since November, Gravity Falls fans have been waiting for the conclusion to "Weirdmageddon" and the series as a whole. Now, at long last, that time has finally come and brought with it laughs, tears, thrills and a giant robot with a T-Rex arm. That's not to mention some of the series' most stellar animation yet (and that's saying something considering how gorgeous it usually is), as well as a heartwarming finish deserving of such a beloved TV show.

The first half of "Weirdmageddon 3" was nothing if not action-packed. After the buildup in the two previous episodes, this third installment did not disappoint in terms of wrapping up the Bill of it all. From Dipper and Mabel rallying the troops to their frankly badass assault on Bill's fortress, you couldn't ask for a more exciting climax.

Even amidst the chaos, the finale did a great job of balancing all the characters and not leaving anybody out of the fun. For example, I loved how McGucket and Ford made amends at one point, and Li'l Gideon showed Dipper and Mabel how to free the townsfolk. Even one-off characters like Multi-Bear, Rumble McSkirmish, Sev'ral Timez and Larry King's disembodied head had their moments to shine.
I also enjoyed the little nods to previous episodes: the aforementioned T-Rex, the Gobblewonker, the Size-Altering Flashlight and the amped-up version of the theme song playing while the Mystery Shack-robot pulverized Bill's demon henchmen. Of course, the mother of all callbacks was Ford's Zodiac prophecy, which has been flashing at the end of the title sequence from the very beginning and called on each recurring character to take their place. ("Whoa, Destiny Hoodie...")

Granted, we never actually got to see what the full circle might have done together, and that was admittedly disappointing -- but we did get a great payoff for Grunkle Stan instead. The fact that Stan switched places with Ford to become the hero he always wanted to be was, in my opinion, the perfect emotional bookend for his character. (It was also incredibly satisfying to see Mind-Stan deliver the final blow to Bill's eye.)

But as great as the Bill stuff was, fans will probably cherish the epilogue the most, and, again, every character got their due -- like the Northwest family having to sell their mansion and McGucket buying it for himself; Li'l Gideon trying -- trying -- to be a normal kid; Soos taking over the Mystery Shack; and Dipper and Mabel finally becoming "technically teenagers."

There were even hints of more adventures to come, like Ford and Stan sailing into the Arctic Ocean, and Dipper opening his letter from Wendy reading: "See you next summer." Time will tell if anything comes about from that, but in the meantime fans can take comfort in the fact that creator Alex Hirsch told the story he wanted to tell in the exact way he wanted to tell it, and that's good enough for me.

Verdict

It's always nice to see a show end on its own terms, especially when those terms are as beautifully executed as Gravity Falls' series finale. In addition to tying up all loose ends, "Weirdmageddon 3" was filled with laughs, excitement and heartwarming moments. As animated series go, Gravity Falls was an excellent one, and it'll be sad to see it go. At the same time, I'm glad it ended while it was still fresh, so fans can remember it fondly.