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Bill Cipher’s Wheel. Teased from the very first episode of Gravity Falls, it’s secrets
seemingly promised to unlock greater meaning behind the enigmatic Bill Cipher. His powers,
his plans, his history. Those symbols surrounding Cipher seduced us into thinking they could
foretell the future of the show to the person smart enough to crack their code. Ultimately,
none of this proved to be true. It turned out the wheel that we see flashed over and
over again is Grunkle Ford’s interpretation of a prophecy left behind by a Native American
shaman who lived in Gravity Falls generations ago. The collected symbols are referred to
by Grunkle Ford as the “Zodiac”, and he believes it is the key to Bill Cipher’s
one weakness.
But as we all well know, the Zodiac fails. Bill Cipher acknowledges that it could have
worked, but in the story that Alex Hirsch presented it didn’t. For all the teasing,
all the connections, all the talk of destiny and prophecy, it doesn’t work. And this
is a choice that I see Alex get slammed for again and again in memes, discussions, and
blog posts across the web. So today we’re going to examine why the Zodiac fails, and
shed light on the thematic reasons why it needed to in the story.
First. let’s take a look at the construction of Bill Cipher’s Zodiac. Bill is surrounded
by ten symbols. The question mark, the ice bag, the big fish, the pine tree, the pentagram,
the six fingered hand, the llama, the shooting star, the stitched heart, and the spectacles.
The fan community deduced early on that these symbols are bound to characters, places, or
items within the show, and so it quickly became a game played by theorists to speculate over
which character, place, or thing was connected to these various symbols. It’s a game I
even played myself multiple times.
But the events of Weirdmagaddon Part 3 (Section 1) spell everything out for the audience.
Grunkle Ford learned about the zodiac within the caves underneath Gravity Falls at the
same time he learned how to summon Bill Cipher. According to the painting, if all of the symbols
are combined they can create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill and undo the weirdness
of Weirdmageddon. Although he was able to make some connections between the symbols
and characters in the show, many remained a mystery to him at the time. So ultimately
Ford decided not to dedicate time researching it. He dismissed the Zodiac as nothing more
than superstition passed down by the native inhabitants of the area, but after being saved
by his family and being reminded about the possibility of Bill Cipher’s weakness, he
makes the mental connection. At that moment Ford believes, and specifically states, that
the Zodiac isn’t hokum, it’s destiny.
On the surface, the zodiac fails because of Stan and Ford’s fight. The skeptic versus
the believer. The circle is broken, and can not be reformed before Bill Cipher returns
and forcibly removes most of the players from the game. Weridmageddon Part 3 (Section 1)
specifically ends on the shocking failure of the Zodiac which sets up the final events
of the series. But why did Alex chose to have it fail entirely, when he could have just
as easily styled his story to have the Zodiac work by partially depowering Bill Cipher before
an ultimate showdown?
Well the answer can be deduced by analyzing what kind of story Alex Hirsch wanted to tell.
As I’ve discussed before, Alex clearly believes in the nobility of hard work receiving just
reward. Over and over again Gravity Falls shows us that there is no easy way to get
what you want, and more so, that you should always actively look your gift horse in the
mouth.
Every character who puts in the hard work, gets what they deserve in the end. For example,
Dipper gains the maturity and respect he always wanted. Soos inherits a legacy he helped build.
Twin brothers regain their lost bond. And Mabel makes and keeps lifelong friends. Conversely,
characters who cheat and seek out easy answers, riches, or power specifically get punished
as their desires are warped against them.
For example, Dipper loses his body and the laptop’s answers because of a hastily made
deal. Mabel hands over the means for weirdmageddon in exchange for a false reality and superficial
happiness. Stan is always on the run and repeatedly pays for his crimes. And Gideon Gleeful loses
his powers, his business, goes to jail, and even ends up a demon’s plaything after his
many bad decisions.
Therefore, the failure of the Zodiac could be an extension of that theme. It was just
too easy to dispose or depower Bill in that way. Humanity would have to earn its rightful
victory by working through a tougher and more costly trial.
The failure of the Zodiac could also be chocked up to Gravity Falls’ perpetual examination
of Expectation versus Reality. A huge chunk of the humor in the show comes from the dramatic
comparison between the two. For example the expectation that the MultiBear is actually
a monstrous beast when he is actually a gentle and caring soul. The expectation that Puppet
Crazy Gabe is actually a sound minded hunk when in reality he is actually crazy for puppets.
Or Grunkle Stan’s expectation of endearing himself in the minds of children, and the
hellish reality of his attempt.
But deeper analysis provides a more specific reason for the failure of the Zodiac. But
before I explain what this reason is, let’s first take a look at another important movie
that makes a similar point: the original 1984 film, Ghostbusters. Now I know what you’re
saying, “Doug, are you just making an excuse to talk about Ghostbusters again?” The answer
is “yes”, but it helps me illustrate a point.
Spoilers, but at the end of Ghostbusters, the titular team squares off against Gozer
the Gozarian. Not just a ghost, but as Winston puts it, “a moldy old Babylonian God.”
Although it does take crossing the streams, the Ghostbusters are able to defeat Gozer
with nothing more than a blast from their proton packs, and the reason for this is very
specific. In any other film, the protagonists would have found their mortal tools and science
are useless and would have to fall back on some ancient spell, well timed prayer, or
magic imbued item to defeat the threat and fulfil their destiny of saving the day.
But the Ghostbusters don’t rely on destiny. They use the same proton packs they used on
all the other ghosts shown in the film, and Gozer goes down just the same. You see, the
Ghostbusters aren’t the chosen ones or predestined saviors. They’re mortals. Sure, they had
the tools and the talent, but ultimately the point is made that anyone with minimal training
could strap on a proton pack and silence the boogeyman under the bed to the very gods themselves.
While I’m sure the creators of Ghostbusters didn’t approach their film with the specific
design of creating a story that endorses or even advocates atheism, but these thematic
elements do exist within the film. And it’s important to take note of, because these themes
are uncommon and are therefore incredibly progressive. Especially within the realm of
family based programming, where all too often stories for “all audiences” feature an
underdog “chosen one” who must realize their destiny and defeat an ancient threat
after collecting the pieces of a magical mcguffin.
In Gravity Falls, as Bill Cipher is distracted by the giant robot Mystery Shack, Ford explains
that the symbols on the Zodiac correspond to the people who best represent them. However,
he specifically doesn’t inform characters to their connections, he leaves that to their
own observations. Dipper connects the pentagram to Gideon. Wendy connects Robbie to the Stitched
Heart.
Even Ford himself passes the buck of selecting someone for the Ice Bag, simply saying “The
symbols needn't all be literal, Dipper. It just has to be someone cool in the face of
danger.” With one line, Alex tips his hat to just how meaningless and purposefully vague
the Zodiac really is. If the symbols aren’t definitive, it doesn’t need to be the exact
people in the room. Anyone who is believed to somewhat represent a symbol can join hands
and form the Zodiac.
Alex even shares the fact that the zodiac is rubbish by specifically showing us various
versions of Bill Cipher’s wheel. Journal number three, the wall of Gideon’s jail
cell, and the zodiac Ford spraypaints on the ground just before their confrontation with
Bill each show the symbols in different places. We all rushed to glean deeper meaning from
these symbols and their placement, but there is no importance to their location on the
wheel. Nothing is literal, it’s all superficial. There is no deeper meaning beyond what we
attribute to the symbols and their placement.
So by establishing and subverting the Zodiac, Alex has presented a story that pits destiny
against free will, and free will wins. The prophecy of the Zodiac’s primary function
needed to fail in order to up the stakes for the final confrontation, because without the
deus ex machina of whatever the Zodiac was supposed to do it places far more worth and
value in the sacrifice made by Grunkle Stan.
The Pines defeated a demon not with some magic learned from the walls of a cave, or some
stockpile of gold, or because they were destined to do so. The Pines defeat Bill with their
own cunning and ingenuity. Mortals tricked and defeated a God far more powerful than
they were, and in doing so, showcased that no matter how powerful an adversary may seem,
anyone can defeat them if they’re clever enough. That’s something I’ve always believed
in, and after polling my audience, odds are it’s something you believe in too.
However, it could be said that the prophecy was somewhat correct. Although the magic failed,
if not for the summer’s worth of actions of the ten people who assembled and joined
hands, the Pines would never have been prepared to tackle Bill in their final confrontation.
But destiny is a fickle thing, especially in a show that incorporates time travel. And
I’ll explain why in the next meeting of the Royal Order of the Holy Mackerel. Until
then, share, subscribe, and keep cracking those codes!