[8.6/10] Oh my god, I loved this. It has one of my favorite approaches to storytelling, which is blending something real and relatable with something ridiculous and fantastical, while finding a natural way to blend them together.
So here, we have Dipper with a crush on an older kid, that makes him want to puff himself up as cool and brave and mature. There's a natural sympathy there, since Dipper’s crush on Wendy is cute, and while his attempts to be grown-up are a little cringe-worthy and even dangerous at times, you understand why the little guy is trying so hard to put up a tough front. Throw in pitch-perfect spoofs of teenager behavior, and ready-made antagonist in the skeptical and sneering Robbie, and you have a dynamic that would work even without the ghost story.
To the same end, there's something that feels so true to life about teenagers sneaking into some abandoned convenience store because it feels kind of dangerous even though it’s relatively tame. Them messing around with old snack items or video games in the store feels right, and again, captures a certain realism amid the lunacy and parody that helps make you invest in what’s going on.
But man, the “ghost story in a convenient store” premise is pretty darn good too. There's a lot of loony, amusing stuff here, but Dipper seeing a disembodied nervous system is genuinely creepy, as is Tambry getting stuck in the security cam footage. The other “punishments” are pretty silly, but also creative. One kid getting trapped in his DDR game and facing plummeting arrows is a goofy take on the “ironic punishment” department. Another finding himself trapped on a cereal box and being eaten alive by Toucan Sam is hilarious macabre. And the last one being turned into a hotdog (hello Pickle Rick fans!) and forced to roll for eternity is enjoyably goofy. The show really has fun coming up with these curses, and I’m here for it.
I also enjoyed the side gag of Mabel going nuts with banned “smile dip” that sends her into a psychedelic trip. It’s a chance for the show to go nuts with some of her dream imagery, which I always enjoy. And it also snakes a nie excuse for why the ghosts possess her and use her as their conduit to talk to the teens.
That’s the best part of this -- how the two stories come together. There's some great synchronicity to the fact that the ghosts haunting this place are the archetypal teen-hating shopkeeps. But what sweetens the deal is that this kindly but provincial couple died from double heart-attacks after listening to mildly disrespectful mid-90s rap. Again, the tameness of the whole thing, and the way it lines up with the themes of the episode, are wonderful.
The resolution is great too. There's some good setup and payoff with Mabel telling Wendy about the times Dipper would have to do his “lamby dance” for his mom, something ery cute and uncool, with that being the one thing that soothes the ghosts. Likewise, there's emotional power in dipper admitting he’s not a teenager, in front of his older crush, to save people he doesn’t even especially like. It shows a decency in the kid, even before he succumbs to lamb-dancing pressure. And the fact that Wendy ultimately covers for him with the rest of the crew adds a nice grace note to the whole thing. It’s a wonderful and hilarious little story.
But man, I died laughing at Gruncle Stan’s three-scene B-story as well. Maybe it’s just because i’ve seen my share of ornate old period pieces, but Stan lamenting having to watch such a stuff film, finding himself becoming really invested in it, and then getting downright angry when the plot developments trample upon the protagonist he’s backing is a great little three-part gag story.
Overall, this show continues to impress me with its quality storytelling, outlandish and hilarious gags, and superb set pieces. What a gem!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-07-10T17:06:40Z
[8.6/10] Oh my god, I loved this. It has one of my favorite approaches to storytelling, which is blending something real and relatable with something ridiculous and fantastical, while finding a natural way to blend them together.
So here, we have Dipper with a crush on an older kid, that makes him want to puff himself up as cool and brave and mature. There's a natural sympathy there, since Dipper’s crush on Wendy is cute, and while his attempts to be grown-up are a little cringe-worthy and even dangerous at times, you understand why the little guy is trying so hard to put up a tough front. Throw in pitch-perfect spoofs of teenager behavior, and ready-made antagonist in the skeptical and sneering Robbie, and you have a dynamic that would work even without the ghost story.
To the same end, there's something that feels so true to life about teenagers sneaking into some abandoned convenience store because it feels kind of dangerous even though it’s relatively tame. Them messing around with old snack items or video games in the store feels right, and again, captures a certain realism amid the lunacy and parody that helps make you invest in what’s going on.
But man, the “ghost story in a convenient store” premise is pretty darn good too. There's a lot of loony, amusing stuff here, but Dipper seeing a disembodied nervous system is genuinely creepy, as is Tambry getting stuck in the security cam footage. The other “punishments” are pretty silly, but also creative. One kid getting trapped in his DDR game and facing plummeting arrows is a goofy take on the “ironic punishment” department. Another finding himself trapped on a cereal box and being eaten alive by Toucan Sam is hilarious macabre. And the last one being turned into a hotdog (hello Pickle Rick fans!) and forced to roll for eternity is enjoyably goofy. The show really has fun coming up with these curses, and I’m here for it.
I also enjoyed the side gag of Mabel going nuts with banned “smile dip” that sends her into a psychedelic trip. It’s a chance for the show to go nuts with some of her dream imagery, which I always enjoy. And it also snakes a nie excuse for why the ghosts possess her and use her as their conduit to talk to the teens.
That’s the best part of this -- how the two stories come together. There's some great synchronicity to the fact that the ghosts haunting this place are the archetypal teen-hating shopkeeps. But what sweetens the deal is that this kindly but provincial couple died from double heart-attacks after listening to mildly disrespectful mid-90s rap. Again, the tameness of the whole thing, and the way it lines up with the themes of the episode, are wonderful.
The resolution is great too. There's some good setup and payoff with Mabel telling Wendy about the times Dipper would have to do his “lamby dance” for his mom, something ery cute and uncool, with that being the one thing that soothes the ghosts. Likewise, there's emotional power in dipper admitting he’s not a teenager, in front of his older crush, to save people he doesn’t even especially like. It shows a decency in the kid, even before he succumbs to lamb-dancing pressure. And the fact that Wendy ultimately covers for him with the rest of the crew adds a nice grace note to the whole thing. It’s a wonderful and hilarious little story.
But man, I died laughing at Gruncle Stan’s three-scene B-story as well. Maybe it’s just because i’ve seen my share of ornate old period pieces, but Stan lamenting having to watch such a stuff film, finding himself becoming really invested in it, and then getting downright angry when the plot developments trample upon the protagonist he’s backing is a great little three-part gag story.
Overall, this show continues to impress me with its quality storytelling, outlandish and hilarious gags, and superb set pieces. What a gem!