The Golf War

"The Golf War" is the third episode in the second season of Gravity Falls, and the 23rd episode overall. It premiered on August 11, 2014.

Official overview
After being belittled by Pacifica one too many times, Mabel challenges her to a miniature golf-off which gets a tad out of control when some local residents offer their help.

Synopsis
The episode starts out with Dipper watching T.V. with Stan offering him some "Stancakes", which Stan states that are like pancakes but probably have some of his hair in them. Dipper doesn't want any. Mabel then bursts into the room exclaiming her accomplishment of getting an article in the newspaper. This moment comes to an end when Dipper and Stan point out that Pacifica won instead of her. Mabel walks sadly to the kitchen to take shots of orange juice. She states that she wants to get something off her mind, and they see a commercial for the "Putt Hutt". Dipper suggests to go there, stating that Mabel loves mini-golf. He, Mabel, Stan and Soos leave the shack, leaving Waddles in charge.

At the mini-golf place, everybody is having fun. Casual shenanigans take place in random spots while the Pines family are at one of the holes. Dipper, Stan and Soos do terribly while Mabel makes holes-in-one on almost every single hole. Finally, they make it to the last hole. Dipper states if she gets a hole-in-one, she will beat her high score. Mabel hits the ball which goes into the tower and out, but the shot misses and lands in a puddle. People walk away. Stan cheers her up by saying she's the best mini-golfer in Gravity Falls, until a pinkish-purple ball falls in the hole. Pacifica walks up. She insults the family by calling them Fat (Soos), Old (Stan), Lame (Dipper), and Braces (Mabel).

Dipper attempts to remind everybody that the Northwest family are frauds from Irrational Treasure, but Pacifica brushes it off and gets a hole-in-one on the bonus volcano hole. Mabel finally snaps and challenges Pacifica to a golf off, but bad weather postpones it until midnight.

At a restaurant, Mabel is ready to give up, until Dipper says that if she beats Pacifica, she could never rag on her again, and also suggests they break into the golf course after dark to practice beforehand. Before they go in, Stan gives Mabel a gold sticker with a trophy on it. Mabel hits multiple balls on hole 18, but none go in, prompting Dipper to investigate the windmill, where they hear something inside, which turns out to be the Swiss Lilliputtians.

Franz, leader of the Swiss, explains they control the balls on the course, and that they understand rivalries, for the Pirate Lilliputtians across the park begin insulting them, and the French guys from the Eiffel Tower hole reveal themselves, and the Knights from the castle hole show themselves. Franz explains that every faction in the park believes themselves to be superior, from the Cowboys to the Miners.

A fight breaks out and the head Pirate notices Mabel's sticker and the Lilliputtians want her to choose the best faction by awarding the sticker. Dipper sees this as an opportunity to beat Pacifica by telling everyone that the best faction that helps them win gets the sticker.

The Cowboys, Pirates, and Knights successfully put Mabel ahead, but the Miners do the best job. When the Swiss see Dipper and Mabel favoring the Miners, they grab Pacifica and attempt to kill her, but the Pirates grab Pacifica's mini golf trainer Sergei, and threaten to kill him if they don't get the sticker. Mabel finally calls off the feud, between her and Pacifica, and the Lilliputtians. Mabel rips and eats the sticker, prompting the factions to bond and turn on her to grab the sticker.

Mabel and Pacifica fight off the Lilliputtians together and everyone except Sergei escapes the mini golf park. The Pines family give Pacifica a ride home, where Pacifica reveals she can't eat in the car and she doesn't know what sharing is. Pacifica admits she had fun, and the Pines family head back to the Mystery Shack, but unbeknownst to them, Franz has stowed away on their license plate, vowing revenge, but falls off into a sand trap.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Jeff Rowe
 * Alex Hirsch


 * Directed by:
 * Matt Braly


 * Storyboards by:
 * Matt Braly
 * Alonso Ramirez Ramos


 * With the Voice Talents of:
 * Jason Ritter - Dipper Pines
 * Kristen Schaal - Mabel Pines
 * Alex Hirsch - Stan Pines Soos
 * Jackie Buscarino - Pacifica Northwest
 * Frank Caliendo - Sergei
 * Patton Oswalt - Franz


 * Additional Voices:
 * Matt Chapman
 * Gregory Michael Cipes
 * Jim Cummings - Pirate Lilliputtlian
 * Nathan Fillion - Preston Northwest
 * Alex Hirsch - Old Man McGucket
 * John O'Hurley - Knight Lilliputtlian
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Big Henry
 * John Roberts
 * Kari Wahlgren - Polly

Songs featured

 * Minigolf Skillz
 * We Control the Balls

Character revelations

 * Mabel and Pacifica are extremely talented mini-golfers.
 * Mabel has been an excellent minigolf player since childhood and has even won 1st place in a Jr. competition when she was nine years old.
 * Pacifica is a globally ranked minigolf player.
 * Pacifica doesn't know what sharing is.
 * Mabel has had braces at least since she was nine years old.

Series continuity

 * Dipper is watching a rerun of the Duck-tective episode Stan watched in "TV Shorts 2" while he was eating cereal.
 * On a wall near the 18th hole, is graffiti of Robbie's signature "muffin" explosion.
 * Dipper mentions the Northwest family being frauds, as revealed in "Irrational Treasure."
 * Mabel has her Stictionary as seen in the short "Mabel's Guide To Stickers."

Trivia

 * This is the first episode whose animation production is done by Yearim Productions Co., Ltd. Normally Gravity Falls is animated by Rough Draft Studios or Digital eMation.
 * This is the first episode of Season 2 in which none of the three journals are consulted.

Cryptograms

 * During the ending credits of this episode, there is a cryptogram that reads "NLMXQWWN IIZ LZFNF." Once decoded using vigenère cipher, it reads "REMEMBER BIG HENRY."
 * Found on castle wall, right after the golf cart dodges the giant swinging axes, the keyword is: "WHATEVS"
 * The page section revealed at the end of the episode says, "9-12-20 11-23-10 5-12-19-19-8-15-10-17 9-10 4-16-19 17-6-19-19-10/" on the left and on the right says, "21-23-10'4 16-19-12-8 22-3-4 1-9-10-20-19-6 1-16-23-4 16-19'5 5-19-19-10" After being put through all of the ciphers, it translates to "OLD MAN SLEEPING ON THE GREEN" and "CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER WHAT HE'S SEEN."