Sock Opera

""Sock Opera" is the fourth episode in the second season of Gravity Falls, and the 24th episode overall. It premiered on September 8, 2014.

Official overview
Mabel decides to put on a sock puppet rock opera to impress a local puppeteer but her show goes away when Dipper's drive to uncover journal secrets with the Laptop, trying to get the password. But it leads to a supernatural disaster.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Shion Takeuchi
 * Alex Hirsch


 * Directed by:
 * Matt Braly
 * Joe Pitt


 * Storyboards by:
 * Christopher Houghton
 * Sunil Hall
 * Vaughn Tada


 * With the Voice Talents of:
 * Kristen Schaal - Mabel
 * Jason Ritter - Dipper
 * Alex Hirsch - Grunkle Stan and Soos


 * Additional Voices:
 * Linda Cardellini - Wendy
 * John DiMaggio - Manly Dan
 * Carl Faruolo - Grenda
 * McKenna Grace
 * Carter Hastings
 * Alex Hirsch - Bill Cipher and Old Man McGucket
 * Jorma Taccone - Gabe
 * Niki Yang - Candy

Series continuity

 * The laptop from "Into the Bunker" reappears.
 * The poster of Candy and Grenda that was torn in "Boyz Crazy" is seen again, taped back together.
 * The 'No. 2 Mug' from Boss Mabel reappears in a scene of Mabel with all her sock puppets in bed.
 * Mermando is first mentioned since "The Deep End."
 * Flashbacks to scenes from "Tourist Trapped," "The Time Traveler's Pig," and "The Deep End" appear when Bill is convincing Dipper to make a deal with him.
 * Bill refers to Dipper's mosquito bites, possibly the "BEWARB" on Dipper's arm from "Tourist Trapped".
 * Mabel and Dipper refer to themselves as the "Mystery Twins" for the first time since "Irrational Treasure."
 * Agent Powers and Agent Trigger's agency's symbol can be seen on a metal box with an antenna and a green and red light in the space between the upper and lower floors when Dipper phases through the floor into the living room.

Trivia
Character revelations
 * Stan's puppet and the puppet Soos makes, are the only ones that are made from a paper bag rather than a sock.
 * The potential passwords Dipper tried out and failed are:
 * password.
 * journal3.
 * overlord.
 * thrilled.
 * crochet.
 * patootie.
 * spooking.
 * craniums.
 * reawaken.
 * vocalize.
 * Starting with this episode, the series falls under the Disney XD Original Series label.
 * The Stan and McGucket puppets that appear at the end of the credits were used by Alex Hirsch at San Diego Comic Con 2013 and 2014.
 * Bill's cane is yellow instead of black as it was in "Dreamscaperers."
 * Candy has been revealed to be able to speak Korean, which is likely because her voice actor Niki Yang is Korean.
 * Bill/Dipper refers to Grenda as a "monster" after talking to her backstage, perhaps alluding that she might not be a normal human.

Cryptograms

 * In 3|Dipper's journal during a musical montage, there is a cryptogram that reads "KFIV VMVITB MLG HPRM ZMW YLMV IRHRMT ORPV GSV HSVKZIW GLMV". Using the atbash cipher it decodes to "Pure energy, not skin and bone, rising like the shepard tone".
 * A piece of paper in the background titled "Codes" has "ZLGGOH", "VKLIWHU", "ZKDWHYV" and "EHDUR" written on it. When decoded using the Caesar Cipher, they read "WIDDLE", "SHIFTER", "WHATEVS" and "BEARO". The first three are the keywords from previous episodes. The last word is the name of Mabel's childhood stuffed bear, as seen in "Tooth".


 * During the ending credits of this episode, there is a cryptogram that reads "YM’KL ECN PPK WFOM UBR KQVXNLK, DCI SIK’U VDA JFTOTA AYQ BWL VVCT "EBTGGB BHWKGZH" HVV: TMEASZFA LOS YCDT PRWKTIYEKGL DBV XQDTYRDGVI ." Once decoded using vigenère cipher, it reads "WE’VE ALL HAD SOME FUN TONIGHT, BUT LET’S NOT FORGET WHO THE REAL "PUPPET MASTERS" ARE: REPTOIDS WHO HAVE INFILTRATED OUR GOVERNMENT ."
 * Found in the mirror's reflection after Bill takes over Dipper's body: "CIPHER"


 * The page section revealed at the end of the episode says, "10-9 8-3-8-8-19-4 5-4-6-15-10-17-5 21-23-10 16-9-12-20 11-19 20-9-1-10" on the top left, "5-9 8-23-4-15-19-10-4-12-25 15 1-23-4-21-16 4-16-15-5 4-9-1-10" on the top right, "23-22-10-9-6-11-23-12 5-9-9-10 1-15-12-12 22-19 4-16-19 10-9-6-11" on the bottom left, and "19-10-14-9-25 4-16-19 21-23-12-11 22-19-18-9-6-19 4-16-19 5-4-9-6-11" on the bottom right. After being put through all of the ciphers, it translates to "NO PUPPET STRINGS CAN HOLD ME DOWN," "SO PATIENTLY I WATCH THIS TOWN," "ABNORMAL SOON WILL BE THE NORM," and "ENJOY THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM."