A new threat leads Mabel to venture into the enchanted realm of the unicorns. Meanwhile, Dipper learns an unexpected twist about the enigmatic Bill Cipher.[1]
Synopsis
The episode starts at night, showing Dipper and Mabel sleeping in the attic. Ford is also sleeping in the basement, and begins to dream. In his dream, Ford is standing in a field of wheat, with a swing set, the ruined Stan-o-War, and the ruined Universe Portal in the background. Ford stares in shock as the wheat is flattened into the pattern of Bill Cipher.
Bill appears to Ford, calling him his "old pal." Bill says that he's been going around making deals and preparing for the "big day." Bill grabs a copy of the dimensional rift, warning Ford that he can't keep it safe forever. Bill throws the rift down to the ground, opening a red triangular portal in the sky and burning the wheat field.
Ford yells at Bill to leave his mind, telling him he has no dominion in the real world. Bill leaves through the portal, telling Ford that things can change. A series of cryptic images flash as Ford wakes up with a start, telling himself he has to warn his family.
In the morning, Dipper and Mabel try and find a board game to play, as Stan continues his pug trafficking scheme. Ford calls a family meeting, and Dipper and Mabel attend. Ford asks the twins if they know about Bill Cipher, to which the twins explain their lasttwo encounters with him. Ford, slightly shocked, explains that Bill is growing in power. Luckily, he has a way to shield the Mystery Shack from Bill. To do so, he needs several magic ingredients, including unicorn hair.
Ford, looking through Journal 1, shows how unicorns reside in an enchanted glade, and that their hair can only be taken by the pure of heart. Mabel jumps at the opportunity, saying she loves unicorns, and she's probably the most pure of heart in the room. After no objections, Ford agrees to send Mabel on the quest, and gives her a crossbow and Journal 1 to help her. Mabel calls Candy, Grenda, and Wendy to help her out.
After Mabel leaves, Dipper asks Ford what the plan is to stop Bill. Ford escorts Dipper to the second level of the basement, where Ford has made a private study. No one, not even Stan, knows it exists. Ford tells Dipper that if Mabel can't get the unicorn hair, they'll have to block their minds from Bill instead. He shows Dipper a network of terminals, with a helmet connected to it.
Meanwhile, the girls continue their quest. Mabel, Candy, and Grenda are all excited to see a unicorn. Wendy doesn't believe in unicorns, and only agreed to come along to keep the kids from getting into any trouble. When the girls step into a magical area in the forest, Mabel consults Journal 1 and finds that to summon a unicorn, one must utter a deepest chant. After Grenda successfully does so, the glade rises up out of the ground, and the girls enter.
Inside, sitting on a rock, is the unicorn Celestabellebethabelle, apparently the last of her kind. Mabel steps forward and explains that she needs a piece of her hair to protect her family. Celestabellebethabelle examines Mabel's heart, and comes to the conclusion that she is not pure. The unicorn tells Mabel to come back when she is pure of heart. Distraught, Mabel realizes that Celestabellebethabelle was right, and that she has been "slacking off on the whole goodness department." Mabel decides to do a ton of good deeds to make up for it.
Meanwhile, Ford flicks the switch on the terminals and puts the helmet on Dipper. When Dipper asks Ford what Bill really is, Ford says no one knows for sure, but they do know that he is incredibly ancient, "older than our galaxy and far more twisted." Bill comes from an alternate dimension known as the Nightmare Realm, but he doesn't have a physical form on Earth. He is limited to interacting in people's mindscapes, but could use the dimensional rifts to open a portal straight to Earth. This is why Ford disabled the Universe Portal.
Ford tells Dipper the machine he's hooked up to is designed to scramble his thoughts to outside entities, so that they can't interact with his mindscape. The terminals show Dipper's thoughts as this process occurs. When Dipper asks Ford what his history with Bill is, Ford dodges the question and tells Dipper to focus on the machine for now.
One of Dipper's projected thoughts read "I miss Tyrone", who was the first Dipper clone from "Double Dipper."
Ford's initial trust of Bill could briefly be seen in one section of the Journal 3 entry seen in "Dreamescaperers", in which Ford fondly regards Bill as a friend before being scratched out and replaced by a warning not to trust him.
618 appears on Stanford's chalkboard, as well as in ambigram form (written as 918).
Dipper still has feelings for Wendy or still thinks about her, despite the events in "Into the Bunker."
Trivia
Ford could possibly die at the age of 92 with a heart attack because in the flashback Bill says ''don't have a heart attack. You're not 92 yet.''
When Dipper is hooked up to Project Mentum, there are several screens with this thoughts displayed, with each line repeating as it scrolls to the right:
1st Screen:
Oh man, I can't believe I'm with the author!
Gosh, I hope no one was looking!
Maybe if I cross my legs, no one will notice!
Kinda kinda hungry, but could also not eat.
I should really try out the president's key sometime.
I could probably I could probably rob a bank.
I miss Tyrone!
That red bathing suit, man!
Phrases scrolling across 1st screen:
Is my fly down?
Disco Girl
Coming through
Wendy!
2nd Screen:
Ugh, this is so hard! I've been here forever!
Eeeny meeny miney you.
Is Bill indestructible?
What's his secret?
Who stole the capers?
Why does he have to be so mysterious about Bill?
I can handle the truth!
3rd Screen (same phrase for all 7 lines):
I wonder what Great Uncle Ford is thinking
4th Screen (same phrase for all 7 lines):
Use the machine, it'll show you his thoughts!
5th Screen (same phrase for all 7 lines):
Just a peek!
6th Screen (same phrase for all 7 lines):
He wants your help he just doesn't know it
7th Screen (the two phrases alternate lines):
Yes, you are!
Astute, I would say, good observation Dipper!
When Dipper puts the helmet on Stanford, his thoughts are projected in six lines, but they are not scrolling in the same pattern as with Dipper. They pull apart to reveal an image of Bill. The lines are:
Old Man McGucket; Candy; Pacifica Northwest; Tyler Cutebiker; Lazy Susan; Manly Dan; Robbie; Lolph; Dundgren; Sheriff Blubs; Deputy Durland; Toby Determined; Preston Northwest; Sprott; Blendin Blandin; Shandra Jimenez; Soos; Gorney; Tambry; Bud Gleeful; Grenda; Lee; Priscilla Northwest; Mr. Valentino; Mrs. Valentino; Wendy. [Once it reaches Wendy, the list repeats itself starting with Old Man McGucket and ending at Bud Gleeful before cutting to the end cryptogram page.]
Cryptograms
End page.
The cryptogram in the episode's end page is 15-10 21-15-8-16-19-6'5 17-23-11-19 16-19 10-19-19-20-5 23 8-23-1-10, 22-19 5-3-6-19 4-9 13-10-9-1 1-16-15-21-16 5-15-20-19 25-9-3'6-19 9-10 which, when decoded using the Combined Cipher, reads: IN CIPHER'S GAME HE NEEDS A PAWN, BE SURE TO KNOW WHICH SIDE YOU'RE ON.
The cryptogram in the end credits is S UPYTYH DIP GAVO QETHI MCBK OHK XEXJB VRW File:TLBS00010.png
Key: SCHMENDRICK
YOUWCHIA VRSV OQ LRDIA, which, when decoded with the Vigenère key SCHMENDRICK, translates to A SIMPLE MAN WITH EAGER EARS MAY TRUST THE WHISPERS THAT HE HEARS. The key is found on a stump when Candy, Grenda, and Wendy enter the Gnome's tavern.
When Dipper is looking through The Cipher File under "Mind Scape" there is a cryptogram that reads " & ." Once decoded using the Author's symbol substitution cipher, it reads "BLACK & WHITE."
The Binary code displayed on the television screen does not decode into anything.
Codes on Stanford's chalkboard (separated by semicolon means they were written above each other):
& 
." Once decoded using the Author's symbol substitution cipher, it reads "BLACK & WHITE."
