// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "A Tale of Two Stans" say to the map? You're always plotting against us.

"A Tale of Two Stans"
Gravity Falls episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 12
Directed by	Sunil Hall
Written by	Josh Weinstein Matt Chapman Alex Hirsch
Editing by	Kevin Locarro
Production code	618G-213
Original air date	July 13, 2015 (2015-07-13)
Running time	29 minutes
Guest appearances
Nick Offerman as Agent Powers Brad Abrell as Agent Trigger Jonathan Banks as Filbrick Pines J. K. Simmons as Stanford "Ford" Pines Declan J. Krogman as Young Stanley Christian Mardini as Young Stanford

"A Tale of Two Stans" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American animated television series Gravity Falls, which was created by Alex Hirsch, and the 32nd episode overall. It was written by Josh Weinstein, Matt Chapman, and Hirsch, and directed by Sunil Hall, and originally aired on Disney XD on July 13, 2015.

Plot

Immediately following the previous episode, Grunkle Stan tries to embrace his brother, who furiously punches him in retaliation for reactivating the portal. Stan then formally introduces Dipper and Mabel to his brother. It is revealed that Grunkle Stan's real name is Stanley Pines, having taken the name "Stanford" from his long-lost twin brother, Stanford Pines. Grunkle Stan begins to reveal his past to Dipper and Mabel, along with the secrets of his brother Ford.

As children, Stanley and Stanford were exceptionally close. Stanley frequently protected his brother from bullies who mocked him for his polydactyly. The two often dreamed of sailing away to live a life of adventure. In high school, Stanford built a perpetual motion machine poised to grant him entry to a prestigious college across the country; Stanley, jealous, accidentally wrecked the machine one night. Stanford accused Stanley of intentionally sabotaging him; the twins' father, incensed that Stanley ruined Stanford's opportunity to make the family rich, disowned Stanley. Stanley then vowed to make a fortune of his own.

Stanford graduated from "Backupsmore University" and moved to Gravity Falls to study the anomalies concentrated there. He recorded his findings across three journals. With the help of his college friend Fiddleford McGucket, he built a universal portal that could lead to the home dimension Gravity Falls' anomalies originated from. After a disastrous test run, McGucket left the project entirely, begging Stanford to destroy the portal. Meanwhile, all Stanley's attempts at becoming a businessman failed miserably, and he assumed fake identities after being banned from numerous states.

Wary of McGucket's warnings, Stanford asked Stanley to visit him in Gravity Falls. Stanford gave Stanley the first journal and begged him to hide it far away. Stanley became outraged that Stanford had no desire to reconcile. As they fought, the portal was accidentally activated. A bitter Stanley punched Stanford through the portal, which broke soon after. Plagued by guilt, Stanley spent the next thirty years attempting to re-activate the portal, which he only accomplished recently after finding the other two journals. To make ends meet, Stanley assumed Stanford's identity and faked his own death, turning his brother's old house into a tourist attraction, the Mystery Shack.

Back in the present, the agents leave after Stanford erases their memories. After an uneasy reunion, Stan and "Ford" work out a deal: Ford can live in the Mystery Shack's basement for the summer to repair damage caused by the portal's activation, but has to stay away from Dipper and Mabel. An eavesdropping Mabel worries that she and Dipper will end up like Stan and Ford when they're older, to which Dipper assures her they won't. Soos calls an exhausted Wendy for 14 hours to explain what happened.

Broadcast

The episode was viewed by 1.91 million viewers and received a 0.4 18-49 rating on Disney XD, a new record for the network, until Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls, the series finale, beat that record seven months later.