Dark Qiviut

"Being in character or likeable doesn't make the actions okay."

It's a lesson I said a lot when it came to FIM, and the same applies to other shows, too. An action may make sense to the character, but if what he, she, or they committed is stupid, mean, or any other negative trait, and if it affects the story, you need something to tell the audience the story won't tolerate that kind of behavior. Soos is stupid with a heart of gold. Stan's an asshole and, to quote Mother's Basement in his GF review, "a conman with a heart of passable gold substitute." There needs to be consequences for their actions, and they have to be addressed by other characters and /or the story itself.

Land Before Swine handles this perfectly. Before the intro, the episode doesn't portray either of them in the right.

1. Soos's stupidity historically makes the situation worse for both the twins and himself. Although it started harmlessly, Dipper's already frustrated with him accidentally destroying the film. When he nearly runs himself over, Dipper confined to Mabel, worried that he'll only worsen their journey to rescue Waddles. As it turns out, he does — winds the ball of yarn and destroys the lamp, both without any malice. Dip's frustration mirrors our own, because without him, they'll probably rescue Waddles by now. In Dip's POV, Stan ain't taking Mabel's feelings seriously, and when you see how carefree and absentminded he behaves, you can see where he's coming from.
2. Grunkle Stan is an asshole, and a lovable one at that. All series, his behavior landed him with some consequence, traditionally ones not affecting him. LBS's the first one where he encounters something supernatural and goes on a supernatural adventure, and with the others working to hide it from him, it's a big twist of events for us viewers. Stan breaking his promise to Mab is the perfect time for him to witness a supernatural creature (and nearly make him pay for it).
   
   But when he tries to be a bigger asshole by lying to her and saying it out of the blue when witnessing the underground cave of hibernating dinosaurs (with great use of continuity from The Deep End), Mabel was completely justified to be angry at him for reasons already stated. As long established both here and in the past, she and the pig are really tight, and losing Waddles means losing a really dear family member. If he won't care about Waddles, then why the hell should Mabel care about Stan? The voice acting (with Mabel's voice breaking as she disowns him) adds so much emotional weight to both the overarching theme of maturation and episode's of regaining trust.

Aside from them doing bad or stupid things, LBS adds one more caveat: make them fix the problems.

1. While they're trapped, Soos gets an epiphany, understanding how clumsy he is and may commit actions that really bother Dipper, but lets him know he's a good guy. Yet, even though he's dim, he's very instinctual. When he sees how the baby pterodactyl is looking, he knows how far apart their eyes are, so walking in a straight line takes advantage of his blind spot and allows them to escape the nest. Then when there's virtually no way out, he uses his strength to burst them up the geyser.
2. When Stan tries to use Waddles as dino bait, he eventually realizes (through clever voice-acting and visual subtlety) how much Mabel really means to him. She's his niece, and both care for each other. If he loves her, he'll keep Waddles safe. And he does just that: strapping Waddles on his back and punching the pterodactyl to protect him. The adventure brought all three closer, and he tolerates Waddles now.

This is in complete contrast to Old Man McGucket. He was absolutely reckless, completely unaware that his stupidity worsened their predicament, and continued to get into trouble. Reaching out to touch the baby pterodactyl was his grandest (and most gruesome) mistake.

Mr. E didn't give it an Admiral for no reason. Land Before Swine tackles both jerkiness and stupidity, but rather than tolerate it, they inflict consequences to the story, the plot puts them in the wrong, and highlights their best qualities to help everyone resolve it and regain everyone's trust. It's a more difficult plot to handle, but done spectacularly. So far, the best episode of the series!

Grades:

1. Tourist Trapped: A-
2. The Legend of the Gobblewonker: C+
3. Headhunters: A
4. The Hand That Rocks the Mabel: A
5. The Inconceiving: C+
6. Dipper Vs. Manliness: A-
7. Double Dipper: B
8. Irrational Treasure: C
9. The Time Traveler's Pig: A
10. Fight Fighters: A
11. Little Dipper: B-
12. Summerween: A
13. Boss Mabel: C+
14. Bottomless Pit!: B-
15. The Deep End: B-
16. Carpet Diem: A-
17. Boyz Crazy: D+
18. Land Before Swine: A+