Stanford Pines Analysis

Stanford Filbrick Pines.

The ultimate problematic fave.

When he was first introduced, we had no idea what to think of him. Would he be a good guy? A bad guy? Does he care about his family?

Well… we still don’t really know. (LOOOOOONG analysis and lots of pictures under the cut)

What’s the very first piece of advice we get from Ford?

Trust no one.

Ford does not get the value of loving relationships, and this is his downfall.

Based on his track record, you can’t really blame him. In Ford’s eyes, EVERYONE he cared about left him. Stan (more on this later)

Fiddleford

and worst of all, Bill

And then he spends 30 years alone, fending for himself between dimensions.

So it’s natural that this man would be a loner, keeping to himself and his experiments.

That is, until Dipper.

Ford sees a lot of himself in Dipper. They’re both the “smarter” twin





…and they both have a weird birth defect they were bullied for





And Ford isn’t WRONG. He and Dipper are VERY alike.

Finally, Ford has found the only person he can trust.

Someone who is just like him. Someone else who is lonely, and needs a friend, and they are the only ones who could understand each other.

…Right?

What Ford is blind to is the strength of Mabel and Dipper’s relationship; how co-dependent they each are on one another.

(I could give a MILLION more examples of this, but I think you all know)

Ford has never had a loving sibling relationship, this is why he doesn’t realize what Dipper has.

…Or did he?

Ford’s problem is he THINKS he never had a sibling that loved and cared about him.

This line struck me as very, very odd. Ford had never been suffocated by Stan. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Stan was ALWAYS there for Ford when he needed him.









But the problem was, Ford never appreciated this.

When Ford was going away for college, Stanley first realized how DEPENDENT on Ford he was.

He’d lived his entire life being compared to Ford

And he literally cannot imagine himself without him. Now, whether this is healthy or not isn’t important. The important thing is that Ford did not realize this. Ford had NO IDEA Stan felt like this.

So when Stan, out of desperation, ends up breaking his project…

…Ford can only assume he did it on purpose. Ford doesn’t understand how desperate Stan was. He only things Stan was selfish enough to ruin his entire future. And this idea was only perpetuated by Filbrick.

So Ford goes to a shitty college, completely convinced that Stanley tried to sabotage him on purpose.

And he ends up SUCCESSFUL.

Without Stan “suffocating” him, Ford is able to succeed. He begins to value his intelligence over anything else, because this is how he was able to find success and happiness. His ego inflates. And Bill only helped with this along.

Ford believes that he was made for something. That he was chosen.

…And Dipper, naturally, must feel the same, right?

Because he’s just been given an amazing opportunity.





And he can’t turn it down, because it would mean he’s wasting his potential.





Even if it means leaving your twin behind.

Because they’re only holding you back

Right?

RIGHT?

It doesn’t matter what happens to them. What matters is what’s logical; what’s best for you!





Right?

Everything is set up to go for Dipper and Mabel exactly the same way it did for Stan and Ford. Right down to the twin left behind making a desperate mistake.

So the prophesy came true.

…Right?

No.

Because Dipper isn’t like Ford.

Look at the scene where the security drones show up.

Ford, naturally, knows his intellect will be the thing that saves him. And he thinks it’s the same for Dipper.

But it’s not.

Dipper doesn’t believe in himself and his intellect. That’s not what he values.

When the drone starts taking Ford away, Ford’s priority is sealing the rift. That’s the logical thing to do – his life is not worth the world. He doesn’t expect Dipper to save him.

But Dipper immediately goes into action. The rift is second priority.

Ford doesn’t understand this. From his perspective, nobody has ever cared about him before.

And how does Dipper defeat the drone in the end? Not because of his logic.

Because he loves Ford.

Dipper is not Ford, no matter what Ford may think. Ford is so blinded by their similarities, he’s ignoring all their glaring differences. He truly thinks he’s doing what’s best for Dipper! He really does care about him, don’t get me wrong. But Ford’s only doing what would have been best for himself.

He doesn’t get it because he’s never had this loving relationship.

He doesn’t have anyone who would give up everything for him.

He doesn’t have anyone who cares for him unconditionally.

…Right?