Society Of The Blind Eye

The episode begins with Lazy Susan finishing up for the night at her workplace, Greasy's Diner. While walking home, she comes across Jeff and the other gnomes as they steal a pie off a windowsill, and she is understandably shocked. Before she can use a payphone to report the strange phenomenon she's just witnessed, a robed man appears from nowhere and drags her away screaming into the night, while the gnomes proceed to steal her pie.

Back at the Mystery Shack, Dipper once again trying to discern the identity of the author of *Journal 3*. But Mabel is more focused on a message she just received from her former crush and pen pal, Mermando. However, she is devastated to learn that he is to be wed in an arranged marriage to the Queen of the Manatees in order to prevent an undersea Civil War. Disheartened, she reflects on how all of her summer crushes (Norman, Gideon Gleeful, Sev'ral Timez, and Gabe Benson) have ended in failure. Dipper empathizes with her in the fact that he's failed to find any solid clues, but the two then notice that the smashed laptop bears the insignia "McGucket Labs." It seems unlikely, but after connecting several clues gathered over the summer, the duo conclude Old Man McGucket is the most likely writer of the journals.

Meanwhile, Wendy finds herself plagued by the latest summer chart-topper, "Straight Blanchin'" despite Soos' insistence that it's a good song. Dipper and Mabel collect the two and they rush over to McGucket's junkyard to confront him with the evidence. He is confused by their assertions and argues that he's never done anything worthwhile in his life. He claims amnesia to everything before the year 1982, but as Dipper flips through pages in the journal he is triggered by the page on Blind Eye Society. They conclude that Old Man McGucket learned something important and his mind was altered somehow by the cult.

Based on a newspaper clipping, the five of them head to Gravity Falls Museum of History, the earliest thing McGucket can remember, for some answers. They uncover a secret entrance in the eye exhibit through a fireplace to the Blind Eye Society's hideaway. And arrive just in time to see Lazy Susan having her mind erased of her memories of the gnomes by the society. The ray gun used for the process stores the removed memory in a glass tube which is then sent to "The Hall of the Forgotten" via a pneumatic tube. Once the meeting adjourns, Dipper, Soos, and McGucket go in search of the memory cache in the Hall, while Wendy and Mabel stay to make sure the society members don't return. When Dipper's group finds it they realize that the society has been removing the whole town's memories every time something supernatural occurs. Back in the meeting hall, Mabel and Wendy discuss Mabel's romantic troubles. Wendy tells her to put her worries out of her head and forget about guys which inspires Mabel to remove the memories using the ray gun so she won't feel sad anymore.

McGucket finds his memory tube in a place of honor in the Hall, but when he removes it, an alarm is triggered. McGucket manages to hide from the society members who give chase, but the rest are caught. The members reveal their identities as some of the townspeople and the reason for their organization: Because of Gravity Falls' higher-than-normal supernatural occurrences, the populace was tormented by existential questions and disturbing possibilities. The Society took it upon themselves to help the citizens forget the otherworldly phenomena using the memory-erasing device. Thus, the townspeople live in a state of blissful ignorance, albeit with some minor side effects... As an added benefit as a member of the society, they also use the gun to erase other unpleasant memories and troubles on themselves. The leader of the cult, Blind Ivan, then intends to use the gun on the children, but McGucket appears and rescues them. After a minor struggle between the groups, Ivan is in range to wipe everyone's memories. McGucket jumps in front of Dipper and takes a full blast, but it has no effect on him as his mind was damaged long ago. He headbutts Ivan, the gang gets McGucket's memory canister and the ray gun and tie up the members. Dipper wipes the society members' minds of their organization and everyone leaves believing that they spent the evening at the museum's "Gold Miner Appreciation Night." Mabel gives Ivan a new identity as a happy banjo troubadour.

The five watch McGucket's memories and learn that he was a genius scientist. After collaborating for a year with a visiting researcher, the author of the journals, on building a machine which was supposed to help all mankind. However, something went wrong and he quit, but then he became haunted with the memory of what he'd done. So, McGucket invented the ray gun and wiped his own memories of the project. Further memories show that *he* created the Blind Eye Society and subsequently became addicted to the effects of the memory ray, continuing to wipe his memories for every disturbing incident, problem, and mistake he came across rather than face his experiences, warping his mind a bit more each time. His overuse of the ray gun caused his mind to deteriorate until he had become insane and unable to remember anything from the last thirty years. The last part of his memories shows him saying something weird a forming a triangle around his eye.

Mabel apologizes to McGucket having to face what he learned, but he states that he's happy to have regained the memories of his past, even if they were painful so that he can continue on with his future. Wendy asks whether Mabel really wants to erase her memories of her crushes. Mabel follows McGucket's example and posits that it's better to hold onto her experiences and learn from them than to deny them. On the car ride back home, Dipper questions whether McGucket can remember who the author he worked with is. McGucket postulates that the memories will return eventually, but for now, they're too blurry. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan continues to work in secret on the enigmatic machine beneath the Mystery Shack, accidentally cutting his hand on a flying pipe in the process. He bandages his hand, and states that he "doesn't care how dangerous it is." and that he's gonna pull off his plans, and nothing will get in his way. While this happens, a faded picture can be seen close by, revealing to be a photo of Dipper and Mabel, indicating that if they find out what he's planning, they will stop him.