Syndicate

> *When a dinner date crosses lines with their next investigation, Dipper and Pacifica are taken off track by a new threat to the town. Could there really be an underground force taking over Gravity Falls once again? Summer's end seems ever-closer, and as the two try to make the most of their finale weeks, they can't help but be concerned there simply isn't enough time to unravel the last few mysteries lurking ahead of them.*
>
>
>

## Syndicate

### AO3 URL

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28616820/chapters/70138785

### FF.net URL

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13789488/1/Episode-7-Syndicate

***Syndicate*** is the 7th Episode of Return to the Falls.

It is preceded by ***The Historic Horrors of Family Northwest*** and is proceeded by ***Chaos, Terror & Vanilla Creme.***

### Synopsis

During a dinner date at the town's most exclusive restaurant, The Club, Dipper and Pacifica come across Marius and Grenda having a date, during which the Fundhauser man shows himself getting a little too close to Pacifica. The two come across a strange little man dressed as a mobster, threatening the manager of the establishment - he explains they are a Clurichaun, a member of a new criminal network that has established itself in The Crawlspace.

The family quickly realises it's time for an investigation when the Palourde Puante is burnt down, and Kevin Corduroy is kidnapped. It leads them back into The Crawlspace, where an old enemy has revitalised the town's supernatural underground into a gigantic sugar sales ring and protection racket.

Meanwhile, faced with an investigation alongside Wendy, Dipper can't help but feel a touch of old flame returning...

### Chapter Titles

1. The Club
2. Rest in Pain (Au Chocolat)
3. Double Date
4. The Late Evening
5. Cluri-what?
6. The Expert's Opinion
7. Nightmare
8. Hundred Buck Question
9. Destruction L'Aquatic
10. The Breakfast Hub
11. Anthropomorphic Toast & Mob Bosses
12. The Other Expert's Opinion
13. Independent Operators
14. The Meeting
15. The Squealer
16. Winding Down
17. The Ride Home
18. Black and White
19. The Big Day
20. Man Down
21. Old Ground, New Foes
22. High Tensions & Low Elevations
23. Brain vs Chaun
24. Shack's Shipyard
25. Tense Silence
26. The Big Man
27. Molten Terror
28. Hot House
29. Escape
30. Priceless
31. Reform

### Character Revelations

* Stan & Ford's wealth is again referenced.
* Pacifica starts to show a punkier, more rebellious side.
* The Fundhausers have a habit of marrying young, and Marius has every intention of doing so with Grenda.
* Ireland is one of many places Stan and Ford have visited since last summer.
* Stan still gets nightmares about Bill Cipher.
* Stan speculated for a fair while that Bill was still in his mind.
* Gravity Falls only owns one fire truck.
* Tyler Cutebiker is still suffering from the effects of his memory wipe.
* Stan is not happy to be likened to Pop-Pop Shpines.
* Following the destruction of The Crawlspace, the town's anomalies have moved into alleys in town.
* Shmebulock has been rendered homeless, or likes sleeping on the floor.
* Soos is registered as a priest in six different states. He also knows how to waltz, belly dance, drive eight types of trans-siberian railroad train and juggle torches.
* Ford is beginning work on improvements to the Stan O'War, hoping to add quarters for Pacifica.
* The Fundhausers had a huge stake in the construction of The Crawlspace.
* Jeff the Gnome has a sparrow wife.
* Soos almost married a cocoa bean picker from the Dominican Republic, with whom he was pen-pals.
* Dipper negated on his promise to tell Mabel what Gideon did during Weirdmageddon.
* Gideon's reform has gone poorly, due to how few people were taking him seriously.
* Mabel and Soos are partially so chipper due to their sugar addictions.
* Ghost Eyes and Gideon's posse joined a touring Line Dance Troupe.
* Marius, like Pacifica, is fascinated by his family's past, and desperate to learn more from it.
* The town's anomalies have been given a mass-sugar-addiction.
* Gideon is sentenced to a year in prison - this time, his punishment is to bake for the anomalies' aforementioned sugar addiction.

### References

* The Club was already a reference to ***Twin Peaks*** in the series. However, so is...
	+ Calling The Club a Lynch-pin, referring to director of the series, ***David Lynch***.
	+ Chapter 3's title, ***Rest in Pain*** (Au Chocolat).
	+ Pacifica's childhood belief it was an interdimensional gateway.
* Crystal Pitt is a reference to cult obsession / soft drink, ***Crystal Pepsi.***
* Footsie Pops are references to ***Tootsie Pops***, with cream cheese to add onto the unpleasant foot theme.
* Twitcher is a reference to ***Twitter***, using the nickname for Bird Watchers in the United Kingdom.
* Betamaxdome and Soos's access to it are both a reference to ***Videodrome***.
* ***Clurichauns*** are a very real piece of Folklore from Ireland, who steal alcohol and food from inns and pubs.
* The Seafood Restaurant is taken straight from ***Gideon Rises***, including their habit of apparently serving live, uncooked lobster.
* *Smooch* and *Blynd Cheetah* are references to ***KISS*** and ***Def Leppard.***
* *The Unshaven Throat True Gentleman’s Clothing and Japanese Action Figure Store* and its fedora hats are references to fedora and neckbeard culture.
* *Crispy Cremey Dunkin’ Munch Palace* is a fusion of several doughnut chains, most notably ***Krispy Kreme*** and ***Dunkin' Donuts.***
* *Lactose King* is a reference to ***Dairy Queen***.
* *The Less Than Empathetic Doctor Phoebe* is based upon cult classic, ***The Abominable Dr Phibes***.
* Ducks eating grapes then waddling away is a callback to ***The Duck Song***.
* *"I’m a bit of a snoop for hire, see? An’ I don’t mean I spend my weekends singing bawdy tunes with gold chains on my throat."* is making reference to ***Snoop Dogg.***
* *Minnesota Jones* is a reference to ***Indiana Jones**.* The Snake Dialogue is, of course, taken from ***Raiders of the Lost Arc**.*
* *Mario Von Plumbhauser,* Dipper's sarcastic nickname for Marius, is naturally taken from ***Mario**.*
* *"You ain’t yourself if you don’t get your 3PM Kicker’s"* is a reference to the infamous ***Snicker's advertising campaign***.