Bill Cipherโs Motives and Plans Theory
So, my boyfriend and I have been having numerous discussions about Billโs motives and thought process because there were a few things that seemed inconsistent when we looked at the frames and dialogue closely.ย
We were also building offย @fordtatoโโs theory on Mindscapes, Thresholds, Dreamscapes, and Memories. Absolutely check it out! Itโs awesome!
It began with a question that Iโve had since I first watched the series when it was airing:ย
Why did Bill want to destroy the Journal during Sock Opera?ย
(โLook, kid, youโve been getting way too close to figuring out some major answers. Iโve got big plans coming and I donโt need you getting in my way. Destroying that laptop was a cinch. Now I just need to destroy your journal.โ - Bipper, Sock Opera)
Billโs main goal is open a portal between Dipperโs dimension and the Nightmare Realm.ย
For the first half of the above images itโs obvious why Bill destroyed the laptop, he wanted to stop Dipper from digging any deeper into the mystery behind the authorโs disappearance.ย ย
The moment Dipper finds out about the portal and its dangers, he would want to shut it down; which was backed up by the episode Not What He Seems.ย
But hereโs where I was stumped,ย
Why did Bill want to destroy the journals if the blueprints to create the portals were written inside? Wouldnโt it be easier to gather them together because he knows who has them and give them to someone to build it for him?
Disclaimer: bf came up with this theory, and since he doesnโt have a Tumblr Iโm writing it instead with his permission of course.ย
Billโs Relationship with the Journals and their Owners
Bill and Ford worked together to create and write out all the details about the portal in the Journals. So, Bill had complete access to them, heโs read them and knows what Ford thinks of him.ย
Bill most likely concludes that Journal Three is the most dangerous journal because it has warnings against summoning him. You could argue that the invisible ink was used in all three journals to warn against summoning Bill; however, Ford is very vague about using invisible ink thatโs why Dipper didnโt realise it earlier, despite having access to that page in the journal:
(Dipper showing the invisible ink page under a black-light in the journal, Scary-oke)ย
(โIt seems to me that I need another, even more secretive way to record my thoughts, something visible yet invisible. Something I learned about in my chemistry class back in collageโ - Ford, Journal 3)
So, destroying Journal 3 becomes Billโs next priority for multiple reasons:
1. Prevent Dipper from digging deeperย
2. It warns against making a deal with Bill
3. It hints at Ford using invisible ink
4. And those who want to activate the portal, Stan and Gideon, may change their minds.ย
It also explains why Bill possibly waited till Dipper was sleep deprived and desperate to make a deal full of loopholes because he knew Dipper was incredibly wary.ย
But by Sock Opera, Stan and Dipper are already aware of points 3 and 4, so thereโs another reason why he wants to destroy the journal besides hindering Dipperโs research.ย
Which brings us to Journals 1 and 2 and their owners.ย
Journal 1 presumably covers Fordโs first six years in Gravity Falls, while Journal 2 is noted to be predominantly about spells, curses and artefacts. But most noteworthy, they mention nothing about the dangers of summoning Bill.
So, why not use Stan as his puppet? He had 30 years.
Weโre not completely sure of the extent of Billโs knowledge and clairvoyance he has on Stan. But Stan seems like the obvious candidate to restarting the portal:ย
1. Stan knows about the portalย
2. He lives in close proximity to it
3. He has a good motive to work on itย
4. Heโs desperate
5. He mightย accept helpย
The risk of failure is too high.ย
(โYou would have seen him for the scam artist he isโ - Ford, Weirdmaggedon Part 3)
Stan knows a con artist when he sees one, and Bill contacting him would put him even more on guard about anyone who snoops around the shack or is looking to take the shack from him.ย Stan knew Ford was paranoid about something.ย ย
And Gideon had made numerous attempts to steal the deed to the Shack throughout season 1.ย ย
So theoretically, if Bill had contacted Stan and was rejected, by the time Gideon starts poking his nose into wanting to steal the deed; rather than responding with laughter and later falling by his own hubris, Stan would guard the deed more believing them to be in cahoots with Bill.ย
Similarly, Bill canโt just contact just anyone who doesnโt know about the supernatural because otherwise they would immediately be suspicious and cautious around him.
So, Bill needs a puppet who:ย
1. Knows about the supernatural (most likely to be found in Gravity Falls who hasnโt been influenced by The Society of the Blind Eye)
2. Barely knows anything about him or thinkย they know everything about him
3. Requires his help
4. And possibly thinks they can weasel around his deals.ย
And that only leaves Gideon as the owner of Journal 2.ย ย
(โIโll help you with this, and in return, you can help me with something Iโve been working on.โ - Bill, Dreamscapers)
Itโs implied that to not get duped by Bill (as seen in Sock Opera) you need to be specific about the details of the deal, otherwise itโs broken. And Gideonโs deal with Bill is full of loopholes - Bill says nothing about what he wants before shaking his hand, so Gideonโs basically given him a blank cheque.ย
So again, theoretically if Bill had fulfilled his end of the bargain, Gideon would have the Mystery Shack and have complete control over the portalโs construction, plus Journal 2.ย
If the deal with Gideon went smoothly, Bill would have complete control over Gideonโs mind and body, access to the portal, he can have Bud Gleeful do any heavy lifting required, and the two people that would possibly fight back, Stan and Dipper (for different reasons) would be out of the way.ย
Would Bill still want to destroy the journals then? Yes, it doesnโt matter which journal he destroys. It doesnโt have to be Journal 3.
Because Bill wrote the blueprints. He doesnโt need the journals.ย
Ford, Stan and Gideon want the blueprints. By destroying the journals it puts everyone that wants the portal open in his complete control, and any deal they might make with him will always be on his terms.ย
But thereโs also another layer as to why Bill would want to complete control over the portal through Gideon, and not Stan.ย
And thatโs because of Ford.ย
Ford at that point is somewhere in the multiverse plotting Billโs demise.ย
The only reason Ford managed to get home was based entirely on luck.ย
As written in Journal 3, Ford just happened to be in the Nightmare Realm at the same time Stan re-activated the portal in Not What He Seems; otherwise Bill and the Henchmaniacs wouldโve taken full advantage of it.ย
If Bill had control over the portal then he could move between those two realms whenever he wants, but it also mean he could theoretically shut the portal down whenever he wants and prevent Ford from returning home as a potential threat to his power.ย ย
TLDR: Bill needed Gideon to become his clueless puppet so he had complete control over constructing the portal, keeping the only threats against him in Gravity Falls, Stan and Dipper at bay.ย
Bill would then destroy any journal he came across because it would strand Stan and Gideon from activating it without his help. But it would also mean that Bill could potentially stop Ford from ever making it back to his home dimension to thwartย his reign/kill him.ย