Ford looks at the ring on the screen like he can't believe it.
He still hates Bill Cipher a lot. He hates what Bill did to him, and what Bill did to his family, and what he tried to do to his world. He remembers what Bill did to Dipper while Dipper was possessed. He remembers waking up in a pool of blood.
But Ford also remembers pushing Fiddleford to exhaustion, pushing for the portal test, driving him to madness. He remembers doing nothing when Stanley was pushed out the door. He remembers all the things he justified to himself when he was building Experiment 618.
It's never too late for anyone to change. Isn't that the point of this whole operation? If Ford really is the one thing Bill Cipher cares about, is it going to get Bill any closer to graduation, and being neutralized as a cosmic threat, to pretend he isn't there?
Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Ford didn't sign up for that. His instincts rebel at the underlying principles. Bill is lying; of course he's lying, he's trying to win, trying to trick. It's a con. This whole conversation has been one. Wouldn't it be hilarious if, after everything Bill's done to Ford, he managed to get Ford to think that maybe he could be better, only to pull the rug out from under him at the last second?
...but if it is, Bill's running this con in a way Ford's never seen. It's very emotional. It's missing tight control.
Ford looks at Bill sideways, darkly.]
I'm not going to go back to chasing you around with a death ray.
no subject
He's serious.
Ford looks at the ring on the screen like he can't believe it.
He still hates Bill Cipher a lot. He hates what Bill did to him, and what Bill did to his family, and what he tried to do to his world. He remembers what Bill did to Dipper while Dipper was possessed. He remembers waking up in a pool of blood.
But Ford also remembers pushing Fiddleford to exhaustion, pushing for the portal test, driving him to madness. He remembers doing nothing when Stanley was pushed out the door. He remembers all the things he justified to himself when he was building Experiment 618.
It's never too late for anyone to change. Isn't that the point of this whole operation? If Ford really is the one thing Bill Cipher cares about, is it going to get Bill any closer to graduation, and being neutralized as a cosmic threat, to pretend he isn't there?
Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Ford didn't sign up for that. His instincts rebel at the underlying principles. Bill is lying; of course he's lying, he's trying to win, trying to trick. It's a con. This whole conversation has been one. Wouldn't it be hilarious if, after everything Bill's done to Ford, he managed to get Ford to think that maybe he could be better, only to pull the rug out from under him at the last second?
...but if it is, Bill's running this con in a way Ford's never seen. It's very emotional. It's missing tight control.
Ford looks at Bill sideways, darkly.]
I'm not going to go back to chasing you around with a death ray.
...but I am willing to discuss a compromise.