Trevor

19 thoughts on “Trevor

    1. Kenneth Christensen

      I really like the concept that you are touching up on. I like how you talk about the oldest emotion of humans as being fear as this helps us understand that these artists are getting into our most primitive aspects in order to reach us. I like your statement “horror is philosophical” as humans fear death, stage fright, the unknown etc, all of which have been philosophical debates over the centuries. I love how you talk about Rick and Morty and how they use the things we fear and address them in a way that makes our worst fears seem comical. The heads invading earth seem too indicate that many of our worst fears are just in our heads, another aspect of philosophy that is still being debated to this very day. Cosmic horror is appealing to our most primitive instincts as we fear the unknown. Whats out there? Is other life hostile? What is life out there like? Is it carbon based? All of these questions make us ask many more, thus causing a bit of fear because we do not have the answers that we desire.
      Morty’s expression can be seen as something that happens to us that we can’t explain. These events tend us to act in certain ways that we otherwise wouldn’t. The comedic song can be thought of as us trying to put the fears under the rug and thus ignore them, or it could demonstrate that some of our fears are just plain nonsense like flying heads.

  1. Jon Booker

    Very interesting Aspect of Rick and Morty. I have been interested in HP Lovecraft for some time, wanting to read his stuff but have not gotten a chance to. So your explanation of some of his stuff is very insightful. The idea of cosmic horror and us being afraid of the unknown is a very common trope in Science fiction. I feel like this presentation was a very nice job. One thing I could offer is to maybe to give a background on the show of Rick and Morty for some who do not know what the show is. You do that a little bit, but I feel you could have elaborated a little more. Other than that I felt like this was a very nice job.

  2. Daniel Vincent

    I really like the idea behind this paper, especially using HP Lovecraft as a backbone to it. However, I have one big suggestion for your paper, and that’s not to go as in-depth into the episode plots as you do in this presentation. We don’t need to know every little detail or subplot that’s unrelated to your central idea: Rick and Morty is dark and cosmic horror. If this was a bit more focused on the horror aspects, it would’ve been perfect. However, it’s just kinda meandering right now where I honestly forgot your thesis at several points in the presentation.

  3. Garrett Lindgren

    I really appreciate your analysis of Rick and Morty because I wrote a similar breakdown of this television series myself. The idea that the creators of the show take inspiration from sci-fi and the notion of cosmic horror is fascinating to me and I feel that the notion of nihilism was explored very heavily within the series. I like how you explore how Rick and Morty explore the insignificance of existence which everyone feels from time to time. The idea that the show turns this really heavy notion of meaningful existence into a comedic routine is something interesting to expand on, though I do wish you would have included some more summery of the series itself so that those who have not yet seen the show may have something to reflect on.

  4. Jeremy Thurlby

    Why can’t we just watch shows such as Rick and Morty and not have to worry about cosmic horror. Why can’t it just be entertaining. I tuned out of the talk pretty quick as it goes a very scholarly approach and jargon heavy.

  5. Charles Scott

    Yes this show is dark but that is mainly a supplementation of the humor. You need to talk more about this because the audience for this show is not horrified by it regardless of the horror influences.

  6. Joshua Price

    Man this show changed so much unexpectedly, and was such a gem to stumble on. I remember the animation I didn’t like and the basis of the show was an obvious Doc Brown and Marty rip – off, but the writing and animation worked so well together it became my top 10 fav animated shows by season 2. I thought you covered it audibly well.

  7. Alejandra Vargas

    I never heard of cosmic horror, so I enjoyed learning about that! I have been trying to get into Rick and Morty as well, so this has given me more motivation to watch it (especially over the summer). I am also looking forward to capturing your analysis as I watch it.

  8. Timothy Rosenberg

    Hey man, your topic caught my eye quickly as I’ve been a cosmic horror fan for over five years, ever since I learned about Lovecraft and started watching horror movies. I’m actually trying to bank in on cosmic horror before Hollywood takes it and ruins it, turning it into some cheesy forced sentimental schlock. There hasn’t been a decent portrayal of Cthulhu or anything like that yet, that’s what I’m trying to do. I sincerely believe that humans are far less significant than they’d like to think, and that’s what I plan on communicating through my horror films in the future. I’ve always wanted a monster movie or alien invasion movie where there’s no stoic military man to save the day – it’s just pure and utter terror the entire film – people not knowing what’s happening, maybe a ray of hope, then it all comes crashing down. That kinda stuff is inherently Lovecraft. I love it. Hell, maybe we could collab on something sometime if you share the same interests of cosmic and Lovecraftian horror. Good talk!

  9. Tara Lowry

    Looking into HP Lovecraft and the idea of cosmic horror and how it appears in Rick and Morty is a really cool idea. I think for me the only problem I have is that you got distracted by describing the plots and forgot to draw it all back to your thesis until the end. Take time in each episode to explore just what it means for Rick and Morty to take a humorous approach to each cosmic horror event and, specifically in the episode where Morty responds to killing himself /without/ humor, you should explore even more in depth. Why is it that one that they choose to not follow through with the dark theme in a lighthearted way? And what does it imply about us as a species if we are willing to kill an alternate version of ourselves for the survival of a different version of ourselves?

  10. Maggie Batson

    I have to say, like a lot of other things that people have talked about, I’m not really familiar with these works, but I find the topic to be interesting. I do agree with Tara in that I’d like to hear more about drawing to the thesis as you go, but overall I’d say good job.

  11. Dennis Hinton

    RIck and Morty is a show I watch on occasion never really thought about the content. This is my first time hearing about cosmic horror. I find this to be an interesting look on breaking down a tv show.

  12. Stefan Barnwell

    I haven’t watched the show too much but I could definitely tell there was something different about it. I like the horror aspect of it because it makes it more real to me. Things don’t always make sense or work out nicely in the world and it’s nice that it emphasizes how little we control despite what we think.

  13. Fiona Finnigan

    I think you touched on some interesting points in your presentation. Cosmic horror is always an interesting genre, especially mixed with humor, because on the one hand, it is deeply terrifying, dealing primarily with the fear of the unknown and the unknowable, as well as issues of consciousness and existence. On the other hand, it is deeply silly in many ways, because as terrifying as the idea that, for example, nothing you experience really exists and you’re just a brain in a jar, its also kind of silly.

  14. Tiffany McLaughlin

    I feel your topic relates to mine in the sense that these shows have this shell of comedy while underneath is a really dark issues they unravel. I like how you heavily focused on the science of our existence side of the show. I sometimes forget what I’m getting into when I turn the show on. I recently watched the episode where he tells his sister “Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s going to die. Come watch T.V.?”. Hits me in the feels every time! Great presentation.

  15. Casey

    I like the mix of sci-fi and comedy in Rick & Morty. Science fiction works best when it tells a good story within a science fiction world, which also comments on reality in a way only that science fiction world can. Comedy does the same. Audiences of Rick & Morty laugh at the cosmic horror, but the joke is that it is not funny. Nice presentation, which really got me thinking about genre! Some visual aid would have helped your presentation.

  16. Ashley OBrien

    I have never heard of Cosmic horror as well so this was very enlightening! I am glad you went over this and Rick and Morty has always been something I wanted to get into.

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