RiffTrax Shorts Season 12 Episode 2 Individual Differences

The highly-anticipated 12th season of RiffTrax Shorts continues with its second episode, "Individual Differences." As always, the RiffTrax team is back with plenty of punchy and hilarious commentary on a wide selection of shorts, ranging from educational to downright bizarre.

The episode opens up with the short "Individual Differences," in which we see two young boys named Jack and Bill, who face a series of tests to determine their unique abilities and talents. Bill is a perfectionist, while Jack is a creative daydreamer. Through quips and jabs, the RiffTrax team highlights the awkward, stilted dialogue and incredibly outdated stereotypes presented in the short.

Next up is the short "How to Say No," which is a hysterical guide on how to decline an offer for drugs or alcohol. The RiffTrax crew doesn't hold back in their roasting, pointing out the absurdity of the situations depicted in the short, and making plenty of jokes about the cheesy acting and far-too-sunny portrayal of teen substance abuse.

The episode then moves on to "The Griper," a bizarre short about a robot who whines about everything in its environment. As the robot complains about the weather and the various objects around it, the RiffTrax team cleverly comments on the non-existent plot and the awkward, robotic movements and speech of the griper. They even make a few jokes about the absurdity of this kind of educational content, imagining the robot popping up in different classroom situations to whine about science experiments and math worksheets.

The next short is "Desert Survival Refugees," which portrays a group of individuals stranded in the middle of the desert and hoping to be rescued. The RiffTrax team has a blast riffing on the melodramatic acting, pointing out just how improbable the entire situation is. They also give some interesting facts about how to survive in desert conditions, making the riff not only hilarious but informative as well.

The fifth short is called "Here Comes the Circus," and it's all the wackiness you might expect from a short about a traveling circus. The RiffTrax team has a field day poking fun at the wild assortment of performers and the questionable safety standards for children and animals. They even break into a chorus of "Send in the Clowns," with their own lyrics about the absurdity of the footage.

Last but not least, we have "Why Study Industrial Arts?" This short is a classic example of educational content from another era, featuring the ragtime tune "Alexander's Ragtime Band" as the background music. The RiffTrax team jokes about just how antiquated and irrelevant most of the skills taught in this class have become, along with the hilariously awkward performances by the student actors.

Overall, the RiffTrax team brings their usual sharp and witty commentary to "Individual Differences," delivering plenty of laughs and insight all throughout this hilarious collection of shorts. From educational films to schlocky melodramas, the RiffTrax team has a great time skewering each and every one of them in this delightful episode.