RiffTrax Shorts Season 18 Episode 1 Animal Homes

As winter approaches, many animals are busy preparing for the colder months ahead. They build homes, gather food, and protect themselves from predators. In the first episode of RiffTrax Shorts season 18, titled "Animal Homes," Mike, Kevin, and Bill from Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame, take on a series of educational shorts about different types of animal homes.

The episode starts with a short about the beaver, and the trio wastes no time in riffing on the narrator's overly earnest tone and anthropomorphic descriptions of the beaver's "engineering" abilities. They also make frequent jokes about the beaver's choice of building material, which leads to some hilarious Beaver-related puns.

Next up is a short about the homes of various sea creatures, such as the octopus and the hermit crab. The guys have a lot of fun mocking the stop-motion animation used to depict the sea creatures in their habitats. They also make jokes about the narrator's attempts to make sea creature homes seem relatable to human homes, such as saying that an octopus's lair is like a "modern apartment."

The third short is about the homes of birds, including the eagle, the owl, and the hummingbird. The guys joke about the fact that the narrator seems to have a real love for birds, but not necessarily a deep knowledge of them. They also make some funny observations about the different types of bird nests, such as the fact that the bowerbird builds elaborate structures to impress mates, while the hummingbird builds a tiny home that is barely big enough for its own body.

The next short features the homes of animals living in the desert, such as the kangaroo rat and the Gila monster. The guys have a great time poking fun at the exaggerated desert-themed sound effects and the cheesy "wild west" music that accompanies the footage. They also make some great jokes about the narrator's tendency to anthropomorphize the animals, such as describing the Gila monster's underground burrow as a "cozy home."

The final short focuses on the homes of animals living in the tundra, such as the polar bear and the arctic fox. The guys have a lot of fun riffing on the narrator's attempts to describe the freezing temperatures and harsh conditions that these animals face on a daily basis. They also poke fun at the fact that the narrator seems to have a real fascination with animal poop, as he talks about how certain animals use their droppings to mark their territories.

As always, the guys are at their funniest when they are riffing on the absurdities of the educational shorts they are watching. They expertly point out the unintentionally funny moments and make hilarious observations about the ways in which the narration tries to make animal homes seem relatable to humans. With their quick wit and comedic timing, Mike, Kevin, and Bill make "Animal Homes" a laugh-out-loud funny episode that is sure to delight fans of the RiffTrax Shorts series.