SB,

I did see that once a long time ago. Hilarious. I felt sorry for the guys. No way in hell would I ever eat a tofu Turkey. I want the real thing. Robby: "I never thought I'd say this, but pass the broccoli."


TIS

My favorite episode is the one where Robert meets a pretty girl, but pretends that he is Ray Barone. Raymond didn't mind as he lived vicariously through his brother. The final scene when the girl showed up at Raymond's house and mentions to Debra , Frank and Marie that she was dating Raymond after meeting him in a bar.

Some of the episodes with Amy's family are classic. An episode that didn't work for me was the Italy trip. Frank and Marie were real homebodies, who had a major problem with even going to a nice restaurant.

I'm in the minority. I think Marie Barone is the best character on the show.

I never said she wasn't a great character. But if she were real, and Deborah killed her, they'd never get a conviction if I was on the jury .

Favorite episodes: "The Faux Paux" --- Ray takes the school janitor's son to a basketball game with the kids. "Throw it on the floor, that's what they pay the janitor for." In the same episode Frank tells a story about calling a co-worker's mother a "big fat moose." He defends himelf by saying "what do you feed her?"

Also, when Robert dates the "Frog Lady of Massapequa." She eats the fly. Ray: "She aaaaaaaaate it!!!!"

A few episodes:

-Flashback to when Ray and Debra met is one of the best sitcom episodes ever. It's a rare mix of humor and warmth.
-Flashback to when they bought their house, and trying to blame each other for making the decision.
-The two great fights: when Raymond decides to teach Debra that she's not going to make him be late anymore, and when they fight over who has to carry a suitcase up the stairs.
-When Marie gets involved in Robert's FBI interview.
-When Ray and Debra tell a series of lies to Marie, and she sniffs out one after the other.

The fly is also hilarious.

That might be my very favorite, MP. When Ray opens the refrigerator door and knocks Deborah down I laugh out loud every time I see it. Then she tells him he's a good kisser and he replies that she's delerious or something like that .

Klyd, I LOVE Marie and Frank. I think they're hilarious. But the writers sometimes let them get a bit too far...

mustache, how could I have forgotten the suitcase episode?? I think it was one of the best because, after you've been married a few years, everyone has had their share of suitcases. The giant fork and spoon in Frank and Marie's kitchen was the cherry on the sundae.

You're right Babe about the writers sometimes going too far. I think they went too far with the suitcase episode. It's supposed to be a comedy series, but all I took from that episode was that, as I've posted previously, Ray was simply living there in that house. He contributed very little to what is upposed to be a family.

I watched the HBO series about Ray Romano and it portrayed him almost exactly as he was portrayed in the series - he does as little as possible.

No, I thought the suitcase episode was perfect. Has this never happened between you and your wife? Walked past that dirty glass or pair of shoes that are out of place?? And you're seething, but pretend not to see it?? It's happened to me and my husband for sure, and that's why it was so funny, because it was something that you could relate to.

It happens all the time. Making the bed is our suitcase. We usually alternate (but keep track ). When one of us, er, forgets, well, let's just say the bed can get to looking a little unkempt .

That was the only good thing when my husband worked nights - no making the bed. One of us was always in it!

Now, let's be practical here. It's one thing to ignore an incidental thing such as ya'll have described. However, expecting a wife to carry a large, heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs is quite another. Why wouldn't a man do that for a woman even if it wasn't his wife?

Another good episode is where Debra's recently divorced parents are coming for Thanksgiving and the dad is bringing a new girlfriend, who shocks them all by being so old. Ray puts his foot in his mouth by telling the mother-in-law, that it turns out the old guy just wanted something different.

And when Debra starts scolding him about the hump-backed housecleaner, Marie turns around and slaps Frank.

Frank says he could have had his way with the housecleaner .

Frank says he could have had his way with the housecleaner . [/quote]

Another classic Thanksgiving scene is where Frank is choking to death and Debra and Marie are arguing over whether it's the turkey or fish that's causing it while Robert performs the Heimlich.

I'll tell ya, Klyd. My Mom---God rest her soul---was a pain in the ass. But she never would have shown up at my house with an unexpected turkey!

This reminded me: when my husband and his mother were having their mother/son dance at my wedding, she had a choke hold on him like nobody's business (mind you we were going to be living 2 blocks away) and she whispered in his ear. Some time later I asked him what did she say to him at that time. My husband said, "Oh she was just telling me that wives come and go, but your mother is forever." At the time I took offense to it (naturally).
15 years later, we are as close as mother and daughter and by having my own son now, I can really understand that wives DO come and go and your mother IS there forever. I am blessed to love my in-laws as my own blood.

As far as Everybody Loves Raymond, I loved the show as well. BUT, one thing, even now, watching the reruns that bugs the absolute hell outta me is that when Marie or Frank are speaking to Robert or Raymond they refer to the other parent as "Frank" and "Marie". What parent doesn't say "Mom" or "Dad" or "your mother...." when talking to their children? It never made sense to me, yet it seems like it was done on purpose. It's done over and over thru the years.

One of the funniest scenes is when Frank & Marie move out of their house to a retirement community. Robert & Amy start moving their stuff into Frank & Marie's house and Marie has a melt down about Robert's "sex machine"... it was really one of those portable gym like Boflex systems. Priceless!

I thought it was hilarious when Frank and Marie did their impersonations of Dera and Raymond at the anniversary party for Lee and Stan.

Just watched the one yesterday when the whole family gets on Ray's back about not going to Church. When he does hefinds out Frank is one of the ushers who stand outside during the whole service! Very funny!

Last night I saw the episode where Ray tells his brother that he gets bored with his kids after 5 minutes and wants to watch TV instead. Why would hte producers want to portray such a father (if you can call him that) in a comedy series?

Wow, you're really having a hell of a time getting over this one, huh?

To quote the Fonz: "Exactamundo!"

Last night they aired the episode where 40 something year old Robert starts dating a 22 year old, who turns out to really be 19. The scene in the restaurant towards the end of the episode really spoke to every phobia that middle-aged people develop. Great episode.

Reminds me of a Sinbad joke about 50 year old men marrying 22 year old girls... He said don't be dumb - they don't want your old ass! They want your house after you die from a stroke!

I LOVE that Sinbad concert! I was laughing so hard that I was crying.

Great stuff, SB. I only wish Sinbad would do more shows more often. I often watch a lot of the old Raymonds OnDemand in the TBS section. They are all classics! (Back on subject!)

I heard a dull thump earlier today on the front windows or door of my house, and later noticed a dead robin on the front porch. It reminded me of the bizarre way that the Barones overreacted to Amy's family's killing of the wounded bird on Thanksgiving. It made for a funny episode.

Here's a weird, quirky thing in many episodes. Now Frank and Marie live across the street, so it only makes sense that they enter through raymond's front door. But frequently even when Marie is bringing a large pan of food, they enter and leave through the back door, which means they cross the street, go past the front door and alongside the house through the yard to get to the back door. It's only a few steps (once inside) to go from the front to the back door. So, it's completely illogical for the Barones to do this.

I know it's a convenient exit for purposes of filming the show, but it makes no sense at all...and yes, I know it's just a tv show.

I might have a possible answer. My mom, like Marie, was a clean freak (not like Marie otherwise thankfully) and we never were allowed to enter thru the front door. If company came and rang the front doorbell that was different. Anybody else, it's the only the back (or side door). It would make sense that especially with food (and the possibility of spilling) they'd go thru the back.

Another "Marie" thing I can relate to? Although not in recent years but in childhood years my mom would leave the plastic on the couch in the living room (that room was like the highlight of the house I guess) Yea we razzed her a lot, God bless her. In later years, she stopped doing that but even til the end, the living was the room you don't mess around in. You just sit.

TIS

Yes, I agree about access. It is kind of strange they do that. It's for filming purposs, no doubt.

However, in the long shot of Ray's house, it seems to have a stone or large brick veneer halfway up. But in one episode they are painting it and it has a wood veneer.