It’s nearly two decades since Everybody Loves Raymond ended just like it started, with the Barone family gathered around Ray and Debra’s kitchen table, teasing and eating. It is a perfect summation of the show giving each of the main characters a line that is each of their personalities in a nutshell after a series finale that shows them growing closer and admitting their love for each other.
The first and last lines spoken by a character in a show may be the most important parts of the development. The first line needs to quickly express who the character is, and how the audience should expect them to behave in the episodes to come. The final line of the character is the chance for the show to give a character one final expression of their personality. It’s a summation of their growth and characterization and Everybody Loves Raymond nails it for the main cast.
Contents
- 01. Everybody Loves Raymond: Robert Barone “We Thought We’d Start Here.”
- 02. Everybody Loves Raymond: Debra Barone “Ray’s Still Out Of Town Covering The Yankees.”
- 03. Everybody Loves Raymond: Geoffrey And Michael Barone “More?”
- 04.Everybody Loves Raymond: Amy MacDougall “I Can’t Believe You. Somebody Just Drops By And You’ve Got Homemade Cookies. You’re Amazing.”
- 05. Everybody Loves Raymond: Frank Barone “You Don’t Leave A Note, You Just Leave. We’re Looking All Over For You.”
01. Everybody Loves Raymond: Robert Barone
“We Thought We’d Start Here.”
Robert Barone is defined by his competitive streak with his younger brother Ray. He spends the whole series complaining about how Ray’s life is better than his and how their mother loves him more. His first line in the pilot episode is a snide remark about how the first place he and Frank decided to check for Marie was Ray’s house.
Robert constantly argues with everyone throughout Everybody Loves Raymond, no one more so than his brother who tends to tease him about his insecurities. At the end of the day, they are loving brothers and the finale goes to show that with Robert admitting Ray is a good singer after first taunting him about it at the breakfast table.
02. Everybody Loves Raymond: Debra Barone
“Ray’s Still Out Of Town Covering The Yankees.”
Debra Barone is the constantly frustrated wife of Raymond and is usually the target of Marie’s passive-aggressive comments. While she loves her family she is often suffocated by their neediness and Ray’s laziness. Debra’s first quote in Everybody Loves Raymond is her mentioning how he’s out watching sports while she runs around the kitchen cleaning and cooking.
Her last line of the series shows a lot of her character’s growth from that pilot episode. Debra rarely has anything kind to say about her husband but while the family is eating breakfast, Ray serenades them off-key. While everyone teases him, she defends her husband and pays him a compliment.
03. Everybody Loves Raymond: Geoffrey And Michael Barone
“More?”
The twin sons of Debra and Ray Barone are barely out of infancy in the pilot of the show. Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten who play the twins are adorable, eating breakfast and swinging their legs back-and-forth together. Both boys are standard, good-natured children who can be demanding of their parent’s time.
Hence, their first words in the series are “More?” said in unison as Ray returns home from covering a baseball game for work. Their final line of the series is simply a cheer when their grandmother offers to make them pancakes instead of their mom, showing their love for Marie as well as throwing one last pesky jab at their mom.
04.Everybody Loves Raymond: Amy MacDougall
“I Can’t Believe You. Somebody Just Drops By And You’ve Got Homemade Cookies. You’re Amazing.”
Amy MacDougall goes from friend of Debra, to girlfriend of Robert, to finally wife of Robert across the seasons. Her first appearance in Everybody Loves Raymond season 1, episode 14 sees her chatting with Debra about how great her life is. Before she gets a boyfriend, Amy is generally miserable and jealous.
But after she and Robert hit it off she becomes a much more chipper person, becoming a great girlfriend by sitcom standards, always looking on the brighter side of things. In the finale, the Barone family barges into Ray’s house arguing. Amy waits for the fighting to die down before greeting everyone. Encapsulating her kind but mousy nature.
05. Everybody Loves Raymond: Frank Barone
“You Don’t Leave A Note, You Just Leave. We’re Looking All Over For You.”
The best part about Frank Barone is his complete willingness to stand up to his wife Marie when nobody else will. The first and the last lines he has in the show sum that up well. Marie comes into Ray’s home and Frank follows a few minutes later demanding to know where she is.
And while it may seem that he is bossing her around, it’s actually clear that he is completely dependent on her and his love for her leads to some of the most wholesome moments on Everybody Loves Raymond. HIs last line of the series goes to show this as well. Marie has hidden his hammer from him, and he spends the rest of breakfast demanding something she is keeping just out of reach.
