Everybody Loves Raymond will celebrate the 18th anniversary of the show’s season finale this spring. Over nine seasons, the sitcom is about a fictionalized Ray Romano and his family who are constantly barging into his life. He lives with his wife, Debra, and their three children across the street from Ray’s overbearing parents Marie and Frank.
Added to the mix is Ray’s older brother, Robert, a police officer who constantly feels inferior to Ray and the second-favorite child of their parents, which is often proven true. Each character in the show has personality quirks and arcs, but they’re all equally funny thanks to the fantastic writing. There are a few lines that perfectly define the varied members of the Barone family and their friends.
Contents
- Everybody Loves Raymond “If I Say “Yes,” Do You Still Have To Tell Me?”
- Everybody Loves Raymond “It’s Got To Be After 5:00 Somewhere In The World.”
- Everybody Loves Raymond ”You Found A Recipe! Oh, You’re A Cook Now!”
- Everybody Loves Raymond “Boy! … I Don’t Think So.”
- Everybody Loves Raymond “You’re A Trophy Wife? What Contests In Hell Did I Win?”
Everybody Loves Raymond “If I Say “Yes,” Do You Still Have To Tell Me?”
Raymond Barone, played by Ray Romano, is a moderately successful sportswriter and family man who while faithful and generally a good husband and son, is prone to bouts of laziness and selfishness. He is coddled and/or harangued by everyone in his life and generally doesn’t want any conflict.
This line is the perfect encapsulation of his views of his family members. Ray doesn’t want to get into an argument but also doesn’t want to be distracted from the things he wants to do. If he can find an easy way out of a conversation without causing any trouble, he’ll take it.
Everybody Loves Raymond “It’s Got To Be After 5:00 Somewhere In The World.”
Ray’s parents are much more part of the main cast than Debra’s. That’s a central plot point, an overbearing mother-in-law and a crass and embarrassing father-in-law. But Warren Whelan, Debra’s father, is still a great character. He’s a man who enjoys the finer things in life.
He is a well-known alcoholic among the Barone family, not that anyone but Debra seems to mind. Many of his lines involve asking for and suggesting a drink. This line is a standard from Ray’s father-in-law who is always happy at any point to have a drink.
Everybody Loves Raymond ”You Found A Recipe! Oh, You’re A Cook Now!”
Marie Barone, played brilliantly by Doris Roberts, is one of the reasons Everybody Loves Raymond is considered one of the best sitcoms of the 90s. She is the stereotypical mother-in-law who over-coddles her son, is an incredible cook, and constantly pesters her daughter-in-law, Debra.
One of the ways Marie pokes Debra is by subtly, and occasionally overtly, criticizing her cooking. It’s a way for her to bully Debra and imply that she’s still the only one good enough to take care of her. This subtle jab at Debra using a recipe instead of her intuition is a perfect example of Marie’s communication style.
Everybody Loves Raymond “Boy! … I Don’t Think So.”
Everybody Loves Raymond tends to focus closely on the main cast with guests and recurring characters only appearing infrequently but Debra and Raymond’s couple friends do show up frequently. Bernie and Linda Gruenfelder are friends of the Barone’s from Ray’s childhood.
Bernie is a down-to-earth jet-ski salesman who knows Ray and his family well, but he also knows how over-involved his extended family is. When Ray and Debra ask Bernie to take care of their children in the event of their death, Bernie declines before they can even get the question out. He knows the Barones, and isn’t interested in dealing with all of them if he has to take care of their kids.
Everybody Loves Raymond “You’re A Trophy Wife? What Contests In Hell Did I Win?”
The late Peter Boyle plays Frank Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond as the angry patriarch of the Barone family. He is often impatient and rude to everyone, in particular his wife Marie, who he mocks constantly. He is the only one in the family who is willing to stand up to his wife.
