September 25, 2012

Sitcom Episode Face-Off:Everybody Loves Raymond vs King of Queens

Hello my friends, welcome back as I take two episodes of different series with the same plot and see which did it better. So let’s say you have two sitcoms based around the fact the husband is a lazy idiot. These shows also have cranky, bitchy wives who love to complain about the fact their husband is a lazy idiot. Then suppose they decide to do the same story about how the lazy idiot husband is also totally useless in an emergency. Yeah let’s play a game of who’s the worst husband as we discuss :

everybody-loves-raymond-51215ae031791  vs King-of-Queens-logo



I am comparing “What Good Are You” from Everybody Loves Raymond’s 5th season to “Oxy Moron” from King of Queens Season 4. Both of these came along in 2001 (ELR in Jan, KOQ in Nov…seriously what is it with these shows blatantly stealing idea from each other?) when each series was at their peak, and basically tell the same story. But which did it better?



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ROUND 1:BASIC PREMISE

On Raymond, Debra coughs on a piece of fruit while Ray watches TV. Even though she wasn’t really choking she is still angry because Ray did nothing to save her. Any other guy would have not let it bother him, but this is Ray of course.


On Queens, on a plan the oxygen mask falls in error but Doug panics and puts his on…showing no concern for Carrie. Even though there was no emergency, she is still mad that he didn’t try to save her. At first Doug tries to dismiss it but she wont let it go.


VERDCT-Both are kind of silly but at least Raymond came kind of close to almost being an emergency, when Queens was just Doug being stupid. And I’ll get into it more below but what the hell else was Ray supposed to do? Even he says later SHE WAS JUST COUGHING ON A PIECE OF FRUIT!!


WINNER-RAYMOND






ROUND 2:How Does the Plot Begin?

Raymond:While eating an orange Debra coughs on a piece. It takes her a little time to cough it out, while Ray asks if she is Ok and just turns up his TV. Debra coughs it out and gives him an evil look.


Queens:On an airplane, Doug and Carrie are awaiting the landing when the plan hits a bump as the plane descends. The turbulence causes the oxygen masks to come down, and in a panic moment Doug grabs his and puts it on. Even though there is no need and the other passengers don’t even react. Carrie sits, looking mortified.


VERDICT-Raymond’s situation is more believable, and while the one with Doug and Carrie is not entirely impossible it seems more far fetched. I think the problem Raymond had was that if they made Debra really choke, and let’s say Robert came in and saved her life for instance,  he would have really looked bad.  The last thing you want to do is damn the character, he can be a jerk but not when there is real jeopardy. So it was easier to have Debra cough and then overreacted. So that being said, what was Ray suppose to do? Even he knows that coughing isn’t choking. He did nothing wrong. Probably the same thinking in Queens since there was zero emergency, it was even less of an incident. I mean what in the world made Doug whip his oxygen mask on like that? And if we accept he didn’t know it wasn’t an emergency for the first few seconds, why didn’t he worry about Carrie? So yeah Doug comes off worst than Ray, who doesn’t just blatantly ignore Debra as much as Doug ignored Carrie.


WINNER-RAYMOND




Round 3:How does the complication occur?
I notice the newer shows don’t fit my categories are easily as the formulaic 80’s one’s. Funny. Anyway…


Raymond-Debra starts yelling at Ray for not saving her life. Even though all she was doing was coughing on a piece of fruit. She insists that Ray is worthless in an emergency, and when Robert comes in Debra asks him to she her how to the Heimlich on herself. Most guys would not care but this is Ray so of course he begins obsessing.


Queens-It’s clear that Carrie is upset, obvious by her attitude with Doug in the car including a cheap shot. When they get home Doug tries to push past it but she is obviously not letting it go. So they get into an argument about how he  sucked on the air mask and didn’t care at all about Carrie. Doug claims it was instinct but Carrie insists it’s an example of how Doug is, caring more about himself than saving her life.


VERDICT-Debra way overreacts here, all she was doing was coughing. Even Ray knows that what she was doing wasn’t choking, and her life was hardly in danger. But of course Debra can’t let it go. On Queens, Carrie at least tries to keep quiet but when they get into it the argument feels more like a real argument. One of Queens strengths is letting Doug be a little smarter than Ray and actually stand up for himself once in awhile. Like here. The big difference between the two here is that Ray insists that he can be counted on in an emergency, while Doug is determined to prove that Carrie isn’t any good in an emergency either and that he has saved her in the past.


WINNER-QUEENS




Round 4:How does the complication get more complicated?

Raymond-Ray goes to his mother, though she kind of supports the idea that Ray is useless. Saying that Frank and Robert are much more dependable. Then Frank mocks Ray’s tough guy claim with an arm wrestle match, which of course Frank wins. Later Ray meets with his friends at Nemo’s who taunt and tease him some more.


Queens-Doug is hanging out with his friends which doesn’t help much (though they don’t mock him like Raymond’s scene). Deacon admits that he thinks Doug messed up but he is honest about it. Later we see Doug and Carrie having dinner but it’s clear that Carrie can’t get past the incident. Despite his attempts to prove he has saved her. Finally he asks how he can fix the situation. She says she still loves him but it’s one of those things that cause a person to look at the person they’re with entirely differently.



VERDICT-Frank is being Frank in “Raymond” but I hate the scene at Nemo’s, the way Ray’s friends taunt him. Yeah I know, they are just teasing but making him feel worst isn’t going to help. They basically emasculate him by saying that he is a wimpy loser in every way. It also feels like padding, it doesn’t anything but eat up five minutes. I’m glad that these scenes with his friends were rare, and in fact would disappear entirely. Queens the scene in the bar is much shorter but at least Deacon is honest with Doug. The kitchen scene with Doug and Carrie shows the problem still exists, in Raymond we don’t see Debra again until the final scene and so for all we know she is over it and he is worrying for nothing (which wouldn’t be the first time). Also the scene on Queens actually gets kind of dark when Doug is made to feel like Carrie doesn’t love him anymore, something she says in the moment and seems to regret saying right away.



WINNER-QUEENS




Round 5:What about that B story?

Raymond-They rarely had B stories, sometimes they would let the other characters argue about something different but it really isn’t a story.

Queens-We get a subplot involving Spence moving in with Doug’s cousin Danny. It starts a regular joke on the series with these two being quasi-homosexual roommates. The story involves Spence trying a new female roommate first who treats him like a gay best friend, so he stops living with her and moves with Danny, even though we see she was interested in the very end.

VERDICT-The B story on Queens is more mocking of Spence stuff and takes time away from the main story. But Raymond had nothing so Queens wins by default


WINNER-QUEENS




Round 6:How is complication resolved?

RAYMOND-Ray has been trying to do some chores around the house to prove what a man he is. When Debra gets a splinter in her hand, he drops everything (literally) and races to the rescue. Even though she is trying to get away from him, he is acting like she is on fire and it’s freaking her out. As he gets her on the floor, in one of the series better visual gags, she stops him to say that she has realized he may have overreacted the other day. She insists he is a wonderful husband and a good man. Ray decides he has to get the splinter out, and does so . Debra them goes to get a band aid for her now bleeding hand, while Ray reacts to the blood like, well, Ray. Debra seems annoyed but I can’t care since she brought it all on herself by acting like a big baby.

QUEENS-A few days later, Doug and Carrie are at the movies. Carrie has gotten over it but Doug is still upset, refusing to eat all sugar. Carrie says she is not angry anymore, that she went a little to far the other day with what she said, and that they should move past it. Then a preview for a movie comes on about a man who heroically risks his life to save his wife. This bothers Doug so much that he rushes out and Carrie follows. Carrie insists he is a loving and caring guy, but Doug refuses to believe. Doug suddenly yells for Carrie and dives on top of her to save her….from a bus that was moving so slowly she could have easily moved out of the way. Even though he injured her, she gives him the credit that he at least tried to save her. He assures that he has her back in the future.


VERDICT-Raymond’s scene is just a better scene. It’s physical comedy which works. And Ray comes out better in the end with his triumph of removing the splinter. Which is more than the Queens scene where not only is Doug stupid (at least Debra did have a splinter, the bus was nowhere near Carrie) but he even hurts her. Yeah Ray kind of hurts Debra but at least he is being helpful. Carrie gives Doug credit but Ray deserves it more. And I like that Debra admits she overreacted, sure she may just be saying it to get Ray off of her but it’s a good moment that works. And her apology sounds more sincere than Carrie’s, who sounds like she is yelling at him to get over it. Both wives have the same trait, when they are not upset about something than the husbands shouldn’t be also. Besides, Debra’s overreacting in the episode feels much more in character then Carrie’s. I have gone on an on about what a witch Debra was, so why not yell at Ray because she can’t eat a piece of orange? Carrie getting upset makes sense but she takes it a bit to far (something she admits) making the whole thing feel forced.


WINNER-RAYMOND





Round 7:Final Scene

Raymond-A cute gag where Ray is telling a bedtime story to his kids about the recent events, of course cutseing it up for the kids. It’s a cute little scene.

Queens-More of the Spence stuff I mentioned already above.

VERDITCT-Raymond was a much better ending and had to do with the main story

WINNER-
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND





And the final winner and better episode is from:
everybody-loves-raymond







FINAL CONCLUSION-Both these episode cover the same idea but at least Raymond gives Ray the chance for some redemption in the end. The situation is more believable and less forced. And while I have gone on and on about Debra, she handles things better than Carrie did. The better series has the better episode, who could have known?

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