Got a couple extra episode this time around as we finish up the first season.
Season 1, Episode 16
Diamonds
Nitpick of the episode-You gotta love retcon’s! So Debra explains that she replaced the diamond Ray gave her with her grandmother’s because she couldn’t show her mother the real diamond. However in the wedding episode Debra gets the ring and seconds later shows it to her mother. Debra also ray proposed on Valentine’s Day which isn’t done in the other episode. There were so many other ways to rid this, how about ray just buy her a new ring as a gift? Or why didn’t ray just tell Debra about the ring, it was franks fault!
Best Line-“Hey. Wanna play baker in the mineshaft?”..Ray
Episode Fun Fact –
Deleted Scenes-none for this episode
Syndication Edit-teaser with a cameo from Barry Bonds
Best Character-Ray, give him points for trying to fix the mistake and it isn’t his fault Debra made it worst
Worst Character-Debra, pretty terrible to not only replace the diamond but not tell ray
Final Thoughts-I brought up weepy Debra before and man do we get it here. Compared to later in the series you’d swear it was a different character. Patricia Heaton made her character angry the same way Julia Louis Dreyfus did with Elaine on Seinfeld. The difference in this case is the change will be an improvement, mostly. This episode feels out of place in this series, it feels more like a Cosby episode. And while Robert was getting better in terms of being weird, he still lacked common sense. Hence giving Amy an Iguana as a gift in this episode.
Grade-D+
Season 1, Episode 17
The Game
Plot Summary-when the cable goes out the family decides to play a game together
Nitpick of the episode-Bad enough Marie makes up a question about moving in with Ray and Debra after Frank dies but why does Debra get mad at ray after he says yes? Obviously he was just saying yes to shut Marie up! Does Debra really think Marie will remember this random incident years from now? At the very least she could have waited till they were no longer in the house to yell at him.
Best Line-“I got scruples. I got scruples the size of basketballs”…Frank
Episode Fun Fact –of course the cable guy is played by the same actor who would play Gianni
Deleted Scenes-none for this episode
Syndication Edit-the teaser with cable going out, and panic ensues!
Best Character-Robert for that sweet moment with him and the kids
Worst Character-Marie, pretty rotten asking that fake question and putting ray on the spot like that
Final Thoughts-This is the quintessential elr episode, for season one anyway, as it highlight all the conflicts in the series in one episode. We get ray trying to make everyone happy, frank being cheap, Marie and Deborah arguing, Ray and Debra butting heads, and Robert blaming ray for everything. There is some corniness however. Like how Debra and Marie are ambivalent about the cable being out, as if only men like TV. Also, one of my favorite cliches when watching a movie comes up its quickly dismissed when frank rejects Marie’s idea. As if there aren’t a million other movies to watch. It’s the same corniness that we get when someone on a show turns on the tv, sees once channel, and then gives up and turns the set off. Finally, if I were Ray I would have handed that fine right over to Frank since it was his idea to steal the cable.
Grade-A, it took while but we got the first classic of the series
Season 1, Episode 18
Recovering Pessimist
Plot Summary-when ray gets nominated for an award all he can do is be a pessimist about it
Nitpick of the episode-I get worrying about losing but the idea ray can’t enjoy the award is pushing it even for ray
Best Line-“it’s great to be nominated, that’s what the loser says”…ray
Episode Fun Fact –One of the nominees listed is Chuck Heaton, who just happens to Patricia Heaton’s father in real life.
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode
Syndication Edit-say it with me now, the teaser! Ray doesn’t want to get up at night to go to the bathroom
Best Character-Robert, you almost see his point of view when ray announces big news two seconds after his big news
Worst Character-Marie and frank, for the episode to work they have to be down about Rays award but it goes against there characters especially Marie
Final Thoughts-This episode basically explores ray and his negative attitude. It’s ok except we pretty much know this by this point. So the episode pretty much accomplishes nothing. And ray is almost too negative, it’s annoying and if he were like this all the time the series wouldn’t have lasted as long I bet.
Grade-C-
Season 1, Episode 19
The Dog
Plot Summary-when ray brings home a stray dog Robert wants to keep it
Nitpick of the episode-I know it’s important to make ray the bad guy for wanting the dog but having ally react with a dirty look and saying he smells is pushing it
Best Line-“I’m a cop and I live with my parents. I’m on a steady diet of human suffering.”…Robert
Episode Fun Fact –The dog would actually stick around..for a little while. Like The Brady Bunch and Who’s The Boss this was another series where a dog would just disappear after several episodes.
Deleted Scenes-None for this episode
Syndication Edit-teaser with Kristi Yamaguchi
Best Character-Robert, yeah I know It’s predictable
Worst Character-Ray, yeah I hate to say it but bringing the dog home was pretty inconsiderate
Final Thoughts-not sure what the point of this was, ray whines he wants the dog and then gives him to Robert. Why does Robert want the dog anyway. I know rob had a dog as a kid who they gave away. The episode makes no sense at one point Debra is being kept awake by the dog playing with some squeak toy. Really?
Grade-C+
Season 1, Episode 20
Neighbors
Plot Summary-after ray gives frank a book on hobbies he proceeds to disturb the whole neighborhood until the neighbors rally against them.
Nitpick of the episode-I get the neighbors being pissed but having the meeting at Rays house was pretty low. And the guy who videotaped frank every morning is lucky he’s not in jail- you can’t do that!
Best Line-“are they gong to show up with pitch forks and torches?”.. ray
Episode Fun Fact –
Deleted Scenes-none for this episode
Syndication Edit-teaser with tommy lasorda, an awful scene with ray feeling guilty in the bathroom
Best Character-
Worst Character-Debra, she’s a little to much on the neighbors side sometimes I think she forgets frank and marie mare rays parents !
Final Thoughts-Once again, even though Marie and Frank cause the trouble in the episode it’s Ray who ends up apologizing in the end. They forgive the guy videotaping Frank but Ray has to apologize? What is it with this season? The opening starts with everyone yelling at ray because it was his gift that inspired Franks hobby craze. Of course it’s Rays fault. This episode is painful as ray has to talk to a priest in the middle of it, as if they needed to fill the time. This happens a lot on this show where they start with a great idea but can’t follow through with it.
Grade-C-
Season 1, Episode 21
Fascinatin’ Debra
Plot Summary-Debra is excited to have a famous radio doctor comes to see Debra, until Ray’s family takes over the meeting.
Nitpick of the episode-Ugh, so Debra is excited that Dr.Nora is coming. What does she do when Nora shows up? She says she has to put the kids to bed. Couldn’t she have done that before? And what’s worst, it’s going to take a few minutes because she has to read them a story? What??? Throw them in the crib and go back downstairs! This is a big contrivance so that Ray’s family has time to intrude. And by the way, wouldn’t have Debra have been smart telling Marie not to come over ahead of time? And what six year old takes naps?
Best Line-“You’re not boring, you’re normal. Living in my house, I prayed for normal. Then, I had to fall asleep to the sound of my brother naming his toes. There was ‘Fat Tony’, ‘Danny the Weasel’ and ‘Billy Stretch and Tastes Bad’….Ray
Episode Fun Fact –Obviously Dr.Nora is a spin on the famous Dr.Laura
Deleted Scenes-none for this episode
Syndication Edit-teaser with Desmond Howard (man these teasers were pointless!)
Best Character-Ray, he hits it on the had when he points Debra is weird because voluntarily puts up with his family
Worst Character-Marie, she sees a black car in the driveway and immediately has to barge over. How dare there be a car in the driveway that she doesn’t know about!! This would have driven me crazy if it had been me in real life.
Final Thoughts-On King of Queens it was always clear that Carrie had a deep desire to be a rich Manhattan socialite. But she accepted she lived in Queens with Doug. I think Debra has the same problem. Why is she so worried about them coming off as sophisticated and determined to put on a show for Dr.Nora? Ray himself asks this question! We’ll see this again in later episodes. As for the family barging over, Debra has no one to blame but herself. She should have seen that coming! Of course Nora was more interested in Ray’s family, as ray points out. It seemed like it was a rule this season that if the episode is focused on someone they have to be miserable, as Debra spends half the episode because she is boring. Which is, well, boring.
Grade-B
Season 1, Episode 22
Why Are We Here?
Plot Summary-We finally see how Debra and Ray ended up across the street from rays family
Nitpick of the episode-OK so in the opening Marie comes over to help Debra’s cooking, even if Debra doesn’t want her to, and Frank wants to add his shorts to the washing machine. But having Robert calling the TV station to find out what the next episode of Twilight Zone is seems pretty lame. Ever hear of a TV Guide? And yeah I know sometimes the guide didn’t list plot details but still…I guess the implication is he likes the woman who answers the phone, but then why does he make Debra talk to her?
Best Line-“am I man or what?”…ray when he discovers it’s twins
Episode Fun Fact –That isn’t a fake belly Patricia Heaton is wearing in the flashback, she was very pregnant when filming this episode. Also young Ally is played by one of her brothers, either Sawyer or Sullivan
Deleted Scenes-none for the episode
Syndication Edit-the teaser with ray going to play softball. I’m glad rays recreational activities stopped after this episode. Well except golf of course.
Best Character-Ray, there is a scene where he uses the flicking of Debra’s nose to explain what long term exposure to Marie and Frank is like. And I think he really makes his point. Too bad Debra didn’t listen.
Worst Character-Robert, Sometimes Robert’s jealousy gets to be too much, like in the flashback when it seems like he is upset that ray is having twin boys. C’mon dude.
Final Thoughts-I like the idea that Ray and Debra’s living there was originally Debra’s choice. It makes perfect sense. Though I honestly think at times Debra overreacts, I’m sure it does get annoying having Marie and Frank barge over all day. Though it probably did seem like a good idea at the time. I do love how in the flashback Debra is thrilled to see Marie and Frank when they visit. And typical Debra, it’s OK for her to have issues with rays family but ray is just a baby when he does.
Grade-A, nice end to a so-so season
And with that we have finished one season. It was wasn't god awful but there were serious growing pains here. I know my reviews were mostly lukewarm, but I promise things will turnaround when Season 2 begins next time and the show will finally find its stride!
No comments:
Post a Comment