Welcome to Season 5! So after the excellence of the last season, how does season 5 measure up? Really good actually! Let’s start with the season opening two parter:
Season 5, Episode 1-2
Italy
Plot Summary-Marie announces that she is paying for the entire family to go to Italy. The whole family is excited…except Ray.
Best Line-“Don’t fight here. This is the Colosseum.”…Marie with a great line which was delivered kind of poorly
Nitpick of the episode-I will save my spiel on Ray and instead ask a different question. Who thought it was funny to have Debra get hurt by Ray in the end montage? This is after Ray has had a change of heart and he and Debra take in the sites…with him injuring her every step of the way. Was this supposed to be funny???? I love how she has a sling in the montage but it’s gone when they say goodbye at the end. Like the creators wanted to forget that too.
Syndication Edit-The start of the episode with frank and Marie coming to make an announcement (and Debra yelling at Robert about taking Joanne’s card). Also in reruns part 2 begins with a recap.
Episode Fun Fact- Yes this was filmed on location in Italy. The first appearance of Stefania and her father.
Best Character- Robert’s story works good, it feels natural and believable. As I said it is nice to see Robert get some good luck. Two episodes later this is undone, but that’s par for the course with Robert.
Worst Character-Ray
Final Thoughts-Why???? Why did they have to make Ray the jerk of the universe here? Here’s the thing-in the course of the series Ray is not a bad person. He’s a lazy idiot who makes mistakes, but overall he is a happy person. On the commentary for the episode the creators refer to Ray in this story as “evil Ray”. I think that makes sense. If you have to change the character to make the story work, you have failed!!! Ray being a jackass for the trip just feels forced. He says he caught a cold from the air conditioner in the van. Sigh, really?? Even Debra is pleasant because she has decided that seeing Italy is worth being stuck with Ray’s parents. In fact, none of the characters feel right especially Ray and Debra who almost switch places. The creators tried too hard with their plot which ruined an otherwise nice little episode. They should have just done the Ray is clumsy stuff they crammed into the last five minutes, rather than give him a story arc which made no sense. Or since this show is about a dysfunctional family who is always fighting, why not show them fighting like many families often do on long vacations (mine included!) By the time he starts to be happy and enjoy where he is, he’s already done so much whining he just can’t be redeemed. While the first half is ok the episode gets kind of draggy in the second half, with nothing really happening.
Grade=B-, beautiful scenery but the episode is an example of how trying to hard to force a story can kill that episode
Season 5, Episode 3
The Wallpaper
Plot Summary-Ray under reacts when Frank and Marie drive a car through their front door
Nitpick of the episode-Are the wallpaper stripes really different? And I don’t usually note continuity flubs but the debris has clearly changed between commercial breaks after the car crashes into the house. Most notably the door goes from being pinned by the car to vanishing. And as often happens in episodes like this the front steps apparently vanished when the car drove into the house (this also happened on family matters even though there the stairs in the exterior shot make it impossible for Eddie to drive the car into the house as he did. But that’s another subject).
Best Line-“grandma and grandpa stopped by”…Ray
Episode Fun Fact -100th Episode
Deleted Scenes-Debra telling the kids to settle down
Syndication Edit-the tag which is an unfortunate edit since it establishes that despite everything that happened the family has learned nothing.
Best Character-Debra, she does a good job as mediator here. She really thinks the family will listen and change. Silly girl.
Worst Character-Frank, yeah I get that he’s a cheap bastard but you’d think the fact he trashed his sons house would make him be more sympathetic rather than worrying about his car and how could get out of paying for the new wall.
Final Thoughts-Great episode, for once Ray finally gets mad at his parents and even throws them out! Id actually pick on Ray for his ambivalent attitude in the first part but he goes the other way in part two. You could argue about Debra resisting Ray when he throws Marie and frank out but she probably never meant that they all hate each other. The crash into the house was beautifully staged and that whole scene very well done. All the characters feel on target. Then the whole conversion the family has works, since they make valid points. The best laugh is the end when Robert tries to finally chime in with his own issues but Marie shushes him. Poor guy can never get a break!
Grade-A+, hesitate to say perfect episode but this is close
Season 5, Episode 4
Meant to Be
Plot Summary-Robert decides which girl to choose, ending up with neither
Nitpick of the episode-what in the world possessed Robert to hook back up with Joanna escapes me. In this episode she appears and, shocking, she’s still a witch!
Best Line-“oh but I’m happy. This is all such wonderful news. You’ve been deceitful, and you’re settling for me!”..Amy
Episode Fun Fact –Amy and Robert break up for the, what, fifth time? Though this one looked like it would really take.
Deleted Scenes-Robert gets a post card from Stefania, (this was clearly supposed to be the teaser but I guess the episode went very long), another scene of Robert moping about his situation
Syndication Edit-Robert and Frank talking after Robert leaves at the end of that first scene
Best Character-Debra, that scene where she reams Robert out is great
Worst Character-Robert, for obvious reasons. He deserved that slap from Amy!
Final Thoughts-this feels like an incomplete episode and judging by the deleted scenes, it is. It’s basically just Robert being dumped by all three girls after being so proud he had the choice. The only good scene is when Amy slaps him and Debra chews him out. The best comes when Robert suggests Debra should be apologizing to him. She turns and gives him such a look that Ray backs up and protects himself! I get they needed to have Joanne in the episode to resolve the season finale, but it’s just another retcon albeit a small one as she went from being pleasant at the end of that episode to rotten again here.
Grade-B-
Season 5, Episode 5
Pet Cemetery
Plot Summary-Ray accidentally kills Ally’s hamster while she is away. So Debra decides to hold a funeral.
Nitpick of the episode-How did ray miss the hamster crawling into the grocery bags? And why do people in sitcoms believe the person will not realize they got them a new pet? Maybe you have to be a pet lover to understand but animals don’t look exactly alike!
Best Line-“People heaven is for people. Your grandma’s been hitting the sauce.”…Frank
Episode Fun Fact -The only other series I know that tried to this kind of set up with The Cosby Show, and since that was strictly for laughs this is actually a better episode.
Deleted Scenes-none
Syndication Edit-the teaser is longer (and stupid, good edit)
Best Character-Ally, she’s really good in this one
Worst Character-Ray, his attitude during the “funeral” is unforgivable. So it’s raining? He couldn’t suck it up to please his upset daughter? And no his sweet moment at the end doesn’t help!
Final Thoughts-Another great episode, it’s so nice that the kids are being brought into the stories more. More great writing combined with a good performances. I really love the funeral scene, Ray’s attitude aside, maybe one reason being because I attended a hamster funeral as a kid.
Grade-A-
Season Five rolls on next time!
I'm not sure if ally cried when her hamster died. On the TV show it didn't show that ally was crying and had watery and red eyes.
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