Time to wrap things up my friends……
Season 9, Episode 13
Sister-In-Law
Plot Summary-Ray doesn’t appreciate when Amy tries spending time with him
Nitpick of the episode-I’ll never get why Ray can’t sit with someone and just listen to them talk. There’s a great continuity nod I hope was intentional. In her first appearance Amy mentioned loving to eat raw cookie dough, and when Ray insults her that’s exactly what Amy eating in the kitchen!
Best Line-“We should get in there dads probably got the fondu pot on his head like Winnie the Pooh”…Ray
Episode Fun Fact –
Deleted Scenes-Robert tries to find out if Amy is still angry, Marie embarrasses Ray
Syndication Edit-The tag where Ray does talk to Amy…of course enraging Robert and Debra. Maybe Ray shuts up because he just can’t win?
Best Character-Amy, probably her best episode and she even gets angry which is nice to see. Though fondu date night? Really??
Worst Character-Ray, once again we see the simple act of sitting next to someone while watching a sporting event is too much for him to handle. The only difference is its Amy this time. Even she admits she knows Frank better than Ray!
Final Thoughts-One thing I didn’t get about this episode was how quiet Marie was, did they have nothing for her to say? She did have some lines in the deleted scenes so I guess that answers that. The episode addresses something which has come up before, why the hell is Ray incapable to talking to people? It’s why his conversation with Pat last season was so nice to see. He can do it! All he has to do is sit there and let Amy prattle, why is that so hard? To be fair Amy is a talkative person but when Ray can’t seem to talk to anyone it’s hard to put the blame on her.
Grade-B-
Season 9, Episode 14
The Power of No
Plot Summary-Ray discovers the power of saying no to his wife. When Debra finds out she sets out to prove she can hold out as long as he
Nitpick of the episode-Course the idea that horny Ray can hold out that long is pushing it. Though the episode tries to make it believable. On the other hand the idea Debra would care so much is also a stretch.
Best Line-“All I had to do was kiss Robert’s ear and he just said Ray’s crazy. He doesn’t usually like to mention Ray in the bedroom. He says it inhibits him.”…Amy
Episode Fun Fact –
Deleted Scenes-Ray and Robert picking on each other, we see ray and Debra finally had sex
Syndication Edit-
Best Character-Debra, yeah I said it was unbelievable but it’s still nice to see Debra the one interested in sex for once. And I can buy that Rays rejecting her would damage her self image and make her think she isn’t attractive anymore.
Worst Character-Ray, he loses me when it’s clear how much he was hurting Debra’s feelings
Final Thoughts-I guess it’s only fair to have to one last Ray is horny episode before the end. It’s a good try, making Debra the one who feels rejected. To bad it’s also unbelievable. Especially when the two go to extremes to turn each other on. We know these characters to well to believe Ray could hold out so long or Debra would try so hard. My favorite part comes when the truth comes out and Ray comments that he liked that Debra was the one feeling rejected for once. She says she rejects him because she has take care of three kids, at which Ray rolls his eyes and says “still using the kids?” He’s right, the kids aren’t babies anymore so whining that she has to take care of them all day is getting old. Otherwise the episode is more rehash, though the montage showing the time passing was nice. Must have taken forever to film with all the wardrobe changes. And, three weeks go by? No wonder Rays ready to explode in the end.
Grade-B-
Season 9, episode 15
Pat’s Secret
Plot Summary-Robert discovers Pat has a secret, smoking
Nitpick of the episode-So Pat was able to hide her smoking from hank for years? Either she is really really good or hank doesn’t pay attention at all. I mean Robert barely tries one cigarette and Amy smells it on him instantly.
Best Line-“So, suddenly Pat’s a hero… How about if I smoked the pot… Would you be closer to me then?”…Marie
Episode Fun Fact –
Deleted Scenes-the barones await Amy’s parents, Amy and Robert smoke together
Syndication Edit-
Best Character-Robert, can’t blame the guy for taking advantage of an opportunity to bond with Pat
Worst Character-Marie, Robert takes the fall for Pat but when the truth comes out hank apologizes to Robert but we never get one from Marie. In fact she’s annoyed at him!
Final Thoughts-Once again the series hits on a common issue, how do you blow off steam once in a while? This came up a little back in “Be Nice” but here we see there are other way than just yelling at your spouse. And it’s true, everyone once in awhile needs to do something to get rid of the tension. I love how at the end, Marie and Frank come off as the most normal couple! They don’t sneak around doing things they just yell at each other. Hey, if it works for them why not? It’s also nice to see pat and hank aren’t so perfect, they do have vices. It’s interesting how many Robert and Amy scenes we get in season nine. Was there possibly a spinoff in the works that never happened?
Grade-C+
Season 9, Episode 16
The Finale
Plot Summary-A medical scare shakes up the family
Nitpick of the episode-The three kids all got one line each for the final episode. That kinda sucks, but at least they were there! I was upset that there were wasn’t one last scene in the living room.
Best Line-“Hey, Ray it’s a little crowded in here”…Debra
“Maybe we should get a bigger table”…Ray
(Final lines of the episode, and series)
Episode Fun Fact -Filming of the series finale was delayed twice when Patricia Heaton and then Doris Roberts were ill and couldn’t speak well on the filming days. This episode was watched by more people than any other episode of the series.
Deleted Scenes-Robert giving Ray crap about his adenoids, more bickering in the waiting room (honestly this was a good edit)
Syndication Edit-lines of dialogue in that scene in the bedroom
Best Character-Everyone
Worst Character-I’m gonna give everyone a pass since it’s the final episode, no one was “best” or “worst”, they were all on target here.
Final Thoughts-Well my friends, we made it. 210 episodes over five months and it all comes down to this one. The creators didn’t want an event finale like so many other shows did, they wanted a normal episode. Although I do wish they had made it a little bigger, like how the last episode of Cosby added a flashback to the pilot or Cheers let the episode be bigger but still basically a normal episode. I mean there were deleted scenes, why not put them in? But we got what we got, and how is the episode?
Pretty damn good. Of course when you have every writer on the staff contributing it better damn well be! It’s a natural idea of this show too. Ray is worried about getting his adenoids out (which is classic Ray). It’s a common procedure and all. At the procedure, Robert is upset Marie made him go and there’s the typical whining. When Marie goes to the bathroom the nurse comes out to announce Ray isn’t waking. Patricia Heaton is spot on perfect, as are the others, with their reactions which is about as natural as any reaction I have ever seen anywhere. Course it only lasts a second, Ray is fine, but man does that kind of scare stay with you.
That’s what happens in the next part, Debra is being nice and sentimental. I love her dialogue explaining all she has to do the next day, it feels so real and natural. Since Franks is also, Marie catches and long story short everyone converges in the bedroom. Now this is what I mean by making it bigger, because Ray finds out what happens and he reacts as you’d expect but its kind rushed. The best part being when Debra and Ray admit they do love each other in their subtle ways. It has just enough emotion to be sweet without feeling like the wrong show.
I read one review which said that the series should have had a real ending with Debra leaving and Ray moving with Marie and being miserable (kind of like how Seinfeld ending by punishing its characters). Uh no, that would not have been an appropriate ending that would have spat in the face of the show. The show isn’t about stupid Ray it’s about a family who fights but at the end still deep down love each other. And I think what we got was enough. They wanted the ending to say “yeah the family still goes one we’re just not seeing their stories anymore” which is a better message I think. The best part is the tag, where we see Marie and Frank fighting before Marie takes over Debra’s kitchen which annoys her—in other words it’s back to normal. And that final pull out and fade to black was beautiful. Nice way to end the episode and the series.
Grade-A-, It’s not the best final episode ever, but it does the job just fine.
Season 9 wasn’t all bad, it wasn’t all great either. I’m just glad the show went out when it did instead of going until we were just tired of it (Big Bang Theory anyone?).
Well my friends that’s the final episode, so it’s time to sum this series up. Let’s start by running through the characters and what I thought of them”
Ray-He really is an idiot. And his inability be socialize with people gets real annoying. Why he can’t just sit with someone on the couch escapes me. But deep down he isn’t a bad guy. He really does love Debra and the kids it’s just that he has such a repulsion for responsibility it’s easier to run off and golf than it is to stay and help clean or even play with the kids. His biggest flaw is his endless sex drive which just drives me nuts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, how come some in their 40’s and married be that horny?? So yeah he has severe flaws but I really don’t think he’s a bad guy.
Debra-I made it no secret my feelings about her. While it’s true she has every right to be aggravated with Ray as a husband and the family across the street, the truth is she brings a lot of that aggravation on to herself. She’s incapable of standing up for herself to strong people (so Marie walks all over her) but can push around wimpier people (hence her treatment of Ray). I lost track of how many times she made Ray do something pretty much because she wouldn’t. She just spins it so that it’s all about lazy Ray. But she’s also mean, from calling him idiot to even physical abuse at times. All she seems to know is yelling, at Ray or the kids. Is she a bad persons? No, I think deep down she knows sh shouldn’t be with Ray and his family but that feeling of superiority is intoxicating.
Robert-To be fair, Robert is the only character to really evolve on this show. He grows up a bit by moving out, getting married, and even allowing himself to be happy. He is so different in the first season it’s jarring. Yeah the inferiority complex is always there but as time goes on it becomes more downplayed. He just loves being a victim and then spinning it so its not his fault. The worst may be his trying to insinuate that Ray has a pathological need to be better than him and never let him be happy…um, no. He is a damn good cop and an amazing uncle so he does have his strong points.
Marie-I think I’ve made my feelings on her clear. She has a massive inferiority complex and is also narcissistic. When she needs to do something, whether it be help Debra clean or express an opinion, she can’t relax until she has done it. And the fact that it upsets the other person is totally lost, all she cares about is making herself relieved. This is so bad that she goes to great lengths to make sure that everything is the way she wants, even actively sabotaging things when something threatens her ego. She has to be the best at everything and can never be second best. Whether it be Debra cooking something good or Ray talking to anyone but her, she always has to be #1. She loves her family, and is so afraid of losing them. Her tight grip is so tight that Ray and Robert are nervous wrecks whenever something comes up that could threaten her ego. And I think she does love Robert but gives more attention to Ray because he was a needier child.
Frank-He is very very old school. He came from that time when men were supposed to be tough and strong and never show emotions. He never played with or even hugged his kids and was always motivating them with what we would today call verbal abuse. In his head he was doing right, in his time no one worried about kids feelings. His attitude toward Marie makes less sense to me, why can’t he ever give her a compliment? Living with Marie can’t be easy to be fair and maybe his jokes and insults are a coping device to knock Marie off her high horse just a little so he doesn’t end up like Ray and Robert who basically kiss her ass. He does have passions like church, the lodge, and even civil war reenactments. He also prides himself on his repair skills, that are mostly in his own head.
The reason for the worst and best character parts was to show that while there were times they could be horrible there were other times when they were decent. None of these characters are bad people they are just severely flawed. At least that’s how I see it. I started this series of reviews by pointing out that I always hated Debra and generally gave Ray a free pass. But I noted others hating Ray, was I being too easy on the guy? Turns out, I was. I tallied all the times each character was listed as “Worst Character” and I was shocked how close it was. Ray and Debra were neck in neck, it was so close I was genuinely curious who would come out on top. So yeah, Debra was horrible but maybe, just maybe, she had some good cause with Ray around. He really was stupid. As for the others, they weren’t as close but they each had their episodes where they selfish or just plain mean. So who came out on top? Believe it or not, Ray pulled out for the win. Though it was very very close. And of course this is just my opinion but honestly I was real surprised by that. When I did the “Seinfeld” guide I realized how much Elaine bothered me. With the “Friends” guide I realized how much Monica pissed me off. Here, it’s that Ray really was an idiot.
So that may lead you to wonder, why on earth do I like this show then? Why did I waste five months reviewing every episode? How did it stay on the air for nine years? Because while the characters are flawed…that also makes them relatable. This show is not about a “Brady Bunch-esque” perfect family. And it’s not like shows like Roseanne or Married with Children where the family is so dysfunctional that you say “thank god that’s not me” These feel like real people that we know, and even at time actually are, in real life. How many times did I say Marie reminded me of someone I knew? Or any of them? And the big reason I think, is that the situations are very believable. They are not played up or exaggerated (for the most part). This is real middle class life, whether we want to admit or not. I picked on the show a lot for all the scenes in the kitchen with the family arguing. But isn’t that how it works? I know when I was outside with my family we tried to play nice (not always successfully). It’s indoors were we let the masks off a bit and be ourselves. Warts and all. I like the episodes are small, there’s one story going through rather than some shows that cram as many stories as they can as fast as they can. That pace makes it feel more real. Also in my opinion, the show is funny. Ok it doesn’t have memorable catch phrases like Seinfeld or crazy gags like friends, but the jokes worked and just watching the reactions of the characters many times is enough to get a laugh. Course it was a brilliantly cast show, with the actors bringing the characters alive beautifully so they are flawed but still so likable. Finally, the writing is really strong. I think it’s really one of those shows where you have to remind himself that the dialogue was written it seems so quick and natural.
Now all that having being said, the show isn’t perfect. A lot of people hate the show because the characters are so bitter and nasty. And maybe you need to be in a dysfunctional family to get it. If you have a happy family and/or a family that live far away from you the show could easily be over your head. I once did a face-off with this show and Home Improvement, and in the end Home Improvement won. Why? Because the characters are more likable. No matter how angry Jill got at Tim you knew they loved each other. Can’t always say that with Ray and Debra. As big jerk Tim can be you knew he loved his wife and kids and was a good father and even knew about tools he’d just get carried away. That’s not as clear with Ray who runs off to play golf any chance he gets and doesn’t seem to know anything besides sports. On the other hand, the supporting characters on HI are pretty one note and forgettable, even Wilson. Al comes the closest. But on ELR Marie, Frank and Robert, love them or hate them, are very memorable and well developed characters. Every story on HI had a nice neat resolution and arguments never lasted long while ELR didn’t always and the arguments didn’t always end quickly. And most notably, which show is more popular now 20 years later, between these two? Yeah ELR gets more respect because the characters were more flawed and were more real. I get it may be too real for some, but as I noted it’s the situations that bring me back not the characters. And of course if you don’t like the series at all that’s fine, this is all opinion and there are popular things out there I can’t stand.
One thing i have noticed is that the top 10 episode lists I have seen of this show, there are usually different episodes on different lists. That tells me that people see different things that I might not in these shows, which speaks to the series how it feels real so one episode may have more profound impact on someone else than it would me, for instance. What is my top 10? I took every “A” episode and then broke down my ten favorites from that list. Then it became 12 because, well, I can never settle on 10. So my top ELR episodes (by broadcast order) would be:
THE GAME
THE GIFT
GOOD GIRLS
DRIVING FRANK
HOW THEY MET
BULLY ON THE BUS
HAKCIDU
THE WALLPAPER
PET CEMETARY
THE CANISTER
MARIE’S SCULPTURE
BAGGAGE/TALK TO YOU DAUGHTER
It probably seems weird not see “Bad Moon Rising” or “Lucky Suit” here. I like those episodes fine but they are both so focused on one or two characters the rest of the family barely appears. Raybert should almost be here also. And I couldn’t decide on that last one so I made it a tie (I always have to have a tie). You may notice none from the last two seasons, there are only a couple I may have added but there wasn’t any one that stuck out at me. As for my worst episode, you can see that list here
One last quick note. I love the theme music for this show. The soft piano riff that we hear during the closing credits and scene transitions is so perfect! Course the best opening the show ever used didn’t use that music. I decided to leave you with that opening, since it really says everything you need to know about this series in 45 seconds.
Thanks for reading this my friends, it was something I had wanted to do for a while and now I am happy that it’s done. What’s next? Guess we’ll have to see. Until then, be good to yourselves.
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