Ray’s downtrodden brother shines as one of the show’s funnier characters on Everybody Loves Raymond, be he had his lesser moments too.
As the title of this family sitcom may suggest, wisecracking sportswriter Ray Barone tends to be the central focus of Everybody Loves Raymond more often than not.
Yet, his downtrodden brother also shines as one of the show’s funnier and more memorable characters. Ray’s apparent favoritism amongst the family only further spurs Robert’s competitive drive to not only outshine his brother but even revel in his mishaps. In addition to often getting the “short end of the stick,” his feelings of jealousy towards his brother often bring an uglier side to his personality. Still, Robert has more than his share of positive qualities too – proving to be charming, whimsical, and supportive in various episodes. Given these likable traits – along with his bouts of bad luck – one can’t help but feel for him in at times.
With that said, here are times fans felt bad for Robert, along with 5 instances that tended to repel viewers.
Hated Him: Using Money Lent By Ray And Debra For Gambling
Robert Barone Everybody Loves Raymond
In the appropriately-titled “Robert Needs Money,” Ray’s brother professes his dire financial straits, putting the sportswriter in a rather tough spot and guilting him into lending him some cash. He ultimately gives Robert $1,000, only to find that he’s hightailed it to Las Vegas without he or Debra knowing, using the cash as gambling money.
Ray has something of an ugly moment himself here, as he goes off on his brother upon finding out. Still – whether this cash can be considered a gift or charity with conditions – one can’t help but feel that this was a bit disrespectful. At the very least, it was ill-advised.
Felt Bad For Him: All-You-Can-Eat Character Assassination
Robert has had more than his share of bum luck – and this extends to his relationships, which usually end on a sour note.
This culminates in the episode, “Let’s Fix Robert.” It features a couple of Robert’s scorned exes, and his coworker Judy, conglomerating to seemingly “help” the troubled man. But what begins as a sort of relationship intervention devolves into what Robert himself best describes as a “character assassination” with snacks. To add insult to injury – even the host of this mean-spirited party, Robert’s own motherMarie, joins in on the insults hurled by these guests.
Hated Him: Ganging Up On Debra To Bully Ray
This one resides in the realm of “annoying” more than “hate-inducing.” Still, the season 2 episode known as “High School” features a rather repellent side of Robert. In it, he compounds Ray’s feeling of isolation at his High School reunion by poking fun at him in his own house, while his wife joins in.
Not only this, but he also starts dancing with Debra in the kitchen in a rather annoying fashion, as they reminisce on the “good times” in school.
Felt Bad For Him: Scammed And Fleeced By The “Modeling Agency”
In the season 8 episode called “The Model,” Robert is looking for a means to obtain some extra cash. He decides to sign up to become a model at what appears to be a legitimate agency.
To Robert’s bewilderment, he finds that the office has been hastily cleared out and abandoned as he’s getting ready to show his brother around and obtain photos. But the worst part? He’s been scammed out of thousands of dollars, which he had assumed were going towards the production of these photos. Now, Robert must find a way to either inform his family that he – an NYPD officer – has been fleeced, or else come up with a suitable lie.
Hated Him: His Tantrum In Front Of Amy Regarding His Gift Idea To Debra
Robert clearly has love for his girlfriend and eventual wife, Amy – though at times he seems to hold an infatuation and even favoritism to Ray’s wife Debra. This comes to the forefront in the episode, “The Thought That Counts,” which sees Ray asking Robert and Amy for gift ideas for Debra. Robert saves the day by coming up with what proves to be a great idea – a first-edition copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
While it’s not too cool to have Ray exploit this by continuing to credit himself as the mastermind of this idea, Robert eventual response is childish, to say the least. He goes on a tirade and professes that the book was his idea, clearly angry and desperate to get the credit from Debra. The fact that Amy is present in this scene makes it all the more cringe-worthy.
Felt Bad For Him: Robert’s Lucky Suit Sabotage
Everybody Loves Raymond Marie Robert’s Lucky Suit Robert looking angrily at Marie
Poor Robert – he can never seem to catch a break, even when seemingly on the cusp of landing a prestigious job for the FBI. Though this episode leads to another unseemly rant by Robert – this time to his mother – the events leading up to this rage at least somewhat warrant his outburst.
It turns out that Marie has seemingly sabotaged him by ruining his “lucky suit,” throwing him off his game during his tense interview with an FBI agent. She then further humiliates him by essentially begging the agent to give Robert the job – as if pleading to a school Principal to get her young son out of detention.
Hated Him: Post-Bull Injury Crankiness To His Family
Another bout of bad luck for Robert occurs when he quite literally has a run-in with a bull, who gives him a brutal injury on his rear end. Robert spends much of the end of season 4 sulking and “licking his wounds,” as it were. Yet, he displays a particularly ugly side of himself when it’s revealed he must spend 3 more weeks at his parents’ place before being able to live at his apartment.
This leads to some overt crankiness from Robert, even during his birthday, where his anger and hostility reaches a boiling point.
Felt Bad For Him: Shot Down By His Girlfriend’s Parents
Amy and Robert Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond
As Robert can attest to – meeting the parents of one’s significant other can produce some uncomfortable and tense moments. Yet, this reaches a new level of cringe when Robert gets shot down after partaking in the classy gesture of asking Amy’s parents for her hand in marriage.
Seeing Robert’s request met with a swift, concise “no” by Amy’s father is one of the more brutal moments in the show – even if it produces quite a few laughs. Thankfully, Robert carries on with the proposal as planned, and it ends up working out. But it is a hard moment to swallow.
Hated Him: Sneaking His Ex’s Phone Number While Still With Amy
Brad Garett as Robert
Though much of the episode, “Robert’s Divorce,” paints Robert as a sympathetic and downtrodden figure, the cliffhanger that ends it shows a more “questionable” side to him, to say the least.
Just after Robert has reminisced and discussed his toxic relationship with his ex-wife Joanne, he ends up subtly pocketing her phone number. Joanne had given him her digits after unexpectedly running into her at a restaurant. The kicker? He’s currently with Amy during this time.
Felt Bad For Him: His Brutal Breakup With Joanne
One of the harshest events for Robert – among many – is established right off the bat in Everybody Loves Raymond. It comes in the form of the aforementioned divorce with the cruel and cold Joanne. The story behind this abrupt breakup is flashed back to at the end of season 4, which showcases some particularly rough moments for Robert.
In the course of minutes, Joanne is shown demeaning, insulting, and shouting at Robert, who’s doing naught but sitting around and eating a banana.
