Everybody Loves Raymond – but do they? Over the course of the show, Raymond’s character could be sympathetic, but sometimes audiences hated him.
Sitcoms thrive when they center around a lead who’s both likable and funny – and Everybody Loves Raymond is certainly no different. Ray is a charming, yet somewhat oblivious sportswriter who loves his family and is always good for a laugh with his witty zingers. This whimsical character has an appealing quality that’s easy to empathize with at times. He may find himself in rough, awkward, or intense situations to such a degree that one can’t help but feel for him.
Yet he also has moments where his more frustrating and downright annoying traits come through. This is especially the case when it comes to his unwavering defense of his overbearing mother, or certain antics with his wife, Debra. This list will highlight 5 moments that had us feeling bad for Ray, as well as 5 rather repellent moments.
Felt Bad: Getting Pestered In “The Annoying Kid”
Being pestered by a snobby brat or bully is something many can relate to. Though this is far less the case when it comes to a young kid giving a grown man a hard time.
And yet, this is largely what happens in the episode, appropriately titled “The Annoying Kid.” In it, Ray’s forced to put up with a smarmy trouble-maker just to strike a friendship with the boy’s parents.
The slights of this Spencer may have seemed like small potatoes – eating his cannoli, arranging his refrigerator magnets to read “Ray stinks,” etc. Yet, they were just enough to get under Ray’s skin, and likely most viewers too. What’s worse is that until the final few minutes, most of Ray’s family take it upon themselves to side with this child.
Hated Him: Backing His Mother Over Debra In “Marie’s Meatballs”
Marie holding bottle of wine in everybody loves raymond Maries Meatballs
Part of the unique appeal to Raymond is the ongoing feud between Debra and Ray’s mother, Marie. While it’s usually subtle, it can occasionally escalate to “Cold War” status. The episode “Marie’s Meatballs” features such a scenario. Late in the episode, it’s revealed that Ray’s mother attempts to sabotage Debra by having her put a false ingredient in her meatballs.
The reason? So Marie can keep her crown as “top chef” in the family, while Debra wallows in yet another failed meal. The fact that Ray chooses to ally with his mother rather than his wife – even partly after it’s proven she’s deceived her – is annoying at best.
Felt Bad: His Long, Rain-Drenched Trip To Get A Hackidu Card
everybody loves raymond Hackidu Comic Shop Paul Reubens
It seems Raymond has its own version of the phenomenon that is Pokémon, which is given the tongue-in-cheek name, “Hackidu.” Unfortunately for Ray and his daughter, she seemingly gets cheated out of a lucrative Hackidu trade.
This leads to one of the funnier moments in season 4, as Ray meets the eccentric comic-store owner, and Amy’s brother, Russell. Before this, however, he must trek across town in the pouring rain with nothing for a handful of Cheerios for sustenance. He shells out an absurd amount of money for his purchase and returns home to give Ally the card she wanted, only to have her fold it.
Hated Him: His Behavior Towards Debra In “Snow Day”
The cast of Raymond, while offering plenty of laughs, can also occasionally reveal an unlikable side to them. This often occurs when they subtly rally against Ray’s wife, unjustly making her feel alienated. There’s perhaps no better example of this repellent behavior than the episode “Snow Day,” which sees Ray’s family – and partly Ray himself – gang up on his wife.
To make it worse, the power has gone out and there’s heavy snowfall outside, making Debra essentially stuck dealing with this nonsense. Though Ray’s wife isn’t perfect either, one can’t help but feel for her given how her husband treats her here.
Felt Bad: Trying (And Failing) To Use His Clout To Get Robert An Autograph
Raymond has plenty of moments that make him susceptible to being the butt of the joke. Still, he can rest fairly easy knowing he’s got a pretty neat career in being a sportswriter. Though this gives him a level of clout with his connection to athletes and ballgames, it’s seemingly not as prominent as viewers are led to believe…
One pride-crushing moment for Ray occurs in the episode “Big Shots,” which sees Ray turned down after trying to get to the front of the line to secure an autograph. This is all the more brutal considering he was trying to do something nice for Robert by getting the autograph from his baseball hero, Art Shamsky.
Hated Him: Takes Credit For Robert’s Gift Idea For Debra
Ray and Robert in the Everybody Loves Raymond episode Thought That Counts
Raymond’s occasional obliviousness towards Debra can be frustrating – a pattern that reaches a boiling point in “The Thought That Counts.” Not surprisingly, Ray’s struggling to think of a good gift for his wife, so he seeks the aid of Robert and Amy.
They make what turns out to be a great suggestion with a first edition book she loves, To Kill a Mockingbird. Ray goes along with this – which would be understandable enough. Yet, as Debra expresses her joy, he continues to take all the credit with his own increasingly agitated brother right by him.
This is a particularly cringe-worthy moment for Ray, even after Robert goes off the deep end and confesses it was his idea.
Felt Bad: Ray Being Bullied In The Episode “High School”
It’s fairly natural to get involved with “cliques” that may engage in the occasional razzing in high school. Apparently, Ray’s wife never quite grew out of this phase though, at least in the episode entitled “High School.”
She not only teams up with a group of popular kids at Ray’s own high school reunion, but then proceeds to bully him even after they return home. This is made all the more frustrating when his own brother joins in on the teasing, and Ray does little to defend himself.
Hated Him: Embarrassing Debra At The Auction
Some may see Ray’s teasing of Debra as a sort of ice-breaker, as he pokes fun at the seemingly cheap, shoddy item she’s displaying at an auction. Still, it’s hard not to squirm a little when the crowd begins laughing for a sustained period, leaving her clearly embarrassed and slighted.
She spends the rest of this episode warning Ray that she’ll “get even,” which really amounts to nothing more than keeping him worried for nothing. It’s a small price to pay, given Ray’s juvenile behavior at the auction.
Felt Bad: Andy’s Boss Expressing His Hatred For Him
Despite the title of the show, one episode bluntly reveals that in fact, somebody hates Raymond – and a man with some clout, to boot. Ray’s friend Andy mentions that his boss, a sports-radio host, isn’t particularly fond of the sportswriter. This might seem petty, and it probably is to a degree. Still, it’s quite brutal watching the guy expressing in great detail to his face just why he hates this man he’s never met.
There is a silver lining though. Robert – often a rival to Ray himself – steps in to defend his honor, making for an endearing ending.
Hated Him: His Behavior Towards The Janitor
Let’s face it, most everyone has had their shares of inappropriate faux pas. Yet, Ray takes this way too far in this season 9 episode. By this point in the show, the writers seemed to take most of the characters to the nth degree in terms of severity, and it shows. Ray commits an almost inconceivable number of faux pas to a janitor – the father of his sons’ friend – as he basically pokes fun at his job.
There are accidental slip-ups, and there’s straight-up insulting. Ray crosses the line into the latter for much of this frustrating, mean-spirited episode.
