Marie Barone is one of the best characters in Everybody Loves Raymond… but this overbearing mother doesn’t always make sense.
There’s no shortage of amusing characters in the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, particularly when it comes to the stars of the show – the Barone Family. Among this dynamic cast is the manipulative, overbearing, but loving mother of the show’s main lead, Marie.
While she certainly has her faults – just ask her arch-nemesis Debra – the Barone matriarch proves a likable and funny character more often than not. She’s been the center of some of the show’s funniest moments, and has had her share of humorous lines. Throughout the show’s long run of nine seasons, she’s also had some head-scratching moments, as well as some general oddities attached to her character.
Her Beef With Debra’s Braciole
Everybody Loves Raymond braciole Debra Makes Something Good
During the episode “Debra Makes Something Good,” it’s established that there’s quite a bit of history and significance behind Marie’s braciole.
She gets angered by Debra “stealing her thunder” after it’s found, to Ray’s shock, that she can actually whip together a delicious meal. Unfortunately, that meal just happens to be the first dinner Marie cooked for Frank, which was apparently so good that it coaxed the smitten man into wanting to marry her.
What’s difficult to believe is that – despite this being such a favorite dish of Frank’s, Marie doesn’t even make it anymore. It’s particularly odd given how defensive and threatened she feels by Debra fixing her own version of the dish. Marie’s partly sympathetic here, but her behavior is both odd and offputting.
Disrespecting Ray Despite Her Favoratism Of Him
Everybody Loves Raymond Turkey or Fish
Marie sure seems to slight her son quite a bit, considering how much she obsesses over him and continues to spoil him even in his 40s…
She disrespects his wife Debra at just about every turn, for starters. But on top of this, she barges into their house unannounced, interrupts social gatherings, rummages through their fridge, and has even smashed a car through their living room with seemingly little care. These actions aren’t exactly in line with a supposedly caring, respectful mother.
Her Reluctance To Accept Gifts From Her Kids
Everybody Loves Raymond Frank and Marie Toaster Trophy Wife
Another inconsistency with Marie’s character is her ongoing reluctance in accepting gifts from Ray and Robert, despite the love she clearly has for them.
An example of this is the fruit baskets, whose presence she basically likens to a catastrophe. One would think a loving mother would accept the gifts of her kids – particularly Ray – with open arms and gratitude. But more often than not, it seems to be the opposite.
The Tofu Turkey…
Everybody Loves Raymond Marie Tofu Turkey No Fat episode
It’s something of a weird, out-of-character move for Marie to be so focused on the healthy nature of her food, especially when it comes at the great expense of taste. But such is the case in the episode “No Fat,” in which she presents a pretty grotesque looking gelatinous turkey. What’s even harder to believe is that she obliviously thinks her family will actually like this thing.
It’s also particularly strange given that an actual turkey isn’t particularly unhealthy in the first place.
Keeping Robert’s Real Birthday A Secret For So Long
everybody loves raymond robert drink on chin
Going back to the laugh-out-loud episode, “Good Girls,” it’s revealed that Marie and Frank had kept Robert’s real birthday a secret – as she was apparently ashamed he was conceived before marriage. Mind you, this is despite her looking down on Debra for not being a virgin before being with Ray…
This revelation is obviously meant to set the stage for some laughs at the end of the episode, though it also invokes some questions regarding Frank and Marie. One would think that, given their current age, they would get beyond such things – especially since it meant leaving Robert in the dark about his real birthday for decades.
Her Plastic-Covered Sofa
Everybody Loves Raymond Robert Marie intervention
A defining trait of Marie is her desire to keep things clean and tidy – as she conveys by insulting the apparent unkempt nature of Ray and Debra’s home. Such a character quirk might explain the odd plastic covering over her sofa.
Yet, it stands to reason that Marie would eventually find such an accessory pointless and distasteful, especially since she no longer has young kids in her home to create messes. Marie may value cleanliness, though she also seems to favor comfort and homeliness – two things that the cold, unappealing cover tend to sap from their house.
Her Odd Behavior In “Lucky Suit”
Everybody Loves Raymond Marie Robert’s Lucky Suit Robert looking angrily at Marie
Out of all the characters on the show, it’s hard to think of a shift in behavior so drastic as Marie’s in the Robert-centric episode, “Lucky Suit.”
In the course of twenty minutes, she shifts from sabotaging Robert’s chances in landing his coveted FBI job – to practically begging the agent to hire him on. Of course, one could point to Robert’s rather harsh reaction to her actions as the turning point. Still, it’s odd to see her so suddenly go from one extreme to the other.
Her Hypocrisy In Criticizing Ray And Debra’s Unkempt House
Doris Roberts as Marie Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond
For a woman so obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene, she doesn’t seem to practice what she preaches when it comes to her residence. In fairness, it’s not like Frank and Marie’s house is a disaster area, but it doesn’t exactly scream “pristine” either. Along with the eyesore that is the aforementioned couch covering, their house is often shown with a fair bit of clutter.
At the very least, it’s pretty much comparable to Ray and Debra’s house – and that’s without having three young children present!
Sabotaging Debra’s Meatballs
Marie holding bottle of wine in everybody loves raymond Maries Meatballs
Marie’s biggest, most defining passion is almost unquestionably her cooking. She spends much of the series mentioning her succulent dishes, cooking for her family – and often criticizing Debra’s cooking.
This obsession reaches something of a “boiling point” in an episode that sees Ray’s wife attempting to cook Marie’s meatball recipe. Of course, this apparently threatens her and she decides to sabotage the dish by coaxing a false ingredient that’s sure to make the food taste bad.
This is a head-scratching move for a number of reasons. One namely has to wonder – if Debra had succesfully made this dish, why Marie would be threatened by her, considering it was her own recipe… If anything, it would be a testament to how great a cook Marie is; that even Debra could muster a good result from her recipe!
Her Near-Divorce With Frank
Frank and Marie Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond
Viewers of Everybody Loves Raymond are occasionally given glimpses into the strange backstory of Frank and Marie. In the episode, “Anniversary,” it’s revealed that Ray’s folks nearly got divorced, and that the fractured relationship was essentially saved by a young Ray falling off his bike and breaking his arm. This accident brought Frank back to check up on him, which led to the two patching things up.
It’s bizarre that this is all it took to get back together – and remain together after decades, especially given how much friction there is between the two of them.
