Few characters in Everybody Loves Raymond came across as level-headed, and, while we sometimes felt for Debra, we often couldn’t stand her.
Everybody Loves Raymond Debra Featured
Given the eccentric family that comprises the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, one can’t help but feel for Ray’s wife Debra Barone. Not only are Ray’s parents quirky and abrasive, but the fact that they live just across the street means she pretty much has to deal with them on a daily basis. Ray’s harsh, wisecracking father and overbearing mother naturally set the stage for a variety of tough, awkward, and embarrassing moments for Debra.
Ray’s naivety, as well as slights from his mother and her perpetual outcast status, can make it quite easy to sympathize with her. At least on occasion, though, Debra can be somewhat abrasive, vindictive, and even cruel herself. While understandable, the pressures of living so close to her aggravating in-laws can provoke some extreme reactions. This is particularly true when it comes to her oblivious husband, who tends to make an easy target.
Hated Her: Her Treatment Of Ray During And After His High School Reunion
It’s established early on in the series that Ray wasn’t exactly one of the “cool kids” growing up—far from it. He gets a pretty harsh reminder of this during his high school reunion, an event that Debra basically pressures him to go to.
Upon this visit, Debra makes a point to distance herself from Ray and starts hanging out with the popular clique instead. Not only this, but she basically spends much of the latter half of the episode acting like a bully and giving him a hard time. “Hateful” behavior is perhaps a strong term to use here, as will be the case with most entries on this list. Still, the episode “High School” conveys a bit of an ugly side to the often charming and likable Debra.
Felt Bad For Her: Marie Revealing Her Favoritism Of Amy Over Her
It would be brutal enough simply to have the personal details of one’s sex life exposed to the family of their significant other, as is the case in the episode “Good Girls.”
Yet, poor Debra has to deal with even more awkwardness after it’s revealed by Ray’s mother Marie that, in fact, she favors Robert’s girlfriend Amy because of Debra’s apparent promiscuity. This is even more maddening when it comes to light that Marie is being a hypocrite here, as Frank explains that she wasn’t exactly a “good girl” herself before they got married.
Hated Her: Causing Robert To Break Down During His Birthday
In fairness, Robert tends to be particularly grumpy and mopey in “Someone’s Cranky,” even for his standards. Still, the way in which Debra essentially goes off on him during his birthday gathering is pretty brutal.
After calling him out for playing the victim and flinging insults at the family, Robert gets a harsh dose of reality, and, upon some apparent self-reflection, bursts into tears. Though one can definitely understand this outburst from Debra, it’s pretty rough to see Robert utterly breaking down on his birthday as a result.
Felt Bad For Her: Her Meatball Recipe Being Sabotaged
Among other things, Ray’s intrusive mother Marie often establishes the superiority of her cooking to Debra, giving her subtle jabs and reminders of this on multiple occasions. This makes it all the more frustrating when Debra seeks to replicate Marie’s own meatball recipe only to have it sabotaged by Ray’s insecure mother.
She causes Debra to include a false ingredient that creates a foul taste by slapping a “basil” label over a bottle of tarragon. This underhanded act causes a particularly memorable outburst by Ray’s wife upon finding out. It’s certainly understandable, especially given Ray’s reluctancy to support her until the evidence of this move is clear.
Hated Her: Inviting Peggy To Her Cocktail Party
Peter MacDougall and Peggy in Everybody Loves Raymond
In an effort to get Robert’s eccentric brother-in-law a date, Debra decides to throw a cocktail party. While this is definitely a selfless gesture, Ray would likely beg to differ after it’s revealed she’s invited his “arch-nemesis” to the party, Peggy. One can certainly scoff at Ray for his petty, childish grudge towards Ally’s Girlscout troupe leader.
Still, the fact that she outright assaulted him in a prior episode makes Debra’s invitation pretty questionable, to say the least, especially since Debra herself was angered by Peggy’s aggression towards Ray. Yet, she makes arrangements that could potentially make her a family member?
Felt Bad For Her: Ray Leaving Without Her During An Award Show
Everybody Loves Raymond Ray and Debra AIS
One can partly understand Ray’s frustration of waiting for Debra in the car countless times as she spends time getting ready for various outings. Still, he definitely goes a step too far in the episode appropriately called “Lateness.” Before an anticipated award show, Debra is spending time in the bathroom getting ready. Ray loses his patience and actually takes off without her.
This would be cruel enough, but the fact that the reason for her lateness is a faulty curling iron makes this move all the more abhorrent. It’s pretty brutal seeing a dressed-up Debra’s stunned reaction when it’s revealed Ray took off without her.
Hated Her: Lying To Ray About Her “Procedure” Just To Make A Point
Everybody Loves Raymond Debra Breat Implant Episode
Debra has some amusing ways of getting through to Ray with various actions and colorful language, and, while Ray tends to act immature and shallow in the episode, “Boob Job,” Debra’s response can be viewed as similarly ridiculous and over-the-top.
Basically, Ray’s awkward approval of breast implants begets an even more awkward response from Debra. She spends much of the episode pretending she’s received breast implants by way of deceptively-placed socks, even showing the entire family. While funny, this spectacle and eventual outburst seem rather excessive and harsh when she could have just communicated her grievance with Ray in the first place.
Felt Bad For Her: Ray Teasing Her At An Auction
Part of Ray and Debra’s charm is their ability to tease each other in a funny, mutual-understanding manner. Yet, this razzing tends to have more of an impact when it’s done in front of a fairly large group of people, especially when most are strangers.
This is what occurs in the episode “Getting Even,” which kicks off with Ray poking fun at a rather shoddy item Debra’s presenting at an auction. It’s pretty rough seeing the item literally fall before her as Debra becomes the focus of a chuckling crowd.
Hated Her: Her “Retaliation” After Ray Loses His Wedding Ring
Everybody Loves Raymond Rays Ring
It stands to reason that a spouse drawing sexual attention elsewhere because of a lost wedding ring may coax a negative response. Still, it’s tough not to shake one’s head at Debra’s “retaliation” given the circumstances in “Ray’s Ring.” In fact, his ring was accidentally misplaced, and Ray quickly makes it clear he’s married after drawing female attention.
While it yielded no real results, Debra’s own attempt to get attention at a supermarket after taking off her ring could have actually fractured their marriage. It’s pretty spiteful and a rare instance in which Debra actually looks more immature than Ray.
Felt Bad For Her: Getting Ganged Up On In “Snow Day”
Generally speaking, there are many moments that cause fans to feel for Debra, given the subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—abuse at the hands of Ray’s intrusive mother.
Though there are countless examples of this, one of the most prominent has to be the episode “Snow Day,” which shows most of the Barone family being particularly mean-spirited towards Debra. Marie gets especially accusatory, which is only enhanced by a drunken Ray’s lack of support and goofiness.
