Everybody Loves Raymond ran for nine seasons and an astonishing 210 episodes, from 1996 to 2005. A show best enjoyed in moderation, watching the entire run of this simple sitcom about the affable Ray Romano’s attempts at juggling his home life with the demands of his overbearing parents and awkward brother does give pause for thought.
On the one hand, it provides a timely reminder of what made Everybody Loves Raymond such a success in the first place: the true to life setups, the brilliant central performances and the gentle incidental piano music between scenes.
But it also serves to remind us of the stuff that didn’t quite work. The unexplained loose threads that make no sense and the mysteries that keep fans in the online Romanoverse up at night.
With that in mind, here are 5 Things In Everybody Loves Raymond That Make No Sense (& 5 Fan Theories That Do).
No Sense: Where all of Robert’s money went
Robert Barone lives rent-free with full board at his parents’. At the beginning of the series he is a police sergeant and later earns promotion to the rank of lieutenant. That’s a pretty impressive promotion and one that comes with a sizeable pay rise.
Yet despite this, Robert seems to be constantly short of money. At one point his finances are so bad, Ray and Debra have to give him money. Sure, Robert may have had to pay out some sort of settlement following his divorce from first wife Joanne but that can’t have been all that much can it?
No Sense: How Ray was able to support an entire family as a writer
Ray and Debra live in a spacious house, in a well-to-do residential neighborhood. Their kids go to nice schools and life is idyllic, to say the least. Given all of that information, you might assume Ray has some kind of soul-destroying corporate job that helps pay the bills. But then you find out he works as a sportswriter.
And you know people that work as sportswriters. And, while it can pay well, it doesn’t pay that well. Certainly not for someone in Ray’s position. He’s hardly a known name and famously fluffed up his one and only television appearance.
No Sense: Why Debra always stayed at home
Even if Ray does make a pretty penny as a sportswriter, there’s something slightly odd and reductive about Debra’s decision to stay at home rather than get a job herself. A fiercely independent woman of some intelligence and capability, it feels almost at odds with Debra’s character that she would decide to play homemaker. For someone who so regularly challenges her husband, Ray, it makes little sense that she would not want to go out into the working world. More importantly, given the amount Ray’s parents drive her up the wall, you would think Debra would see work as an opportunity to escape the Barones.
No Sense: Frank and Marie using the back door so much
It’s a basic point but one that is worth noting. Frank and Marie live across the street from Ray and Debra. This is well established and, in most instances, they will visit Ray and the family using the front door. But every now and then something strange happens: they use the backdoor. And not only that; they don’t even knock. They just waltz right in, like they own the place. It’s a situation that makes little sense. Did Frank and Marie help Ray and Debra buy their house? Is this some kind of weird power play that we’re all missing?
No Sense: The disappearance of Shamsky Number 2
Once upon a time, Robert Barone had a dog called Shamsky Number 2. The gag being, of course, that Shamksy Number 1 met his maker at some point. So far, so funny. But then something sinister happened. Shamsky Number 2 disappeared and no one ever explained what happened to him. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? Did something so horrific happen that no one can bear talking about it or even mentioning his name? Was Ray involved? Ray must have been involved. Ray is always involved. What did Ray do to Shamsky Number 2? Someone, please tell us the truth.
Makes Sense: Ray Ramone’s kids aren’t his
Ray is blessed with decidedly dark, brown hair. His wife, Debra has decidedly dark, brown hair. However, Ray and Debra’s kids all have very light blonde hair. Now, if there’s one thing Game of Thrones has taught us, it’s that people should question the parentage of their kids if they have brown hair and their children are decidedly blonde. But Ray exists in a world before Game of Thrones, so he doesn’t know the truth staring him in the face every day: his kids are not his own and a sinister scheme is afoot. All that and his parents live across the street. Poor guy.
Makes Sense: Ray previously cheated on Debra
Ever wondered why Debra seems so angry with Ray? Could it be that he’s an occasionally thoughtless oaf, all too often prone to making terrible life choices? No, it must be because Ray previously had an affair that has left an indelible stain of mistrust over the Barone marriage. No wonder Debra wants Ray at home so much – the last time she left him to his own devices at work he got up to no good. And no wonder Ray is always on the edge with Debra – he knows his marriage is hanging by a thread and must be on his best behavior.
Makes Sense: Robert is secretly in love with Debra
Robert oozes a strange disappointment over his life. He’s clearly jealous of his younger brother Ray. But what is it that Robert is really jealous about? He doesn’t harbor ambitions of being a sportswriter. He had a great relationship with Ray’s kids and doesn’t seem all that impressed by Ray’s house. No, the truth is that the greatest source of jealous for Robert is Debra. He’s in love with her. Pure and simple and while those feelings may ebb and flow like the tide, they never truly die. Even when he meets and marries Amy. Oh, Robert, what have you done.
Makes Sense: Ray’s friend Kevin went into witness protection
Remember Ray’s buddy Kevin? Of course you do. It’s not hard. He was played by Kevin James. They didn’t even change his first name. Except, then when Kevin James played Doug Heffernan in King of Queens, it is established that he is friends with Ray Barone. Wait, so is Ray friends with two different guys who are actually identical and could be twins separated at birth? Don’t be silly – Doug is just Kevin after he went into witness protection. A former play-by-play announcer alongside Ray, Kevin must have witnessed some kind of heinous crime and has been given a new identity. Ray should probably not have gone to visit him then.
Makes Sense: Ray didn’t wake up from the coma at the end of the series
That final episode of Everybody Loves Raymond rightly ranks on the better end of the scale when it comes to series finales. But what if something more sinister was at play? After going in for surgery to have his Adenoids removed, a nurse informs Debra that they are having some trouble bringing Ray around from the surgery. The show ends with Ray waking up and everyone professing their love for him and one another. But what if Ray never woke up? What if everything that follows the moment he went to sleep exists only in the comatose mind of Ray? That might explain why it all feels so dreamlike and perfect. Mind blown.
