Created by
Philip Rosenthal
Cast:
Ray Romano … Raymond ‘Ray’ Barone
Patricia Heaton … Debra Barone
Brad Garrett … Robert Barone
Monica Horan … Amy MacDougall Barone
Doris Roberts … Marie Barone
Peter Boyle … Frank Barone
By the time its eighth season had rolled around, it would have been easy to assume that Everybody Loves Raymond had lost its magic. The show’s formula could have easily grown tired, with the jokes starting to finally get too stale to be really funny or insightful. The season’s first episode, “Fun with Debra” doesn’t do much to calm your fears either, as the installment is pat and not very well written, but then almost immediately the season turns around. Somehow, where most shows would have already started their downward spiral into obscurity, the eighth season of Everybody Loves Raymond manages to right its ship in the season’s second episode and never look back.
Once again, this show’s biggest asset is its ability to tap into everyday life, especially the relationships with our spouses. In the episode “Lateness” for example, it’s incredible how accurate the show manages to be about couples and the problems they face. In the installment’s simple premise, Ray (Ray Ramano) has finally had it with Debra’s (Patricia Heaton) constant tardiness whenever they go out. It’s as if the show were channeling arguments I’d seen and taken part of before as Ray constantly begs and pleads for her to take less time as they get ready to go out on the following evening. When a mishap causes her to be late again, Ray lives out the dream of many men and takes off without her, but with dire consequences.
It’s an episode like this that really makes me love this series, as it manages to show both sides of this argument and still come to a relatively satisfying conclusion. The writing also manages to get inside of the male head on this dispute as Ray goes through several theories as to why this lateness occurs all the time, suggesting perhaps that its some sort of control issue. We also get a glimpse that all the couples on this show are having similar problems, again showing just how universal these topics are.
The show’s usual Mother issues are also very prevalent again, as Doris Roberts has yet another stellar season as the series’ matriarch, Marie. It’s hard to even say why she’s able to stay so lovable, despite her way of trying to control her entire family and manipulating them. The end of “Thank You Notes” has a moment that’s absolutely Machiavellian in the way she’s able to twist what happens in the episode, yet we still love her.
Patricia Heaton and the late Peter Boyle get to shine in episode “Debra at the Lodge”, in which Heaton’s character gets a job at Frank’s Caribou Lodge and inadvertently starts driving the other older men there wild. You really get to see just how alluring Heaton can be in the episode, while not trying to outwardly attract attention. Peter Boyle is also fantastic as he has to defend his daughter in-law’s honor by breaking the code of the lodge, and brings some real pathos to Frank while still showing his outward gruffness.
The real acting awards for this season, though, go to Romano and Brad Garrett as Ray’s brother, Robert, in the season’s finale, “Golf For It”. In nearly one take, the two actors spar off in a 15-minute scene in which they run a huge gamut of emotions about their brotherhood and the fate of their mother. Packed with laughs and heart, the episode stands as one of the best I’ve ever seen on the series.
Season 8 of Everybody Loves Raymond is another strong one in the pantheon of the show. The series keeps finding new little aspects of home life that seem to just burst with comedy. More than anything else, the creators of the series knew there was something cathartic about watching situations that have happened to you personally, letting you know that others have had the same trying experiences, even if its on a goofy TV show. Perhaps more than anything else, that will end up being this show’s legacy.
The Video
The print on these discs is stellar, as the picture is as crisp and clear as any TV show I’ve ever seen on DVD. Bravo work by HBO; the series sparkles the entire way. Everybody Loves Raymond is presented in its original Fullscreen aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
The Audio
The Audio track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 is also quite good, keeping a very nice balance throughout. You never have problems with hearing the dialogue and the laugh track never covers anything important up.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Discussion
Museum of Television & Radio Panel Discussion with Phil Rosenthal and Writers – This extra is an hour and forty five minutes long and has all the writers of the show talking about the process of writing and episode from start to finish. This is extremely insightful and I especially like how Phil Rosenthal talks about what care he took in formulating the show’s pilot episode, which immediately hit the right tone for what the show was going to be about.
Commentary on eight episodes by series creator Phil Rosenthal, Ray Romano, Chris Elliott, Andy Kindler, Jon Manfrellotti, Tom McGowan, Albert Romano, Richard Romano, Max Rosenthal, and writers Tom Caltabiano, Tucker Cawley, Mike Royce, Aaron Shure, and Jeremy Stevens – These tracks are packed with good fun, as all participants seem to be having a good time watching these episodes again. The track on “Golf For It” reveals just how difficult it was shooting that scene with Romano and Garrett, but it must have been gratifying for all of them as it was one of the few times when the studio audience for the show gave a spontaneous standing ovation.
Deleted Scenes – There are deleted scenes sprinkled throughout the episodes and many are pretty funny. I love the one on “Lateness” in which Ray’s friends try to give him a way to get back into Debra’s good graces, but end up just making things worse.
Bloopers – The blooper reel goes for about 10-11 minutes and is pretty funny. It’s mostly just line flubs, but there’s a really funny scene where Peter Boyle forgets his lines and just starts cursing.
