BeforeEverybody Loves Raymondended, actress Doris Roberts shared her favorite episode of the sitcom. Roberts played Barone family matriarch Marie in theEverybody Loves Raymondcastthroughout the show’s nine seasons. She passed away in 2016 at the age of 90.
Living across the street from her son Ray and his family, Marie is the quintessential meddling mother. She constantly drops in unannounced, often at the ready with a casserole for Ray and a withering comment for her daughter-in-law, Debra. Marie blatantly favors Ray over her eldest son, Robert. Interestingly, it’s a Robert-centric episode that Roberts enjoys the most.
Doris Roberts' Favorite Everybody Loves Raymond Episode Is “Lucky Suit”
Marie Sabotages Robert’s Job Interview With The FBI
Most episodes of the sitcom, includingRay Romano’s favoriteEverybody Loves Raymondepisode, obviously center around the titular sports writer. However,Everybody Loves Raymondseason 6, episode 16, “Lucky Suit,” sees Robert in the spotlight, and it also happened to be Doris Roberts' favorite (viaEW).
In it, Robert, who has been a police officer for many years, has landed an interview with the FBI — his dream job.Fearing for Robert’s safety, Marie does everything in her power to sabotage his ability to get the job, including burning his “lucky suit"with an iron, and sends the FBI an embarrassing fax about her son.
Robert may be the protagonist of the episode, but it’s Marie who steals the show.
Robert may be the protagonist of the episode, but it’s Marie who steals the show, which is probably why Roberts likes it so much. Not only do we see Marie’s meddling antics kicked up to the nth degree, but we also get to see her mama bear claws come out.
Her scene with FBI Agent Garfield — who tells her Robert didn’t get the job because he wasn’t qualified, not because of her interference — are comedy gold. Not many moms would give FBI agents a dressing down, but Marie Barone isn’t most moms.
“Lucky Suit” See Doris Roberts' Marie At Her Funniest & Sweetest
Marie Shows That Her Overbearing Nature Comes From Love
Marie vs. Agent Garfield is one of Doris Roberts' most hilarious scenes inEverybody Loves Raymond, but it also shows incredible depth to her character. Throughout the show, Marie is intentionally rude and hurtful to members of her family, particularly Debra, and it’s rare that she shows remorse for her behavior.
That’s what makes this scene in “Lucky Suit” so special. Rather than making excuses and shifting blame, Marie takes accountability for her actions and tries to solve the problem — even though she fails miserably.Roberts described the episode as “really sweet, wonderful, and real,“and she couldn’t have been more apt with her words.
One of the harshest realities of rewatchingEverybody Loves Raymondis realizing how terribly the characters often treat each other. Typically, the caustic behavior is played for laughs and nothing more, butwhen the sitcom dares to have heart, it can lead to tender, powerful moments.
After Marie confronts the FBI agent, she has an even sweeter scene with Robert where she apologizes for her actions, explaining how scary the danger of his profession is to her. Doris Roberts walked the fine line between hilarious and stereotype with Marie, but thisEverybody Loves Raymondepisode fully showed her complexity.
Everybody Loves Raymond
Cast
Everybody Loves Raymond: The show follows Ray Barone, a sportswriter residing in Long Island with his wife Debra and their three children. Challenges arise as Ray’s intrusive parents, Frank and Marie, live directly across the street, often entangling themselves in his family’s daily life.
