From my memories of watching the show with my parents during its run on television in the 90s, I knew that the series handled Thanksgiving much differently. Instead of a single Thanksgiving episode, there are EIGHT! Every season, except Season Two, had an episode centered around the family-focused holiday get-together with the overbearing Barone family.
Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate family and togetherness, and most families celebrate with large dinners complete with jokes, laughter, family fun, and even a few arguments. That definitely sounds like the Barone family.
The series' primary source of laughter stems from the relatable comedic takes on middle-class woes of family drama. Quirky supporting characters like Ray's brother, Robert, and his parents, Frank and Marie, ratchet up the holiday dysfunction.
These Thanksgiving episodes feature holiday hijinx, heated arguments, and several cringe-worthy moments that somehow make us feel better about our own families. These episodes were some of the series' best and funniest, so much so that networks that run Everybody Loves Raymond in syndication will frequently run them back-to-back in a mini-marathon on (or around) Thanksgiving.
Like any good host would on Thanksgiving Day, I like to send you home with a full belly and some leftovers, so I always like to include a little trivia before covering the episodes.
Throughout the series, Raymond calls Debra by a different nickname when he enters the room. Ray Romano improvised each nickname and often had to come up with as many as fifteen different names per episode, depending on how many retakes were required. It's no wonder some are pretty silly, and some are much better than others.
Speaking of Debra, according to Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton got the role as his on-screen wife "because she was the only one willing to kiss me on the lips in the audition."
The legendary Peter Boyle, who played Barone family patriarch Frank, said he believed he received the role because the audition was held in New York City. He had gotten lost and couldn't find the location due to the complexities of the New York subway system, and when he arrived, he was agitated and sarcastic. He claims to have let them know he was angry that he even had to be there.
A perfect fit!
Lastly, most of you know that Everybody Loves Raymond shares the same "universe" as King of Queens, but did you know that those two shows exist in the same universe as "The Nanny"?
Romano appears on a 1998 episode of "The Nanny" as Ray Barone, attending their high school reunion. This establishes that Ray attended high school at Hillcrest High School in the Jamaica section of Queens, even though, according to Everybody Loves Raymond, he grew up and lived in Lynbrook in Nassau County, Long Island. Hillcrest was the same school used during Raymond's reunion episode, which aired a few months earlier.
In real life, Ray Romano and Fran Drescher attended the real Hillcrest High School together.
Since there are eight episodes, I won't go into as much detail as I did covering the Halloween episode. I do, however, hope you have a Peacock account so you can check out each of these great episodes as you read my little synopsis below!
Let the Barone family Thanksgiving shenanigans begin!
1. "Turkey or Fish" (Season 1, Episode 10) Originally Aired November 22, 1996
After years of having to alternate which parents they will visit on Thanksgiving, Debra decides to invite both sets to their house. Ray warns her it was his parent's turn this year, and Marie doesn't handle change well. When Marie takes the news from Debra as expected, Ray is excited that it'll be just them and the kids this year... until Debra mentions she's invited her parents. She also drops the news on Ray that instead of the traditional turkey, she plans to cook fish. Striped bass, to be exact. Ray protests that "turkey day is for... turkey!"
When Ray informs Debra that his parents have changed their mind and decided to come, he's worried by Marie's wording that she's "happy to come" and that since Marie already invited Aunt Emma and the long-estranged cantankerous Uncle Mel, Marie also invited them to Debra's. Debra realizes that she's being set up to fail with an audience of extended family and decides to rise to the occasion. Marie knows that Mel HATES fish, but Debra is unaware as she orders Ray around the kitchen when he'd much rather be watching football. He's so distracted he accidentally puts Debra's fish in the dishwasher.
With a great desire to impress the rest of the family, Debra works very hard at making the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. Frank arrives to watch football with Raymond, but much to their disappointment, Debra's father, Warren, is watching soccer instead. Marie arrives late for dinner... with a cooked turkey dinner... "just in case."
While eating, Frank begins to choke. Instead of helping, Debra and Marie begin to argue over whether the culprit is Marie's turkey or Deb's fish. When the food eventually gets spit out, it is indeed Debra's fish. Marie lays the guilt on thick, making Debra feel horrible. In the kitchen, Debra tells Ray that Marie has made her feel terrible. Marie overheard and apologized. She says that at her first Thanksgiving meal, her mother-in-law also made her feel horrible, and she admits that she felt threatened when Debra wanted to cook. Everything is smoothed over, and the rest of the holiday continues happily.
This episode marked the first appearance of Uncle Mel, Frank's cantankerous and long-estranged brother. Mel is very concerned that people would think he's gay, and in every appearance, he makes it known with the statement, "I'm not gay!" The battle between Marie's turkey and Debra's fish is referenced later in the series, specifically in Season Two's "Marie's Meatballs."
2. "No Fat" (Season 3, Episode 10) Originally Aired November 23, 1998
This episode is one of the funnier Thanksgiving episodes, and the dinner scene is the most memorable. Marie throws another wrench into the holiday festivities when their doctor tells her and Frank that their cholesterol is near "The Danger Zone." As a result, she's begun changing all of the ingredients she uses and has switched to "healthier options." She even has decided that she's going to begin cutting the fat from her diet and plans to start with Thanksgiving dinner.
This episode is full of Ray's humorous selfishness, with lines like, "You're still going to make the GOOD food for the rest of us, though, right?"
The bulk of the humor in this episode comes from everyone's reaction and disgust to the "diet" version of the Thanksgiving meal. Marie has prepared a jello-like tofu turkey and steamed vegetables. "Look how it... jiggles," Robert marvels. It's a hilarious sight gag as nobody can figure out how to slice the gelatin-like turkey. Things only get funnier when everyone takes a turn tasting it. Frank's childlike refusal and disgusted facial expressions are hilarious, while Debra finds it hard to say something nice about it for Marie's sake.
Frank is uproariously funny with his obnoxious personality, especially when discussing the things they should be thankful for. When someone mentions the homeless, Frank shouts, "The homeless?! They're chowing down right now at some mission on a turkey dinner. Lucky bastards!" Later, when Ray asks why Robert didn't bring his dog, Robert replies that Shamsky (the dog) wouldn't eat the tofu. Ray suggests that "we could have at least eaten him."
The doorbell rings, and a man delivers a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. When he asks for payment, we discover that Raymond ordered the meal. Marie's feelings are hurt, but Ray smooths it over.
Much later that night, Ray comes down to the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning to find Marie already there, gnawing on a turkey leg from the restaurant meal Ray had ordered. Ray sits down to join her, and eventually, the entire family arrives to share in Ray's delivered feast.
Patricia Heaton was pregnant when this episode was filmed and did not appear in many shots. When she did, she held an object in front of her or wore oversized baggy clothing. Debra's parents (Warren and Lois) were mentioned indirectly but did not appear as they did in nearly every other Thanksgiving episode.
3. "No Thanks" (Season 4, Episode 9) Originally Aired November 22, 1999
The episode starts at Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone is having a lovely time. Robert is telling jokes and the family is all laughing together. Even Marie and Frank are getting along. Robert's wife, Amy, invited Debra to join her on Sunday morning cooking with Marie. Debra bristles at the thought, but Marie makes a nice gesture and invites her to join them as well. After the nice time together during Thanksgiving, Debra decides this may be a new approach to her relationship with her overbearing mother-in-law.
Debra and Amy spend the day following Marie's instructions in Debra's kitchen as they learn to cook Marie's way. Deb is on her best behavior and even bites her tongue when Marie insults her mothering skills. Debra is over-the-top with her laughter and compliments to Marie, and even Marie is starting to notice. It doesn't take long for the plan to backfire spectacularly as Debra begins to lose her temper. Marie offers her "useful advice," like how to use a rolling pin, or offers a backhanded compliment on her dinner rolls and how "the burnt part gives them some flavor."
Debra and Marie act very chummy after dinner until Marie lets it slip that "she made an effort" to spend the day with Debra. This makes Debra very angry because SHE made the effort to be nice to Marie, who just patronizes her and rolls her eyes. She says Debra's attempt at being nice was too sarcastic and just asks her to be honest about her feelings. Marie says she's brutally honest because she cares too much and turns the whole thing around when she "forgives Debra."
4. "Fighting In-laws" (Season 5, Episode 9) Originally Aired November 20, 2000
Debra's parents, Warren and Lois Whelan (Robert Culp and Katherine Helmond), stop by to visit the Barone family for Thanksgiving. They plan to go to Germany afterwards, and everyone is all smiles as they arrive for the holiday weekend. "Isn't this nice," Marie says. "Connecticut Grandma and Grandpa and regular Grandma and Grandpa!"
Ray shows Warren and Lois upstairs, as he and Deb are giving up their bedroom for them. Warren tells him that he plans to sleep in the nude later that night as Lois bounces up and down on the mattress, testing its firmness. Ray is disgusted but begins to panic as Warren tests out Ray's pillow between his thighs in a "pillow sandwich."
Ray heads to the kitchen for a drink later that night when he hears Lois and Warren arguing. Ray jumps into the garage and eavesdrops through the door. It turns out they aren't headed for Europe after all; instead, the two are headed for a weekend of marriage counseling in New Jersey. As Ray hides, the arguing continues until he falls asleep in the garage.
The next morning, Debra begins cooking the turkey early as Ray stumbles out of the garage. He smacks himself when she asks if he slept in the car because he spent the night on the sled. He admits he was trapped out there because her parents had been talking about "personal stuff." He tells her they aren't headed to the fancy place and instead headed to Jersey for marriage counseling.
Debra pretends that the news doesn't upset her, and the two argue about whose parents are more authentic. She then utters the funniest line in the episode: "If my parents lit an orphanage on fire on Christmas Eve, they wouldn't be as bad as your parents!"
Warren and Lois act as if nothing is wrong during Thanksgiving dinner, and Deb lets them know that "she knows." Of course, Marie is right there to get involved in the conversation, and when Lois and Debra try to keep things under wraps, Warren announces he is tired of hiding. He tells everyone they are headed for counseling, and Lois quickly tries to move on, but the conversation turns into a shouting match.
As the episode continues, the two begin acting more and more like Marie and Frank. Lois begins judging Debra's housekeeping skills while Warren unbuckles his belt after eating before plopping down in front of the TV.
During the scene where Ray is hiding in the garage, he improvises the scene where he freaks out over a spider. Romano actually thought he felt a spider on his arm.
5. "Older Woman" (Season 6, Episode 9) Originally Aired November 19, 2001
Debra is excited when her newly divorced parents decide to spend Thanksgiving with her and Ray. While they get Lois settled into a bedroom, she lets Debra know that she and her father are still very close friends. She continues by saying that Debra's father told her he'll be bringing a "friend" to dinner. The news about her father dating again upsets Debra, and Ray tries to console her that "at least she's a woman."
Everyone tries to console Lois, but she insists that she's fine with her (very recent) ex-husband dating again. Debra is having a tough time with the news and begins to take it out on Ray.
The next day, at Thanksgiving dinner, Warren arrives with his new girlfriend, Emma. Everyone is shocked to see she is significantly older than Warren. Nobody knows what to say, and it's Lois who is very welcoming to her. Everyone is either confused, surprised, angry, or all three that Warren would go for someone so much older.
The episode gets funnier with the Barones' observation of Emma's elderly habits. One standout scene shows the Barones staring in shock as Emma needs a nap after the drive down from Connecticut and, with the help of Warren, takes a painfully long time to go up the stairs. When he comes back downstairs, Warren talks about her like an infant: "Oh, she just went down. She's good for a few hours."
Lois and Debra go for a walk to get away from the situation while the rest try to talk to Warren about Emma. As Frank puts it so plainly, "She seems nice and all, but jeezaloo! You got a golden opportunity here. You're still handsome, nice tan, you've got all your teeth and then some! What gives?"
Warren says he enjoys her company and that it's not all about looks. She is warm and caring, he says. The women come home, and Ray and Debra get into an argument. Ray calls Lois "Mom," and Marie is distraught, causing a competition between herself and Lois to care for Ray. Meanwhile, Emma can barely lift a bowl of mashed potatoes.
6. "Marie's Vision" (Season 7, Episode 10) Originally Aired November 25, 2002
Robert announces at dinner one evening that he and Amy are back together and that she'll be coming to Thanksgiving. The family notices that Marie's eyesight has worsened, and the Barone family encourages her to get glasses. Marie reluctantly goes to the optometrist but comes home enthusiastic about her new, obnoxiously large eyeglasses.
With her improved vision, Marie begins to notice flaws in nearly everything. First, it's cobwebs that Debra "missed" during cleaning. Then, it's Debra's thinning eyelashes. As she leaves, she tells Ray that his hair is greying. After she's gone, the two rush to a mirror to inspect themselves.
The next day at Thanksgiving, Ray comes downstairs with noticeably darker hair, and Debra comes out of the kitchen wearing very thick eyeliner. The two have grown conscious of their looks and begin arguing about who "cares" more about their appearance. The doorbell interrupts the argument, and it's Robert and Amy.
Except Robert's having trouble talking. He got anti-wrinkle Botox injections based on Marie's criticisms, and he's temporarily paralyzed. Amy notices Ray's shoe-polish hair dye, and the four start laughing at each other's vanity.
When Marie arrives, she realizes that everyone has listened to her commentary. She's excited and flattered that the family really does care what she thinks, based on a few off-handed comments. However, she noticed that Frank didn't listen to a word she said about him and that he hadn't changed anything. She claims they have a loveless marriage, enraging Frank to the point of yelling and breaking her new glasses.
He storms out, and Marie follows. The two sit quietly at their kitchen table for a while before Marie says she is overdramatic and doesn't mean it, and his reaction proves that he loves her. The two decide to head back to Ray and Debra's for Thanksgiving, but Marie insists that she cook Frank something first!
7. "The Bird" (Season 8, Episode 9) Originally Aired November 24, 2003
Likely the funniest of all the Everybody Loves Raymond Thanksgiving episodes, this one reminds us that if one set of in-laws isn't enough holiday drama and stress, three definitely are. Amy's parents, Hank and Pat MacDougall (Fred Willard and Georgia Engel), have invited the Barone family to their home in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving.
The two sides quickly butt heads when Marie mentions that she made two pies in case people don't "fill up" on Pat's Thanksgiving dinner. Later, Frank discovers, much to his horror, that they don't own a TV, and he can't watch football. Meanwhile, Marie makes more veiled insults about Pat's cooking.
Pat takes the kids to the basement for crafting (and candy) to get ready for the MacDougall's annual reenactment of the first Thanksgiving. When they leave, the rest of the adults silently sit around the TV-less living room before starting an awkward conversation.
Things take a turn when a bird crashes into the window. As everyone discusses what to do and Ray and Robert reminisce about their old pet bird, Pat goes outside to "take care of it." The Barones are horrified when she tells them she killed it. The opinionated Barones clash against the mild-mannered MacDougalls, who have differing opinions on how they should have dealt with the bird.
"Pat the Psycho just choked a bird with her bare hands!" shrieked Frank, while Hank insisted that Pat just did "what needed to be done."
One of my favorite exchanges occurs when Hank reminds Frank, "Well, God did say, Let man have dominion over the fish in the sea and the fowl in the air and every creeping thing that creepeth upon this earth."
Frank responds, "You creepeth me out!"
The episode continues with hysterical bickering, great lines, and fun sight gags, making it a classic episode of Everybody Loves Raymond. Amy suggests they "let the bird thing go," and an argument between herself and Robert breaks out. The disastrous reenactment of the first Thanksgiving is something to behold and worth watching.
One Pat announces that dinner is served, the bickering immediately ends, and everyone rushes to the table, proving Marie right. Empty stomachs often lead to anger... and one of the funniest Thanksgiving episodes in sitcom history!
8. "Debra's Parents" (Season 9, Episode 7) Originally Aired November 22, 2004
Debra informs Ray that her parents have both agreed to come down from Connecticut for Thanksgiving. Ray is upset because the two are divorced, and he thinks inviting them both is a mistake. Deb says Marie has allowed Lois to stay at their house and that Warren will sleep in their bed.
In a callback to Season Five, Ray complains that Warren sleeps naked and "spoons my pillow."
Surprisingly, Lois and Warren are getting along very nicely, and everything seems to be going smoothly. Frank is upset because he was hoping for some fireworks between them. That evening, everyone remarks how wonderfully the two are getting along until Marie, still uncomfortable with her in-laws' divorce, says, "I think it's wonderful the two of you can focus on the positives and not eternal damnation."
Later that night, Debra tells Ray that she had forgotten to take his pillow out of their room before Warren "makes love to it." Deb said she heard him brushing his teeth when she came upstairs to bed, so Ray ran into their room to get it, but he was shocked at what he saw!
Lois and Warren are in bed together!
A horrified (and blinded) Ray returns to Debra, who asks, "Was he naked?" Ray can't even form an answer, so Debra offers to get the pillow. Ray screams, "NO!" before telling her what he saw.
Rather than be grossed out, Debra is excited that her parents "are getting back together."
The next day, Ray struggles to keep his secret and can't look Lois and Warren in the eyes. Lois figures out that they know, and Ray grows even more uncomfortable. He tells them that Debra is happy they are getting back together, and Lois clarifies that they aren't getting back together. They are just "enjoying each other's company."
Marie comes over and says Debra asked for her roasting pan, which she "Easily recognized as a cry for help."
Debra goes upstairs and is shocked to walk in on them... again. She comes running down and screams, "They're doing it again!"
Ray utters the funny line, "My God, it's like Spring Break up there!"
Lois and Warren, wrapped in bed sheets, chase Debra down the stairs to tell her they aren't getting back together, but she doesn't need to get upset because they can still enjoy being with one another, and they
"don't need to be married to have sex!"
Just then, the door opens, and the very religious MacDougall family stands there, shocked. Without a word, they turn around and walk away. After some discussion, Debra finally admits that she wishes they were still married but just wants them to be happy.
This was the final appearance of Debra's parents. After this episode, there were only 9 more before the series finale.
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