Thank You Notes!

[JClabaugh@aol.com]

THIS IS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST EPISODES IN RAYMOND HISTORY. If you have not seen it yet watch it. If you have seen it please comment. I liked the part where Frank knew Marie was listening in the Laundry Room and when she came out she about scared the carp out of me too....that look on her face! Did you notice though that again Debra lost the battle and Amy came over to Marie's side. Would it not have been interesting to see it the other way around. Amy and Debra always working together against Marie. But alas, no one and I mean no one can take down the Marie Barone regime.

[Brian Damage]

I haven't seen it yet.

[w6xrl4]

I don’t think my wife and I could throw a party without my mother asking about the “timeliness” of our thank you notes. This episode really hit home with me. When Robert was drinking vanilla extract, I nearly lost it. The Marie Barone regime lives!

[HuntingtonM15]

I loved the episode! Ray was also hilarious with his side comments.

[Montana Ponine]

Oh. My. God. I feel so awful for Debra! LOL. It seems like she's all alone in the world. I'm with her. Hopefully Amy will learn with time, but I don't blame her because Marie does have her ways. Watching this, all I could think was, "Holy crap, Marie really is evil...she's evil...!" But she is why the show is so effective.

[Céline]

Poor Debra!I felt so bad for her tooShe lost that battle but, hopefully,she's going to win others.I hope Amy sees the real Marie.That would a great episode.Debra & Amy agains Marie...Ray & Robert will be out of their mindsBut,it was hilarious to see Ray's reaction when he saw Marie came out of the laundry's room

[DarwinEx]

They are all afraid of her, even Frank. I thought Debra was going ot flip out, well she really did. She should make Ray sleep in the garage for being such a weasel.

[Janice]

I enjoyed it, but I think it was a dark episode in terms of comedy. Debra never got out of her robe, or Raymond, his boxers. Marie was off the charts in nastiness and manipulation, even for her. The writers appear to be writing her character meaner these days.

I felt a genuine sense of fear when Marie came into her kitchen to confront Raymond....sort of the same feeling I get when watching a horror movie. Her face can look downright scary.

I felt just awful for Debra. Although her flipping out talking to Amy was designed to evoke laughs, and it did, I could see the sheer desperation she felt.

I think this episode had a different feel to it.

[dlemond]

I think the sheer desperation of Debra reflected a little something in all of us as an audience- like, "dear God, how can these people never learn."

Everyone of the main characters has flipped out on Marie and called her on her tactics and manipulation.

But in every episode it starts anew. In this one Ray was all desperate for them to just agree with Marie and let it end when he himself has flipped out at her interfering on countless occasions. I mean does everything start fresh each episode with the past forgotten?

And Amy was around for long enough to see how Marie was and rebelled against her in at least 2 episodes (remember about Amy being a virgin?)

So how can Amy (and EVERYONE ELSE) not see what Debra meant immediately - or even thought of it before she got married- and been on Debra's side against Marie's control freak behavior?

Wouldnt she have talked about this ahead of time?

I thought the episode was funny, but you can't believe for one second that any real person would not have shut Marie out of their lives until she behaved.
Or never spoken to her again.

Besides food, what does she bring to the proverbial table?

[Janice]

I think the rest of the family were just appeasing Marie and didn't want to go against her, out of fear. The looks of terror on their faces showed that they knew what was on the horizon if Debra didn't 'get in line'. They certainly have Marie's number and have for a long time. In the end, even Debra went along for the charade of 'everything's okay'.

Marie's behavior reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where Billy Mumy has the town, including his parents, living in fear of him. If anyone is not familiar with the episode that I'm referring to--if someone disagrees with him, he'll turn them into a Jack-in-the-box and banish them to the cornfield. It sounds crazy, but it's a thriller.


I know one family personally where the matriach runs the family with an iron fist. A few have rebelled and have run for the exit door, but for the most part, the battleax gets her way.
Ann Landers and Dear Abby are full of stories of overbearing in-laws and spineless husbands that won't go to bat for their wives.
I would leave my husband in a New York minute if he ever sat by and did nothing. Often, silence makes a person an accomplice.

Marie was written as passive-aggressive. Lately it's more overtly aggressive. The way she gave the honeymoon gifts back to Robert and Amy was downright nasty.

[dlemond]

Doris Roberts deserves every Emmy she gets because I just want to push Marie down a flight of stairs when I watch the show.

Did that sound bitchy?

[Janice]

Originally posted by dlemond
Doris Roberts deserves every Emmy she gets because I just want to push Marie down a flight of stairs when I watch the show.

Did that sound bitchy?

Just a tad.

You're right. Doris Roberts accomplishes her mission every week, which is to make us crazy.

[Céline]

Doris Robert is wonderful on the show.Her character reminds
me of my mother-in-law!She acted just like Marie with all her children.But,in my case,there're no laugh and no studio audience.It's the real life I wanted to jump in the tv'set to help Debra in that moment of panic!!!

[Beavis]

I would have to agree with you on this!