The majority of Everyone Loves Raymond viewers smile as they watch, and even laugh a bit. However, times have changed a lot since this award-winning show first aired in 1996. Looking back at some of the episodes they would most likely be viewed as cringe-worthy over binge-worthy.

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Everybody Loves Raymond had all the characteristics of a profoundly dysfunctional family play out scene by scene over the period of nine seasons.

8 Ray And Robert Fight On The Plastic-Covered Sofa In Everybody Loves Raymond

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Sportswriter Ray (Ray Romano) resides directly across the street from his parents with his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) and their three kids. Robert (Brad Garrett) is Ray’s brother and lives with his parents. In season 5, episode 6, Ray and Robert clash over Robert's promotion to police lieutenant and the publisher's rejection of Ray's book. They go at it all over their parents living room, including on the plastic-covered sofa.

Once they settle down and realize how old they are, Ray and Robert quiz each other on why they have such a silly competition with one another. Like clockwork, their mother Marie (Doris Roberts) walks in with a dustbuster. The irony is not lost on anyone. Unfortunately, parental prejudice has lasting emotional effects that are not easily forgotten. Any snub, whether real or imagined, is felt by a child who has been placed in an unhealthy situation.

7 Robert Confesses His Love For His Mom In Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody Loves Raymond cast Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, and Monica Horan
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Ray Barone and his brother Robert argue in the backseat of a car on the way to a round of golf in season 8, episode 23, Golf for it. The two grown men punch, shove, and abuse each other like small boys. “Mom loves me more” type comments flying back and forth until Robert lets out a big painful truth.

"She can love you all you want because I love her more than you do, you take her for granted. I cherish every ounce of affection that woman gives me because I have to fight for it like a dirty dog on the street." Poor Robert. Parental bigotry, internal bias, or favoritism, whatever you want to call it. It’s painful. According to Healthline, parental favoritism can have lifelong effects on a child's self-esteem, emotional well-being, and mental health.

6 Marie Changes The Labels On The Spices In Everybody Loves Raymond

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Marie has a pretty negative way of parenting her daughter-in-law too. In season 2, Episode 15, Marie’s Meatballs; Ray chooses his mother’s spaghetti and meatballs over his wife's dinner. Debra, of course, gets very upset over this, and Ray suggests that Marie teach Debra how to make her famous meatballs. The two agree to this and Marie ends up acting very poorly by intentionally sabotaging Debra.

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She purposefully wants to make Debra look bad. Debra learns, through Robert's assistance, that Marie ruined her meatballs by labeling a bottle of tarragon with a label for basil. After she confronts Marie about it she is made to feel like she is wrong for being upset. Marie gaslights her into accepting that it wasn’t her fault and Debra shouldn’t be upset. He manipulation tactics work, Debra doesn’t hold her accountable for her actions, and it’s left at that.

5 Amy And Robert Didn't Send Out Thank You Notes Yet In Everybody Loves Raymond

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As for her other daughter-in-law, Amy (Monica Horan) season 8, episode 2, Thank You Notes, explains it well. Robert and Amy come home from their honeymoon in Italy and are nearly trampled on by Marie who admits that she has been spying on Raymond’s house for the last 48 hours waiting for them. She is excited to see her son and new daughter-in-law, there isn’t anything wrong with that right?

Until once again our favorite gaslighter Marie lays into her new daughter-in-law for not sending out thank you cards from the wedding yet. Again, they just came home from their Italian honeymoon. Marie goes on and on about how everyone is asking her if Robert and Amy even got their gift since they never got a thank-you card.

4 Robert Was Taking Shots As A Toddler In Everybody Loves Raymond

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More classic parenting takes place in season 2, episode 18, The Family Bed. It is revealed in this episode that Ally is having trouble sleeping and wetting the bed. Obviously, the entire family finds out about this, but what they also find out about is that Robert used to have trouble sleeping too.

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“You know, when I had trouble sleeping, Mom used to do something for me. Remember that, Ma? One of my best memories growing up. She'd give me a warm cup of that colored sugar water. Put me right out.” Well as it would turn out when Robert was little and couldn’t sleep his mother gave him a shot of hard alcohol.

3 The Extended Family Christmas Photo In Everybody Loves Raymond

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It’s not just Marie who could be interpreted as controversial. All the characters have their own little -isms. That’s a key feature of their dysfunctional family, and honestly why people probably related so well to it. In season 4, episode 11, The Christmas Picture, Ray comes up with a great idea to do a family picture for his parents for Christmas.

But on the day of the photo shoot, Ray tries but fails to mediate a dispute between Debra and Marie over what constitutes "family" in the context of the family portrait. Marie asserts, with her trademark passive-aggressiveness, that her parents are not part of her extended family. Debra ends up having her feelings hurt once more when things get nasty.

2 Debra Gets Along With Marie In Everybody Loves Raymond

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Debra is often shown as an irritated wife. She is annoyed with Ray or his mother most times. In season 4, episode 9, No Thanks; Debra specifically tries to get along with Marie, though. She doesn’t always want to be at odds with her, in fact, the family got along so well at Thanksgiving it inspires her to really put her best foot forward. She cooks with Marie, talks with her, laughs at her jokes, and doesn’t take her criticism too seriously. Marie doesn’t buy it.

She gets upset with Debra and says it’s all an act. She wants to know why Debra is acting so differently and pushes her to express her feelings. Debra gets put down for her cooking and messy house throughout the entire series, she tells her mother-in-law how she feels being put down all the time, and maybe for the sake of humor, or some other reason, Marie turns it around on her again. Covert narcissism at its finest.

1 Raymond Gets Pushed Into The Bookcase In Everybody Loves Raymond

Season 4, Episode 22, Bad Moon Rising. This raises the point of domestic violence. Debra is PMSing and Ray thinks she is far more irritable than usual. He gets PMS pills from the store in an effort to help her. It is the last straw for Debra. She screams at Ray and shoves him back into a bookshelf. While he is on the ground she stands over him, still screaming. Today that would not fly. It shouldn’t have then either, but apparently it did. That is abuse.