Everybody Loves Raymond: 5 Most Romantic Frank & Marie Moments (& 5 Funniest)

Everybody Loves Raymond focuses on the life and trials of Ray Barone (Ray Romano) and his wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton). But most fans agree that Ray’s parents — Frank (Peter Boyle) and Marie (Doris Roberts) — are the core of the show. Without them, the show would lack some serious comedy.

Frank and Marie have a peculiar, yet relatable, marriage. They bicker and argue all the time. They aren’t afraid to tell each other exactly what they think, but they somehow make it work. Occasionally, they are romantic, but they most often fight, leading to some of the funniest scenes on the show. Let’s take a look at the couple’s most romantic and funniest scenes together.

10 Romantic: A Quiet Dinner

In the season five episode “Silent Partners,” Ray and Debra are concerned about their marriage after having a silent Valentine’s Day dinner at a restaurant. They didn’t have much to talk about, and they worry that their chemistry is gone. Debra is concerned they will end up like Ray’s parents — who bicker and argue all the time.

However, towards the end of the episode, Ray and Debra watch as Frank and Marie eat dinner together. They’re not talking to each other, but they’re content just being together. They don’t have to talk, but they’re not fighting. It’s a sweet, tender moment between a couple who is often bickering.

9 Funny: Fighting Over Cannolis

Most episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond don’t focus entirely on Frank and Marie. Instead, they’re supporting characters, but they meddle in everyone’s business. They often have arguments that outshine everyone else in the episode.

For example, in the season six episode “Talk to Your Daughter,” Ray has to speak to his daughter, Ally, about the facts of life, but he doesn’t know what to do. This premise has nothing to do with Frank and Marie, but in one scene, Marie is holding a Bible. Frank tells her to hold the Bible and say she didn’t eat his two cannolis. Instead, Marie puts down the Bible before saying she didn’t eat the cannolis. Frank knows she ate them. He comically remarks, “Thou shall not eat the cannoli!” Frank and Marie manage to fight over anything, including cannolis.

8 Romantic: Giving Up Sex For Food

Frank loves to eat, especially Marie’s cooking. He has a large appetite and Marie is happy to cook meals for her husband and children. So, it surprises everyone in the season nine episode, “Tasteless Frank,” when Frank seems to have lost his sense of taste. This is a side effect from a pill to help with his “manhood.”

Frank could no longer enjoy the food he loves. Marie tells him that she appreciates what he was trying to do for their marriage, but it’s not necessary. Frank says, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather have the food.” Marie responds, “Oh, Frank, I was hoping you’d say that.”

7 Funny: Fighting Over A Tuna Salad Sandwich

Because Frank loves to eat Marie’s cooking, this sometimes leads to arguments. In the season one episode “Your Place or Mine?”, Frank and Marie have a squabble over something as simple as a tuna salad sandwich. Marie accidentally left out the celery in the sandwich. Frank says, “It’s the celery that makes ‘tuna salad’ tuna salad. What you gave me was tuna slop!”

This leads to a more heated argument, in which Marie comments that she slaves over the food that Frank doesn’t appreciate. They end up separating, with Marie staying with Ray and Debra until Frank apologizes. All of this started because of a simple tuna salad sandwich.

6 Romantic: Appreciating Marie

In the series finale, Ray undergoes throat surgery, but he has difficulty waking up from the anesthetics. Of course, he ends up okay, but it was a frightening situation. Everyone agrees that they won’t tell Ray or Marie about it. Knowing Marie, she would go crazy over the news.

Later that night, however, Frank and Marie are in bed together and he gently touches her shoulder. He says, “Sometimes I say stuff, like, you know…‘You’re old. You got a big mouth. You’re a pain in the ass.’” He adds, “It’s just that I’m glad we’re…you know?” He might have a hard time expressing his feelings, but it’s evident he appreciates and loves Marie.

5 Funny: Cleaning Out The Fridge

In the season three Thanksgiving episode, “No Fat,” Marie realizes that she and Frank need to eat healthier after attending a senior health fair. She takes a trash bag and begins cleaning out the refrigerator. She throws away chocolate cake, cannolis, lasagna, etc.

Of course, Frank hates this. He loves food and he doesn’t care about eating healthy. In a hilarious moment, he grabs the trash bag and says he’s going on a picnic. He points to Marie and says, “Out with the old bag and [holding up the trash bag] in with the new!”

4 Romantic: Removing Her Face Mask

In the season three episode “Frank’s Tribute,” Frank’s lodge friends nominate him “Man of the Year.” As part of the recognition, Ray and his older brother, Robert (Brad Garrett), must make a tribute video for their father, including speeches from Frank’s friends.

However, they find out his friends actually don’t like him. When Frank finds out this upsetting information, it hurts his feelings. In a vulnerable moment, he asks Marie what she would say about him in a tribute. She remarks, “Even though we squabble every now and then, I know he’s the one for me.”

When she asks him what he would say about her, he doesn’t know what to say, leading to an argument. In a tender moment in bed, Frank removes Marie’s face mask. He says, “I like you better without the crap on your face.” He loves Marie just the way she is.

3 Funny: Fighting Over Frank’s Pants

In the season five episode “Separation,” Debra is shocked when she finds out her parents are splitting up. She thought her parents had the perfect marriage. She thought if anyone would be getting a divorce, it would be Frank and Marie.

When Marie is talking about the separation with Debra’s mother (Katherine Helmond), Frank walks into the kitchen to put on an old, raggedly pair of pants. Marie says she’s donating those pants to Goodwill, which leads to a fight. Marie tries to take the pants from Frank and the two wrestle over them. Of course, this only causes the pants to rip.

2 Romantic: A Loveless Marriage

In the season seven episode “Marie’s Vision,” Marie gets eyeglasses to improve her vision. Of course, she ends up seeing everything, including her family, for better or for worse. In a pivotal scene, Frank and Marie have an argument over their marriage. Marie says with the glasses, she can now see she’s in a loveless marriage. Frank responds angrily, shouting, “Loveless marriage?!?!” He breaks her glasses.

Marie realizes that Frank reacted to her statement because he actually loves her. When she tells him this, he says, “You don’t need glasses for that.” You don’t need glasses to see that he does love her. He just has a hard time expressing his love for her.

1 Funny: Marie’s A Trophy Wife?

In the season three Christmas episode “The Toaster,” Ray and Debra give his parents a personally engraved toaster. They’re devastated to find out that Frank and Marie traded in the gift (not knowing it was engraved) for a coffee maker.

Wanting to make things right, Frank and Marie rush to a department store to try to find the toaster. Of course, this leads to many comical exchanges between the couple. At one point, Frank tells Marie to be quiet. She responds, “Don’t you tell me to be quiet! I have a mind of my own, you know. I can contribute. I’m not just some trophy wife!” Frank sarcastically remarks, “You’re a trophy wife? What contest in hell did I win?” It’s one of the most memorable scenes of the whole show.

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