Must Love Raymond

In this episode, Matt and Tim are forced to admit that the 15th and 16th episode of Everybody Loves Raymond are not that bad, leading to one of the shortest and least energetic episodes in MLR history. Regarding the low energy, other contributing factors include stuffy noses and the overwhelming solemnity of Columbus Day. (MLR denounces all forms of anti-Italian hate!) Pour yourself a glass of Nyquil and strap in. 

The episode you've all been waiting for. Unable to resist the prospect of discussing Ray Romano's sole (?) appearance in full Confederate regalia, former host Kevin returns to join Matt and Tim in their deconstruction of the 13th and 14th episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond's second season. Of course, by "deconstruction," we mean "multiple extended riffs on The Olive Garden" and an absolutely unforgivable amount of Italianese gibberish. Show a little respect to three wounded veterans of the Barone Civil War. 

The dog days of summer have descended upon the offices of Must Love Raymond, and the MLR crew turns in an appropriately sluggish and irritable performance. In this episode, Matt & Tim discuss the 11th and 12th episodes of Raymond Season 2: one of which Ray Romano himself considers the show's first "classic episode." Without bothering to cross-reference earlier installments of the podcast, this episode boasts the fewest number of audio drops in MLR history. Is the dialogue just that riveting? You have been mandated by a federal judge to find out. 

Email mustloveraymond@gmail.com if you would like to join our class action lawsuit. 

In this episode, Tim earns his wings as a true-blue co-host of Must Love Raymond by announcing that he is quitting the show. Though the absolutely bulletproof nature of his contract renders this an empty threat, it is nonetheless a momentous occasion. What is it about the 9th and 10th episodes of Raymond's second season that drives Tim to such desperation? It may have something to do with "Funky Town."

Time flies when you're putting off watching Everybody Loves Raymond. In this installment, Matt and Tim are joined by the show's original co-host Kevin, who pleads shamelessly to be reinstated. Though most of that audio had to be cut for the sake of propriety, we were still able to piece together an hour-plus of analysis of episodes seven and eight of Raymond's second season. This episode is, for some reason, somewhat more vulgar than usual. Also, there is a crackling sound that crops up from time to time, due to the fact that Kevin was recording his part while standing over a bonfire, camped out behind MLR Headquarters. 

In the latest installment of MLR2.0, Matt and Tim take aim at the fifth and sixth episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond's second season. As always, the recaps are brisk and efficient, and the commentary is clever, insightful, and full of heart. If you don't already love Raymond, you certainly will by the end of this winning entry in the MLR canon—that's the MLR2.0 guarantee. Along the way, you may just learn a little something about Harold Pinter, Mr. Freeze, and the average cost of a set of golf clubs. 

P.S. — For the real Must Love-heads out there, this episode also contains the first and only instance of the "bleep" sound. 

Pretty nice town you've got here. Would be a shame if some boys got back into it...

In the latest installment of Must Love Raymond, the patchwork duo of Matt and Tim carry on in Kevin's absence, this time with the help of their friend "TV Land Dan," who in the span of the episode is never referred to by that name. Dan helps get to the bottom-hole of last episode's TV vulgarity debate, and he sticks around to help unpack episodes 3 and 4 of Raymond's second season. Other topics include Sucrets, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and Three Six Mafia. If you love Raymond, you will love this podcast! It's that simple! 

Sophomore slump or victory lap? In their second season premiere, the Must Love Raymond boys ask, "Why not both?" While Kevin remains missing in action, Tim (formerly known as Steely Ray) stops by to help Matt break down the first two episodes of the second season of Everybody Loves Raymond. As always, both hosts are audibly pleased to be discussing a show that they very much enjoy and respect. Go ahead and treat yourself to "The Gift" that keeps on giving and was written by Guy de Maupassant. 

It's curtains for Season 1 of Must Love Raymond, and Matt and Kevin leave it all on the field. After recapping the show's twenty-second episode (a flashback heavy of dose of show-lore blame-shifting) the crew is joined by previous guests John and Steely Ray for a ROUSING look back at the season as a whole. Oh, banana!

EDIT: In the original upload, the first 2 minutes of Steely Ray's audio was missing. Problem's been resolved. 

NOTE: An audio issue in the second half of the episode required us to mix and match a few different audio files. No part of the conversation was lost, but you may notice occasional shifts in the quality of the sound. 

If there's light at the end of the tunnel, the MLR crew hasn't seen it. This time around, they tackle the penultimate episode of Raymond's first season, in which Debra endures a dark night of the soul: in Barone absentia, who is she? Appropriately, Matt and Kevin dispense with the jokes for a more serious, contemplative conversation, addressing topics including sports philosophy, Larry King, and fedoras. You won't want to miss this riveting case study in sadomasochism. 

In the 12th installment of the podcast, two very bland episodes of Raymond are the occasion for a real laidback MLR affair. Matt and Kevin take their time (and yours) working their way through the show's least pressing questions: What does dom Debra look for in a sub? Do the Barones know how to sleep? How do you play Baker in the Mineshaft? There's also the promise of a ginger ale bit that never arrives. 

Hurtling toward oblivion, the MLR Boys gear up for the end of Ray's first season with recaps of the 17th and 18th episodes: namely, "The Game" and "Recovering Pessimist." What little goodwill toward the show they still possess is nearly exhausted in a conversation that ranges from Gary Oak to Canada Dry's new market disruptor, Ginger Ale Bold, all before coming to an abrupt and almost disorienting end. 

In their 10th episode, Matt and Kevin celebrate their first Valentine's Day at the Barone house, an occasion that merits their full and undivided attention. The holiday provides the MLR crew with an opportunity to investigate several conspiracies, including the occult ministry of Barry Bonds, the social conditioning concealed within elementary school Valentine's traditions, and the possible influence of reptilians on the production of Everybody Loves Raymond. 

As Matt and Kevin wrap up the "middle third" of Raymond's first season, morale has never been lower. Wallowing in self-pity and complaining throughout, the hosts tackle the big questions asked by the show's fourteenth and fifteenth episodes--namely, "Which Barone man is hottest?" and "How bad does dancing have to get before it is no longer considered dancing?" Other topics include Bob's Discount Furniture, Simoniz car wax, and the original Long Island campus of Hogwarts. 

"If we're watching the watchmen, who's watching the baby?" In the latest installment of Must Love Raymond, our hosts follow Ray into a brave new world called "1997," where the Looney Tunes wear baggy jeans and backward hats, and shielding one's children from the harsh light of reality is a moral crime punishable by soul-death. As they recap the 12th and 13th episode of Ray's first season, Matt and Kevin find time to discuss a number of other topics like candy mixology, Little Carmine Lupertazzi, and the international appeal of the musical "Grease." 

In a stunning return to form, the MLR Boys dissect the tenth and eleventh episodes of Raymond's first season. No guests, no gimmicks. All muscle. Topics include Richard III, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and what Bilbo Baggins hates. 

The MLR crew is at it again, this time joined by the elusive Steely Ray (@ray_steely), whose Raymond/Rosenthal expertise helps rescue what would have been a painful recap of the show's dismal ninth episode. Topics include brand-name antacids, dream analysis, and, of course, the 1992 Parker Brothers board game Don't Wake Daddy. 

In this installment of the single biggest Everybody Loves Raymond recap podcast in the Anglophone world, Matt and Kevin take a loose and laidback look at the eighth episode of the first season, in which Debra's parents pay the Barones a visit. The hosts take a moment to correct some of their many past errors, and shots are fired at a certain rival podcast. Other topics include Columbo, cultural transposition, and the allure of the dugong. 

In the latest episode of MLR, Matt and Kevin are given a new lease on life when friend of the pod John shows up to discuss the 6th and 7th episode of Everybody Loves Raymond's first season. The deepest dive yet, this episode is almost criminally long, clocking in at over an hour and a half. Topics include the cultural shift from "porno" to "porn," whether or not one can retire from a marriage, and ginger ale: friend or foe?

In the latest installment of God's favorite Everybody Love's Raymond recap podcast, Matt and Kevin take a look at episode five of the show's first season. Topics include Jethro Tull, the appropriation of Long Island culture, and that notoriously elusive creature, the "dominant cuckold."

In the second installment of America's highest-rated Everybody Loves Raymond recap podcast, Matt and Kevin take on the third and fourth episodes of Raymond's first season. Topics include Yoko Ono's drummer, a possible gender divide in blackface, and how to buy seafood from the trunk of a car. 

In the inaugural episode of "Must Love Raymond," Matt and Kevin discuss their memory of the show, its strange imperviousness to any kind of critical scrutiny, and whether or not Ray Romano ever did stand up comedy. Then they take their sweet time picking apart the pilot and the second episode of the first season.