Everybody Loves Raymond - DVDs - which season??

[onnihs]

Hi there

i'm looking to purchase for someone a DVD set of Everybody Loves Raymond.. but i'm unsure as to which season to buy, since i haven't seen too much of the show. I searched around on amazon and it seems the first season isn't that good, as the show really takes off around season 3 or 4.

any die hard fans out there??? which season is the best to buy for someone who has recently gotten into the show? HELP!

i'll give you karma points yo.

[snailpoo]

Sigh. Time to admit that I'm a Romano fan.

The 5th season is my favorite, even though the first two episodes are horrible (excrutiatingly dull trip to Italy). However, the rest of the episodes more than make up for it. The episodes with the car, the vaccuum cleaner, the canister, Debra choking, and all the episodes with Stefania (minus the Italy ones) ...actually any episode involving Robert dating... are hilarious.

[onnihs]

hey thanks for the input!

so do you own the entire dvd set (or seen every episode?), and out of all of thame you think the 5th season is the best?

[n3bulous]

wussup fellow ray fan.

i get the same impression as you about seasons 1, and even some of 2 and parts of 3. for real, i even tried to watch season 1 in sequence, but quit after the first couple episodes. couldn't stand it, as the characters were still not established and were really uninteresting and annoying, plus deb wasn't nearly as surgicaly enhan...errr attractive as she is in the later seasons.

3 is where it takes off, probably near the end of 3. i started by watching the season 3 dvd, and the finale of 3 is what clinched my fandom.

4 through 7, maybe 8, you can't go wrong. the series finale (season 9) is really good, too.

and i agree the 5th season is good, especially the finale which really grabbed me by the bollzack. but i also liked the first two episodes, the trip to italy. i guess i could relate both to ray's initial cranky attitude and his later change of heart and realization of what a beautiful place he's in and what a pretty good life he has.

but if it's for someone just getting into the show, it depends on what that someone has gone through and can relate to in terms of long term relationships, parents, family, etc., so it could be any episode, just depends. the breakup tape (season 7) is the episode that first got me interested. damn that's a good episode.

be forewarned though, i can vaguely remember that every season has dud episodes. just try to pretend they don't exist and you'll be aiight.

[snailpoo]

hey thanks for the input!

so do you own the entire dvd set (or seen every episode?), and out of all of thame you think the 5th season is the best?
I've seen every episode... or come very close.

I don't know if you consider every episode which season is the best, or which season is the best for someone new to the Ramano world, but the 5th season has my favorite episodes.