Why “She’s The One” Is Everybody Loves Raymond’s Highest-Rated Episode

Everybody Loves Raymond built an extensive list of memorable episodes, but why is a specific episode entitled “She’s The One” the highest rated among them? This season 7 episode boasts an impressive audience score of 9.1 out of 10 on IMDb, rightly earned since it puts the show’s quick-witted humor on full display.

First airing in 1996, Everybody Loves Raymond is a sitcom depicting the hectic, everyday life of Raymond Barone (Ray Romano), a popular New York sportswriter who lives with his wife, daughter, and twin sons in suburban Long Island. Each episode launches the sarcastic main character into hilariously trivial conflicts with his overstressed wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), his intrusive parents Frank and Marie (Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts), and his constantly jealous older brother Robert (Brad Garrett). The show saw phenomenal success for 9 seasons due to the cast’s strong chemistry and relatable tone, with Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal often drawing inspiration from family experiences.

Though Raymond is the lead character, episodes focusing on other family members were not uncommon. In “She’s the One”, Robert takes the spotlight when he invites his new girlfriend Angela (Elizabeth Bogush) to join him for dinner at Raymond and Debra’s house. Beautiful, kind, and sophisticated, she seems to be a perfect match for Robert until Raymond sees her do the unthinkable: she kills and eats a fly. The consumption of a dead insect is arguably one of the more unexpected events in the series, but it is also the catalyst for the brilliant comedic sequence of events that follows.

Compounding the absurdity of a beautiful woman eating a fly, each of the Barones contributes to the surreal scene. Frank and Marie barge into the house unannounced, disrupting the flow of the evening, while Raymond desperately tries to convince his skeptical brother that Angela is “not the one”. The humor peaks when Robert and Angela return to her apartment. Robert kisses Angela and curiously smacks his lips, indicating the possibility that he tastes something suspect. When he enters Angela’s bedroom, he discovers her peculiar obsession, including wall-to-wall terrariums containing croaking frogs, along with stuffed animals and paintings—again, all depicting frogs. This observation prompts him to hilariously attempt to escape through her bedroom window.

When Angela discovers Robert hanging from the window sill, she boldly announces, “we all come from frogs,” momentarily disrupting Robert before he drops out of the window frame. The episode holds particular significance for Robert’s character, as it marks yet another low point in his romantic life. Throughout the series, Robert struggles to maintain a steady relationship, but at the end of “She’s the One”, he decides he no longer wishes to continue dating. Garrett’s energetic and lively performance was a highlight of the show, but his more subdued tone at the end of the episode conveys a genuine sense of defeat that is as powerful as the episode is funny. The conclusion is sobering and leads to subsequent episodes in which Robert eventually finds the true love of his life.

“She’s the One” is a great example of Everybody Loves Raymond’s most beloved qualities. Though the premise is bizarre, it is not difficult to understand why fans rank it number one among the long-running series’ more than 200 episodes. The show offers a humorous perspective on life’s challenges, no matter how unpredictably they present themselves.