WHY WE LOVE RAYMOND

Nice cold open on Everybody Loves Raymond tonight. Deborah, played by one of our heroes, Patricia Heaton, comes in all cheery. She announces that she has just come from a church meeting, during which she signed up to do charity work at a local homeless shelter. Ray is non-plussed until she adds that she also signed Ray up to be a volunteer at a local hospital.

Ray: Oh, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Deborah: Because that's what people do.

When Ray protests, Deborah shrugs and says: Fine. But this is between you and (points up) Him.

Ray: Oh, don't bring Him into it!

The next scene has Ray, slinking into the hospital for his volunteer work. He gets assigned an ailing black woman to cheer up, and then is surprised to find out how much he likes doing it.

It was a classic Raymond episode - fun, and with a good something extra for the viewer. Too bad most of America was gawking over Michael Jackson tonight.