Pants on Fire

Pants on Fire
The bottle cap bouncing through the vent in "Pants on Fire"
Season	3
Episode	14
Air Date	January 18, 1999 (USA) October 18, 2004 (Canada)
Cast	Ray Romano Patricia Heaton Brad Garrett Doris Roberts Peter Boyle Bradley Warden
Director(s)	Will Mackenzie
Writer(s)	Tucker Cawley
Preceded by	Ping Pong
Followed by	Robert's Date

Pants on Fire is the 14^th episode of Season 3, and is episode 61 of the full 210 episodes for the entire series. In this episode, Ray recalls a party he had as a kid when his parents were away.

Episode Information

• Episode Title: Pants on Fire
• Episode Number: Season 3, Episode 14 (#61 of 210)
• Air Date: January 18, 1999
• Episode description (from DVD): "Ray admits he once threw a party back in high school."
• Cast:
  • Ray Romano as Ray
  • Patricia Heaton as Debra
  • Brad Garrett as Robert
  • Doris Roberts as Marie
  • Peter Boyle as Frank
• Guest Stars:
  • Bradley Warden as Drunk Kid
• Crew:
  • Will Mackenzie - Director
  • Tucker Cawley - Writer
• Preceded by: "Ping Pong"
• Followed by: "Robert's Date"

Synopsis

After more than 20 years, Frank turns the heater on in his house, only to find a rattling noise in the vent. Ray takes a look and pulls out a bottle cap that was in there. He then tells his parents that it's been in the vent since he was in high school.

There's a flashback scene to when Ray threw a party in high school, and Ray is seen drinking a bottle of beer, then tossing the bottle cap across the living room into the vent.

Furious that her son would do that, Marie doesn't give Ray any cake on his birthday, or give him his birth-minute kiss. Marie then shuns Ray and turns to nurture Robert instead.

Running Gags

• Marie's favoritism toward Ray (and not Robert) plays a major part in this episode.

• Robert holds up a small framed picture of his first birthday and then holds a larger picture of Ray’s first birthday.

• Robert calls Ray "Cubby", as he often does.

Trivia

• Actress Patricia Heaton was pregnant at the time of filming for this episode, so she did not appear in many of the shots. And when she did, she either wore big, baggy clothing or held an object, such as blankets, in front of her to hide the pregnant belly.

Production Notes

• By production order, this is the thirteenth episode of the third season, held back to save greater humor for later. Because of this, this is the last episode with Tom Caltabiano as Story Editor. In addition, the HBO logo plays before the Worldwide Pants logo for the final time in Season 3.
• Today's reruns use an alternate version of the Where's Lunch dish from Big Shots, but the HBO logo still plays next. If one looks closely, the dish slightly moves southeast counterclockwise.

Quotes

• Frank: "You know, I never told you this, but I used to think of you as kind of a...weak little mama's boy."
  • Ray: "You told me that."

External links

• "Pants on Fire" at IMDb.com