Ray Bishop

Living… in Staten Island, New York. Ray lives at the firehouse he works at. When he’s not at the firehouse, Ray can be found at Margie’s house or at the house of his ex-wife, which is where his kids live.

Profession… firefighter. Ray’s a ladder for a firehouse in Staten Island and he has been for a while now. He lives there and due to the nature of his job, he has to be ready to respond at any time, day or night. As a result, Ray doesn’t have much free time to spend with Margie or his two kids, Harold and Kelly. He has formed a close bond with his fellow firehouse mates and hangs out with them as well when he can.

Interests… baseball, hanging out with his friends, gambling, and drinking. Ray is an avid baseball fan and even has season tickets to the Staten Island Yankees, the minor league affiliate to the real New York Yankees. Ray also likes to hang with his buddies outside of work, as he brings them to games and goes out with them to drink at bars. Ray also claims to be a day trader and emphasizes that he doesn’t have a gambling problem (although his ex-wife would disagree).

Relationship Status… dating Margie, Scott Carlin’s mom. Ray met Margie when he went to her house to complain that Scott had tattooed his nine-year-old son Harold. After bickering for a while, Ray asked Margie out, and they’ve been dating ever since. This has caused Scott to have a great disdain for him, as Margie has not dated anyone since her late husband’s death.

Challenge… connecting with Scott. Ray essentially came out of the blue and disrupted the family dynamic going at Carlson's place. Scott has not gotten over the death of his father and while he wants his mother to be happy, he doesn’t like Ray at all. The fact that Ray is also a firefighter like his father also triggers Scott; Ray tries to be nice and make an effort to get to know him, but Carlin is not having it. On top of that, Ray’s ex-wife hates him, and he has trouble finding time for his two kids due to him having to be at the firehouse all the time.

Personality… fiery, brave, and impulsive. Ray is a passionate person. This passion allows him to be brave when he’s putting out a fire, as he and his fellow firefighters respond to calls. But this same fiery attitude has led to altercations with his ex-wife and with Scott, as Ray is a very direct person and will tell you how it is without caring if he hurts your feelings in the process. When Ray is heated, he also makes impulsive decisions. But Ray means well, as he is aware that his temper needs to be controlled: “You know, I just, let the anger get the best of me.”