Before we dissect the ducks, the panic attacks, and the red sauce, let’s state the obvious: If you have never seen , you are witnessing the Big Bang of the Golden Age of TV. Here is everything that makes it a flawless masterpiece.

The episode opens with (James Gandolfini) in the waiting room of Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). After collapsing at a family barbecue, Tony is diagnosed with panic attacks—a diagnosis he initially resists, preferring the "strong, silent type" archetype of Gary Cooper.