Watch: The Ducks That Broke Tony Soprano

A family of ducks moved into Tony Soprano's pool, and when they flew away, the most powerful mobster in New Jersey hit the floor. Watch the video above, then read why this small moment carries the entire series. For the companion breakdown, see our first watch page: the ducks are literally the whole show.

The pilot of The Sopranos builds its entire premise on the ducks. Tony delights in them, feeds them, watches the ducklings learn to fly, and the morning they leave, he collapses at a family barbecue. In Dr. Melfi's office he resists every interpretation until it surfaces on its own: the ducks were a family, safe in his pool, and his terror is that his own family will one day fly away, or be taken, because of the life he leads. Everything after, the therapy, the panic attacks, the dread about his kids, is that fear working itself out over 86 episodes.

Quick answer: The ducks symbolize Tony's family. Losing them triggers the panic attack that sends him to therapy and starts the show.

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