Watch: Artie Bucco: The Friend Who Wanted In

Artie Bucco is the civilian who spends six seasons pressing his face against the mob's window, romanticizing a life that keeps using his restaurant, his money and his marriage. Watch the video above, then read Artie's story.

John Ventimiglia plays Artie as Tony's oldest friend and his warning label: the talented chef whose restaurant, Vesuvio, burns for insurance, whose loans to bad people fail, whose flirtations with the life end in an earring, a beating, and a suicide attempt. The show loves Artie too much to make him a fool; his food is the real thing in a world of performance, and his final scenes, cooking his father's rabbit recipe alone in a quiet kitchen, are among the few images of honest work the series ever offers.

Quick answer: Artie wanted the mob's glamour without its nature, and the life took his restaurant, his money and nearly his life before he made peace with the kitchen.

Keep reading: Why Tony Burned Down Artie’s Restaurant in The Sopranos

From the shop: the Nuovo Vesuvio Mug at MobstersDaily.