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Artie Bucco Artie Bucco - John Ventimiglia Despite being one of Tony's best and perhaps truest friends, Artie's and Tony's relationship has had more than a few valleys. At the end of Season One, Artie learns from Tony's mother, Livia, that Tony was responsible for burning down his restaurant, "Vesuvio." Tony's Uncle Junior had been planning to stage a hit at Vesuvio on "Little Pussy" Malanga (not Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero) and, despite Tony's repeated requests, refused to change the venue because he felt comfortable there. Tony, knowing that the restaurant's patrons would be chased away if a hit were to occur there, fashioned the solution of burning down the restaurant. That way, there would be no hit and Artie would be able to collect the insurance money and build a new Vesuvio. Artie built a bigger and even more prosperous restaurant, the Nuovo Vesuvio. However, Artie had a strong emotional attachment to the old restaurant and went ballistic when he found out his friend was responsible for the destruction of the old restaurant, confronting Tony with a hunting rifle in the parking lot of "Satriale's". Eventually Artie comes to believe Tony's denial of burning down the restaurant and he destroys his rifle before driving off erratically. There was a brief tension between the two, but by the end of the Season One finale, the two friends had made up and Artie kept his kitchen open to prepare a special meal for Tony and his family during a fierce storm. The tension over Tony's destruction of the old Vesuvio briefly resurfaced after the death of Tony's mother in Season Three. At a gathering at the Soprano household after Livia's funeral, Artie, who was catering the affair, turned over Tony's garbage cans and told Tony that he guessed their "secret" died with Livia. In Season Four, Artie approaches Ralph Cifaretto and asks to borrow $50,000 so that he could use the money to act as shylock to Jean-Philippe, the brother of the new French hostess at Vesuvio, who needed $50,000 short-term to fund a business venture. Ralph denies Artie's request on the grounds that if Artie couldn't pay him back, he wouldn't be able to hurt Artie because of his close relationship with Tony. Tony finds out and is hurt that Artie didn't come to him first. Tony agrees to lend Artie the money on relatively generous terms (1.5% interest) and Artie, in turn, lends the money to the Frenchman on more strict terms ($7,500 interest). Jean-Philippe defaults and Artie, seeking to compel payment, pays him a visit, only to get beaten up himself. Despondent and unable to pay Tony back, Artie attempts to commit suicide by swallowing an overdose of pills and alcohol and calls Tony, sobbing, "I love you and I'm sorry I let you down." Tony had been in a fragile emotional state to begin with because he had just learned that his ex-goomah, Gloria Trillo, had committed suicide and he blamed himself. Tony calls 911 but is angry when he shows up at the hospital because of Artie's lack of consideration for those around him in attempting suicide, asking him, "Suppose I come over to your house and find you dead? How am I supposed to feel?" Tony tells Artie he'll assume the Frenchman's debt, including the interest, and collect it himself if Artie agrees to wipe clean Tony's $6,000 tab at the Vesuvio. Artie agrees, but suggests that Tony knew how the whole thing would play out from the beginning (Artie would fail, Tony would step in and collect the money from Jean-Philippe, and Tony would get his tab erased in the process). Tony becomes irrate over the suggestion that he preyed upon his friend like a hawk and storms out, telling Artie not to tell anyone about their arrangement or the suicide attempt. The two have a bad falling out and don't speak to each other for the rest of Season Four and into Season Five, though Tony still frequented the Vesuvio during that time. In the third episode of Season Five, Tony learned Artie had been living in a Motel 6 since his wife, Charmaine, got the house in their divorce and offered him a place to stay in his mother's old house, where Tony had been living since his separation with Carmela. Artie accepted the offer and the two friends reconciled. In Season 6 Artie told Carmela and Angie that he and Charmaine had reconciled. » Soprano Cast |
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