Artie walks a fine line - he's not a wiseguy but technically, he's one of the 'guys'. I like his scenes very much and John Ventimiglia does a sterling job in portraying the character.
I love the scene in one of the very early episodes right after Vesuvio's burns down. Artie is catering a party for Tony and Carmela and Tony tells him to stop whining about his life.
Artie gets offended and wales him in the face with a slice of cold cuts, it looks VERY serious until Tony wales him right back and a food fight breaks out between them, with Carmela smiling in the background.
Artie was clearly very close to Tony to get away with such a thing. You wonder if he could get away with it now considering how their relationship stands today.
