Liam McIntyre in for Whitfield in 'Spartacus'

The simple answer is "fine." McIntyre has the requisite looks and skills, and he fills the screen with appropriate menace. But the more complicated answer is that he may be just a little too clear of eye and square of jaw. Whitfield's Spartacus had a touch of melancholy about him -- the slave who had lost everything, including his beloved wife, Sura (Erin Cummings, in the first season), and had been forsaken by the gods. There was nothing left to lose, and Whitfield brought a savage, soulful bravura to the performance. McIntyre, by contrast, has no hint of tragedy about him. Whitfield's Spartacus was a little more biblical. McIntyre's is a little more Hollywood.

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