To Die in Darkness

"I think this is a great episode (and I think it may be the first written and directed by Michael Landon.) We get to see Candy go from his happy-go-lucky normal self to a man cracking under the pressure of dying in a pit in the dark - dirty, scared, and hungry. But we also see the best of Ben Cartwright: the stubbornness and never-say-die attitude that built the great Ponderosa, the wonderful father figure that raised three fine sons, and the man that forgives his enemies.

Yeah, I'm a little eloquent here; this episode brings it out in me. Not a lot of action, but lots of emotion." - ellen

"I haven't seen this episode in a long time, but I recall how powerful it was as Whitmore's plan slipped from his control, creating a far worse scenario than he had ever intended even in his bitterness. And, of course, Ben's reaction at the end was classic Ben Cartwright. (I won't say more, just in case somebody doesn't know how it ends.)

The one thing that I'd have liked to see that I don't recall (and maybe it was simply edited out of the version I saw) was something more in the way of grief or mourning from Hoss and Joe in light of what they believed had happened - and if that's actually in the full episode (which we won't know until the German DVDs for season 9 are released), I'll revise my vote from 4.5 to 5!

Michael Landon wrote and directed this one. I don't recall whether this was his directorial debut, but it might have been. I recall reading that it was his favorite of all the Bonanza episodes. The man had good taste!" - pjb

"Candy gets thrown in a pit, almost blown up and cracks under the pressure. How could I not rate this one a 5? " - daydreamer

Bonanza Episode Guide by Julie-Ann Sanderson © 2008
Compiled for Bonanza Brand
All episodes are rated out of 5