by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Michael Landon made his directorial debut with this Bonanza episode from May 5, 1968, which Landon also wrote. Ben Cartwright and his ranchhand Candy are trapped in a mine by John Postley (James Whitmore), who'd been wrongly sent to prison for 18 months on his captives' testimony. The embittered Postley doesn't want to kill Ben and Candy-at least, not yet-but instead intends to keep them alive so they'll suffer in confinement as he did. But in pursuing this strange form of vengeance, Postley finds himself a prisoner all over again, this time of his own making. In later years, Bonanza costar David Canary (Candy) would cite "To Die in Darkness" as his favorite episode.
