American Horror Story has some downright awful writing.  And it's one of those shows that seems to get more than its fair share of non-ironic praise.  It has moments of promise that are dragged down by dreadfully hacky character work and plot machinations… and it is still astoundingly superior to THE FOLLOWING.

Question: if a show consistently receives failing grades like this, is there a point where AV Club stops reviewing it…?  The first season is complete now.  Nothing paid off.  This is what the show is.  Are you folks obligated to keep reviewing it as long as it remains pop-culturally relevant?

For a moment… I thought, maybe, they were going to take a page from THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER… wherein someone who appears dead is entombed for a period of time, only to return to life… but this is THE FOLLOWING.  Edgar Allan Poe is reduced a Scream-type Halloween mask, to keep things within Kevin Williamson's…

I've got DirecTV, which only carries an SD version of Sundance.  (The On Demand episodes were SD, too.)  They recently upgraded to IFC HD but who knows when Sundance will go that route.  Yes, TOP OF THE LAKE and RECTIFY look they they'd both be gorgeous in HD.

Are you a pipe?

Mesmerizing — perfectly said.  I've thought she was gorgeous since I saw her in the underrated, short-lived TV-series INVASION.  (Playing a very un-Peggy-like character.)  In fact, seeing her in TOP OF THE LAKE — after being familiar with her from INVASION and MAD MEN — it really struck me how versatile she is as a…

I'm in the middle of watching Veronica Mars season 2!!!  Did you just spoil something for me?!?  I just came to read about TOP OF THE LAKE…!

Can't wait to see how he makes that giraffe decapitation funny.

Off topic but I watched the entirety of the Sundance Channel's TOP OF THE LAKE before I watched the new episode of MAD MEN.  Elisabeth Moss is pretty brilliant in it.  Check it out.

OMG, those two local cops!!!  That pissed me off so much.  And I love how they cast them as two nervous-looking older men.  So you know they were expendable.  Because this is a stupid show and cops with no names are easy to kill.  Can a cop who's NOT young and attractive be semi-competent at his job?

This show's portrayal of the ineffectiveness of law enforcement at every level is offensive.  And the mad thing is, I don't think they MEAN to suggest that all these agencies are incompetent — I'm pretty sure the writers would like you to believe that all these highly skilled officers are simply overwhelmed by Joe's…

You're an idiot.

I was watching a documentary on Jonestown recently.  Things changed after Jim Jones led his cult on a mass migration from San Francisco to Guyana back in 1976.  It was several hundred people and some of the devoted began to have doubts.  In 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan visited the settlement.  A nice reception was put…

I have a few friends who genuinely, non-ironically love ARMAGEDDON.  I do not trust their opinions.

The show's been an exercise in shark-jumping since the Trinity season.  I hope they find a way to end this properly and maybe remind people why they liked the show in the first place.

Definitely.  Maybe a few years from now when all the smoke's clear, he can cater the funerals/celebrations, but till then let that kid just be a master baker.

Definitely thought Family Fracas would be more like Family Feud from the name, though Double Dare offers a much better visual premise for Bob's Burgers.

I thought the scene between Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie was really touching, with a lot of credit given to the actors.  Arya's reaction to receiving the wolf-shaped bread is hilarious.  As well as Gendry forcing himself to pat Hot Pie on the back as an awkward token of affection/gratitude.  Thought the last shot we'd see…

Boyd Crowder is complex and intelligent!  Joe Carroll is just a smug, smirking idiot — the show tries to TELL us he's a brilliant, charismatic sociopath, but there's never any evidence of it.  If he had some shred of intelligence, he'd understand that Claire would have a hard time genuinely returning to him.  But…

This is what gets me.  I feel like he's capable of being great with the right material and it's shocking that he held out on doing a TV show until THIS.  Then again, I'm sure he's getting paid handsomely, his schedule is more regular, and he can just cruise off of this for a few years.