While discussing pop culture with my cousin, she was once again astonished by my lack of knowledge, asking me, "how big is that rock you live under?" I was aware that my rock is very well isolated, but I didn't realize that it came with a watch guard until my mother, while catching bits and pieces of "Riverdale" as I binge-watched it in the living room, revealed to me that this show was based on The Archie Comics. Maybe it's that my mother is more cultured than I am, or maybe she's just old and has been around for many adaptations of the comic phenomenon.

Either way, I have never read an Archie comic and so "Riverdale" was my first encounter with the characters. My opinion on the show is biased free, but I also am ignorant to any references made to the comics. With that said, my thoughts about the show altered here and there, but I'm on board now.

Initially, I thought that the acting was so painful to watch that I would not be able to make it through the first season. I saw that the show was getting plenty of attention from fans via social media, so I was determined to figure out what the hype was all about. I enjoyed the retro, Americana vibe I was getting from the show, but it wasn't enough. I could not get past the melodramatic acting. Maybe the writers were going for the language of yesteryear, trying to emphasize vintage language, but the delivery still made me cringe a decent amount.

My first thoughts about Archie had to do with the fact that he was well fit. Then he crushed me when he dismissed Betty's full attention and admiration for Veronica in an instant. I judged his character and grew to dislike him more when I discovered his weird affair with Ms. Grundy. Not only was the affair weird, but it also caused many secrets to remain hidden. Archie won me back (kind of) when did the right thing and admitted to being at Sweetwater River on the day Jason went missing. He's still selfishly too into his music career when there is so much more going on in town.

Speaking of Jason Blossom, the Blossoms freaked me out from the beginning. I mean, what siblings hold hands as they descend toward a body of water in matching outfits? Even after discovering that the entire Blossom family is creepy in their signature maple red ensembles, I found myself giving Cheryl chances to win me over. I never trusted her, but I do feel bad for her having to live at Thornhill and pretend her family isn't psycho.

And not so much psycho as he is emo, Jughead is the sole reason to watch Riverdale. His heart is so good. He is the only reason I committed to liking the show. He consistently supports his father even when he lets him down. He's independent, adores his little sister (who we have yet to see on screen), is a dedicated writer, and is better for Betty than Archie ever could be. He's just such a wonderful character.

I commend Betty for standing up for herself in many different situations. She proves to be more than the perfect, blonde, girl-next-door character. Her determination allowed her to find and help her sister, multiple times. She recognized her family's many flaws and stayed true to herself. Sometimes, she was a little over her head, but on top of everything she was battling internally with herself. She is stronger than she looks.

Veronica also knows how to stand up for herself. She's a spunky little thing. I appreciate her attempt at being nicer to people in opposition of her past life, running her high school in the big apple. She made a few mistakes, like kissing Archie, even though her new bff had a major crush on him and tried to make up for her father's mistakes by offering her material items to Ethel. Her vibrant attitude keeps things interesting among the people in Riverdale.

Kevin also keeps things interesting. He is perfectly tucked into the whole of Riverdale as the sherif's son. He's always there to keep things light and he speaks the truth always. Specifically, he was my internal voice as I watched the show. His comments are spot on, always.

I encourage you all to hide under your own rock to binge-watch "Riverdale." You will not regret it.