Boots Riley’s coming-of-age joyride series, I’m a Virgo, is like one of those dreams that leave you wondering, “What was that?” My reaction throughout the series, from the start to the middle and all the way to the end, was just like that. The series starts off with a woman carrying a giant baby, immediately setting the absurd tone of the series. This baby, named Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), grows up to be a gigantic 13-foot-tall man, hidden away from the world by his adoptive parents, who fear others might exploit him. While this may seem like a typical fantasy plot, the true madness of I’m a Virgo unfolds gradually. So, let’s delve into this madness and attempt to decipher what was really happening in the series.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Summary: What Happens In ‘I’m A Virgo’ Season 1?
Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and her husband Martisse (Mike Epps) brought home a colossal baby and decided to name him Cootie. As a toddler, he was already twice the size of his adoptive parents. By the time Cootie turned 19, he had grown into a towering 13-foot-tall young man. Lafrancine strictly forbade Cootie from venturing outside, but he desired to make friends and have fun like any other teenager. Even Martisse scolded him whenever he expressed his desire to go out. Poor Cootie spent his days cooped up in his house, watching television, reading his favorite comic book, The Hero, and drooling whenever the Bing Bang Burger commercial appeared on TV. When he asked his mom to buy him a burger, she made him a sandwich instead. Living in a regular-sized house, Cootie had to constantly crouch down to avoid crashing through the roof. His stooped posture made him feel claustrophobic, and he longed for fresh air. In an attempt to appease Cootie’s longing for the outdoors, Martisse and Lafrancine built an outdoor enclosure for him, surrounded by towering walls and thick bushes. Inside, Cootie could finally feel the breeze and see the sky. However, a peculiar man in the neighborhood lived in a treehouse-like structure supported by giant springs and could watch Cootie from above. One day, this man approached Cootie from the other side of the bush fences, letting him know that he was being observed.
Filled with curiosity, Cootie spotted a teenage boy riding a bike on the road, which fueled his desire to explore the outside world. That night, he covered himself in leaves, sneaked out into the neighborhood, and stumbled upon a group of teenagers hanging out. One of them, Felix, caught a glimpse of the colossal leafy figure and was utterly terrified. He went on to describe to his friends the sighting of a “Twamp Monster,” unwittingly assigning Cootie yet another identity. Upon returning home, Cootie faced a scolding from his parents, who shared tragic stories of other giant-sized humans who had suffered abuse from regular-sized people and met unfortunate ends. His parents feared the same fate for their beloved son. While Cootie understood their concerns, he couldn’t suppress his emotions and desires to explore the world, and he trusted that the teenagers he had seen possessed some humanity within them. After all, he was not just a giant-sized human but also a teenage boy longing for friendship and adventure. With determination, Cootie defied his parents’ warnings and ventured out to meet the teenagers he had spotted earlier—Felix, Scat, and Jones. Although initially surprised by Cootie’s towering presence, they soon embraced him as their best buddy. Together, they took Cootie to his dream destination, Bing Bang Burger, where he fell head over heels for the waitress, Flora. Flora, who was also blessed with her superhuman speed, was equally drawn to the big man—a match made in heaven!
Who Was The Hero?
Cootie found himself thrust into the limelight, standing tall at 13 feet, but people saw him as more of a towering prop than a person. Entrepreneurs saw an opportunity and approached Cootie, hoping to capitalize on his unique appearance by making him the face of several brands. Enjoying the newfound attention, Cootie agreed to these proposals, spending endless hours posing like a life-sized mannequin in a mall. All he wanted was to impress Flora and indulge in some burgers. Unfortunately, The Hero couldn’t stand the fact that the teenage “Twamp Monster” was stealing his spotlight.
The Hero (Walton Goggins), who was actually a comic book author turned real-life superhero, used to be the talk of the town. He would zoom around the city with the help of a drone attached to his suit, engaging in some truly bizarre shenanigans that defy description. However, his act grew wearisome, and his odd behavior, like pointing a gun at his own head, hiring an assassin to kill himself, or planting an explosive in his freezer, made people uncomfortable, suggesting he was a suicidal psychopath. However, while Cootie soared to fame as a “Twamp Monster” sensation, the Hero felt left out in the cold city. Lost in pain and misery, he resorted to slapping himself and dancing to “Wichita Lineman.” Then, out of the blue, he found himself engaged in a heated battle with a swordsman, or rather, a swordswoman. Here we see the character like the swordswoman appearing seemingly out of thin air, with no logical connection to the story. But in the twisted world of this series, you cannot seek relevance, as you quickly realize that making sense was optional. By choosing to watch the series, you have actually signed up to witness this delightful madness.
What Happened To Scat? How Did Cootie Become A Villain?
One of Cootie’s closest friends, Scat (Allius Barnes), suffered a dreadful injury while walking back home from a shop. Frantically, he rushed to a local hospital called Krown, but the healthcare personnel ignored him. Bleeding profusely, Scat tragically lost his life at a bus stop, of all places. It was Felix who stumbled upon his lifeless body and broke the heartbreaking news to their group. In a shocking turn of events, Jones (Kara Young), a staunch communist, organized a rally right outside Krown Hospital to expose the flaws in the health sector that had led to the demise of an innocent soul. She voiced her discontent, denouncing class disparities, capitalism, and racial discrimination. But lo and behold, as she delivered her passionate speech, Cootie noticed something peculiar. Jones seemed to possess the power to create an entirely different reality around her.
Just as Cootie was getting all excited about Jones and her mind-bending powers, the Hero swooped in, launching a surprise attack. Before Cootie could even blink, he found himself restrained and sent back home with an ankle bracelet that would notify the Hero of Cootie’s every move. As if that wasn’t enough, the Hero even constructed a colossal cellar to keep Cootie captive. Realizing that the frenzied crowd outside was hell-bent on turning him into a villain, Cootie decided to embrace the role with open arms. If they wanted a villain, he’d give them one, but with a twist. He resolved to do good things for people, and in pursuit of his noble mission, he sought out Lafrancine and Martisse. With all the secrecy and drama, Cootie divulged his grand plan to lead the world out of chaos and bring about positive change. And to add a little more bizarreness to the plot, Martisse just happened to have a hidden closet, chock-full of weapons disguised as toys. Cootie was overjoyed to have his parents by his side, knowing that now he could finally make his dream of doing good for the people a reality.
In the midst of all the madness, a local man woke up one fine morning only to discover that he had been magically downsized to be a lilliput. As he ventured outside, he stumbled upon an entire neighborhood of equally tiny individuals. Seizing the opportunity, Cootie enlisted these pint-sized folks in his grand master plan: a heist! Yes, you read that right. Cootie, in his quest to do good for humanity, hatched a daring scheme to break into the electric power plant and ensure that the town never experienced a power outage again. His ingenious plan involved destroying the regulator, thereby keeping the electricity flowing nonstop. Now, not everyone was on board with this audacious heist idea. Jones, being the voice of reason (and perhaps that of common sense), promptly signed off on the plan. But Cootie’s parents, his girlfriend Flora, loyal Felix, and the small army of tiny people were all in for this electrifying adventure. Under the cover of darkness, they sneaked into the power plant, creeping around like ants. They successfully dismantled and destroyed the regulator, unleashing their power to keep the electricity flowing in town. Meanwhile, the clever little folks distracted the security guards by playing an animation CD featuring a protagonist whose entire life revolved around uttering a single word, “boyoyoyoing.” The guards, utterly captivated and overcome by the animated tale, lost themselves in emotions and, unfortunately, lost their lives in the process. To add to the hilarity, the news of the audacious heist broke the following day, attracting the attention of detectives who arrived to investigate. But they, too, fell victim to the mesmerizing power of “boyoyoyoing,” rendering them utterly speechless.
What Happened At The End Of ‘I’m A Virgo’?
Cootie’s cunning heist plan turned out to be nothing more than child’s play. They naively believed that destroying the regulator would magically solve the town’s electricity problem. Well, the very next day, a brand new regulator was installed, and just like that, the power went kaput once again. The Hero, with his detective skills on point, figured out who was behind the audacious heist. Armed with a long-arm machine gun, he stormed into Cootie’s house, ready to unleash some superhero wrath. It was a knockdown, drag-out battle, and poor Cootie found himself on the brink of losing his senses. But the Savior, Jones, made her grand entrance. With all the bravery she could muster, she stepped forward to save her friend from the Hero’s fury. Bruised and battered, Cootie pleaded with Jones to unleash her powerful speech, hoping it could somehow shift their reality. In a twist of fate, Jones requested a moment of the Hero’s time. She aimed to make him see the error of his ways and the flaws in his capitalist existence. Little did the Hero know that Jones had a whole theatrical set up waiting for him. In a matter of seconds, he found himself transported to a makeshift stage, surrounded by a crew of masked actors following Jones’ every command. With her eloquence and fiery speech, Jones dismantled the entire capitalist system, exposing the harsh realities faced by the starving masses while the Hero basked in the comfort of his luxurious skyscraper. From the ’90s to the early 2000s, she painted vivid scenarios of people resorting to illegal activities just to put food on the table, all because of entities like the Hero. It was a real eye-opener for Hero. Enlightened and awakened, he left Cootie behind, retreating to the comforts of his skyscraper. Meanwhile, the show came to a close with Cootie nursing his battle wounds and discovering a mysterious substance oozing from his stomach wound. Was it a groundbreaking scientific breakthrough? A gateway to a parallel world? Who knows, really? It’s just another one of those head-scratching mysteries that keeps life interesting.
Final Words
Boots Riley’s I’m a Virgo is a wild and crazy ride that mixes together harsh reality and wacky fantasy. It’s all about humor and not taking things too seriously. Even though the story is strange, it has deeper messages and social commentary about how fame can affect people’s lives. The contrast between Cootie’s sudden fame and the Hero’s fading popularity shows how fickle public attention can be. The series embraces its weirdness, but sometimes the plot gets confusing, and some parts don’t seem to connect. But maybe that’s on purpose—to keep the audience entertained and amused. Overall, I’m a Virgo is a wild journey that will make you laugh, scratch your head, and question the boundaries of reality.
