I’m a Virgo and the heart of Afro-surrealism

Why is this such a great TV Show?

First off let me tell you I’m a freak for scale. Playing with scale, making tiny things gigantic, making big things small. I love it! So, when I saw a TV show I’m a Virgo on Amazon Prime about a giant, I was already in. But, here is where I was really in. The show’s creator is Boots Riley, the Afro-surrealist genius behind “Sorry to Bother You” which is in my top 10 of Afro-Surrealist films.

What makes I’m a Virgo so great is its creativity, its humanity, its humour and its heart. There is something so joyful about Boots Riley and his work, even when addressing the pain of injustice and the pain of life. Anti-capitalism and the questions of morality plays a front row in this coming of age TV show and its breakdown of the injustices of capitalism is educational and entertaining.

I’m a Virgo follows the story of a 13-foot-tall black man Cootie, as he is born and taken in by his Aunt LaFrancine and Uncle Martisse. It follows how they isolated him in his youth, wanting to wait until he is 21 to let him experience the outside world, and the first episode ends with him finally connecting with a group of outside friends, Scat, Jones and Felix.

One of Cootie’s greatest desires in his isolated youth is to eat a Bing Bang Burger, something forbidden by Francine and Matisse. And it is there that he meets his love, Flora.

Do you want to know how a giant and normal-sized human would have sex?

I do. And it is fully addressed in this show too. As a woman steeped in media that attempts to normalise and sexualise violence against women, I was concerned this would be another instance of that. However, Boots Riley shows an innovative and loving sex scene, that when watching a deep-dive into each episode, his reasons for doing so was very interesting to myself. He said “You need to make your characters human, and do you know what humans like to do?” and that is his reason for portraying an extended sex scene and not just a montage.

Another thing Boots Riley says is “If you desexualise your characters, you’re dehumanizing them, and you’re doing a disservice to everybody” (Inside Episode 4 – Balance Beam) I found this viewpoint so very interesting, as feminists grapple with varying responses to the overwhelming focus in media on men’s sexual objectification of women. Sexuality is part of humanity, and if women could be seen as more than just men’s sexual playthings, that would be revolutionary, and that overwhelming focus on men’s sexual objectification of women leads women to rebel in several directions, one of them being a refusal to be sexual whatsoever. So, I found the acceptance, interest, and handling of the giant to normal-sized human sex in this show refreshing, interesting and appealing.

How does I’m a Virgo feel to watch?

Enthralling. It is actually so difficult to describe what I feel watching this show. I’m a Virgo is exciting in its creativity. There is an existentially absurd cartoon ‘Parking Tickets’ that exists in this universe, one of the characters of which just repeats the word “Bo-yo-yo-yo-yoing”, and this is voiced by Juliette Lewis! What sounds simply absurd is actually truly moving. How? There is a lost episode of Parking Tickets that features in this and we do get to watch it and it is paralysing in its portrayal of human life. Boyoyoyoyoyoing.

There is also a very politically relevant scene that is done by Elijah Wood, that is so absurd but somehow 100% based in truth. He is a person who is against the death penalty, but his strategy to minimise the harms of the death penalty is to become an executioner and use a slightly less harmful method of execution. It’s a political jab at people who in order to try and change things in society are still engaging in the harm to others. And it’s this kind of political commentary that makes I’m a Virgo feel so important.

I’m a Virgo also makes me feel like literally jumping with joy with its humour. There is a cartoonish Hero character literally called “The Hero” and the fact he might not be as heroic as he thinks he is, is shown via one of the most hilarious ways. The AI voice in his life sounds exactly like Bill Cosby. If that isn’t the most hilarious, punching up, anti-rape, pro-feminist ways to show someone who is seen as morally good is actually a bad dude, then I don’t know what is.

And it maybe isn’t fair for me to say the Hero is a bad dude, he is misguided. And that’s where this show excels in its portrayal of humanity. It shows the Hero as truly believing he is doing the right thing by enforcing the law, and in never stopping to question the morality of law, actually ends up enforcing injustices.

I’m a Virgo also makes me feel devastated. One of Cootie’s new friends, Scat, who is the biggest Parking Tickets fan, experiences an injustice so profound, it costs him his life. And in watching the “Inside Episode 3 – Paco Rabanne” I found out it is based on real life. It’s an absolutely heart-breaking indictment on the inhumane policies of the US system of healthcare and how it treats people. Yet somehow amidst the heartbreak of real injustice and harms to human beings, is a show that shows you the joy of life. It is inside of this dichotomy that I sit and am left with only one piece of resolute knowledge, and that is that Boots Riley is a genius.

“And when things turn kind of magical, its about looking for ways to translate that emotion, as opposed to someone telling you that they’re feeling that way, I want to have things that visually and viscerally represent that” Boots Riley – Inside Episode 3 – Paco Rabanne

 How does I’m a Virgo use surrealism to say something real?

By playing with scale, I’m a Virgo expresses gentrification of the Lower Boots community by literally shrinking them. Cootie’s giant size is what makes him special but also what makes him a target of people’s fears. I adored the treatment of Flora as well. As a woman who experiences time much faster than everyone else, there is an in-depth look at how isolating that has made her feel, and how that sense of isolation is what connects her to Cootie and what makes their relationship feel so genuine.

I’m a Virgo has some of its characters possess super-powers, which is drawing from that element of super-reality that is a genre element of surrealism. Jones, who is part of the Eviction Defense committee, has the power of psychic theatre, which is basically when she argues a point, the story she is telling is shown to all. I mean you have to watch this show to see what I mean, but it’s a fantastically surreal element that when Jones speaks, her ability of persuasion isn’t just demonstrated, its shown. I am rewatching it now as I speak and when Jones’s psychic theatre happens, I literally get goosebumps.

What truths does the show confront that most mainstream media avoid?

Firstly its very rare for anti-capitalist viewpoints to get a look in, and even rarer for that viewpoint to be so entertainingly shown. The injustice of capitalism is front and to the left of centre in this show, and it is really not only educational but enjoyable, which is truly a feat of storytelling and creativity to have such a depressing state of affairs be expressed in a way you want to rewatch over and over again.

Also, I’m a Virgo cannot help but be fundamentally pro-black and pro-woman, which in a white male supremacy has to be pointed out for its naturally progressive stances. I feel sometimes it is redundant to point this out, but then I remember we are living in a world where racism and sexism is actually growing, so it needs to be said.

While some may argue I’m a Virgo is more pro-black than pro-feminist, I would argue the fact that women are shown as fully multi-dimensional human beings, and in fact saviours of the story in this show, and therefore it is equally pro-black and pro-feminist. The sex scene is not only tastefully done but features elements that as a woman, I was cheering on. Bechdel test isn’t even a question, there is conversations between women about political strategy and which way is best to fight. Those are conversations we desperately need to have and that it is shown between women speak to the pro-feminist politics of Boots Riley.

This is also a story of humanity in all of its facets. From grief, to sexuality, to humour, to getting annoyed at your partner for their tiniest idiosyncrasies, to wanting to fight for what is right that seems fundamentally inside of us all, even if we cannot agree what right is. It explores the absurdity of life, with the repeating phrase boyoyoyoyoyoyoing turned from what seems like psychobabble to the point of a human being’s life. I’m a Virgo consistently has laugh out loud moments that punctuate this depth and breadth of humanity and make this story so impactful.

Why does this show matter to me?

Firstly, I just have good taste. And I want to share excellent storytelling so that others can experience it too. And I’m a Virgo is excellence. Secondly, progressive storytelling, stories that include the politics of the real world around me, these things are important to me. I deeply care about racism and sexism so that this show gets it right. This show however is not about racism or sexism, it just gets those elements right you know? Ultimately it’s a story of morality and ethics, and how the law and capitalism doesn’t account for ethics. And that kind of questioning is the kind of questions I’m constantly asking myself. How do we change inhumane systems that seem as unbeatable as a 13-foot-tall man? How do we fight for change in a way that isn’t just recreating harm? If everyone thinks you are a villain, does that make you one?

I also really connected to how death is treated. As traumatic and injust Scat’s death is, it is handled with a kind of beauty and respect not afforded to him by the US healthcare system. His ghost even lingers around his friends, never speaking but still there, which I personally find so comforting to show.

The keyboard-playing uncle Matisse is also hilariously playing his keyboard and singing songs of life, featuring lyrics such as ‘stop using my aftershave, go buy your own aftershave.’ It’s this kind of humour that shows the trivial as significant, and I really feel the same way about that. I connect strongly to the humour in this show, and the playing with scale which feels so innovative.

And ultimately that’s what makes I’m a Virgo so special, it feels so innovative how Boots Riley builds his universe, from the questionable corporations of Bing Bang Burger, to the absurdly profound cartoon Parking Tickets, to the real connection you feel between Cootie and Flora, I’m a Virgo encapsulates both the very best and very worst of humanity.

Truly, my only criticism for this show is that its only 7 episodes.

Definitely check this show out on Amazon Prime, and also watch Sorry To Bother You, and join me as I wait impatiently for his next film due out in cinemas May 22nd 2026 called I Love Boosters.