Jerome had already proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with in his Emmy-winning role in the Netflix limited series “When They See Us,” and he solidifies that with “I’m a Virgo.” He embodies the awkward, naive attitude of someone kept away from society for as long as he has. Jerome’s presence, however, elevates Cootie from a one-dimensional fish out of water to a relatable and charming coming-of-age figure. You cringe, laugh, and sympathize with the kid as he tries to find his place in the world. Even the tiniest details, from his stitched-together clothes to the “tiny” objects he keeps in his makeshift house, help to flesh Cootie out into a character worth adoring.
The same can be said for the rest of the show’s cast. Cootie’s foster parents Martisse (Mike Epps) and Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) are also set up to be complicated figures, hiding at least a couple of major secrets from both him and the audience. Epps and his near-perfect sense of comedic timing is a particular highlight, as is the currently-simmering demeanor of the aforementioned Goggins — while he likely will showcase a bit of his signature craze as the series progresses, “I’m a Virgo” smartly takes advantage of how calmly chilling he can be.
The real breakouts of the show, however, are Cootie’s first real friends: Bear (Craig Tate), Jones (Kara Young), and Scat (Allius Barnes). All three bring such a magnetic and realistic energy to the otherwise bizarre world, and they and Jerome have such great chemistry that you will want nothing bad to happen to them. Unfortunately, that just isn’t how the cookie crumbles in this version of Oakland.
