TV series review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo has become one of the most viewed Netflix shows since last month. This heartfelt K-drama revolves around a 27-year-old attorney with high-functioning autism and a whale obsession, Woo Young Woo (Eun-bin Park). As of publishing, the series is still airing.
TV series review: Extraordinary Attorney Woo
The first season has 16 episodes that will finish airing on August 18 on Netflix.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
The story so far
What I love about this series is that the show follows the “K-drama formula”. In a way, they still treat the lead character as any female leading character despite her disability. She still has a romance going for her with the male lead, Lee Jun-Ho (Kang Tae-Oh). Yet, there is still drama about her past brewing in the background.
What makes this show unique is the topics they choose to educate on. In essence, the show is a legal rom-com drama with a focus on educating viewers on South Korean law. However, Young Woo’s unique approach to romance and being an attorney. With her autism portrayed as one of her unique strengths, she is truly not your typical K-drama female lead.
Autism representation
Besides Young Woo, there were 2 episodes where two other characters are shown to have disabilities. In episode 3 (“This is Pengsoo”), her client was a big guy with autism named Kim Jeong-Hun who thinks like a 6-year-old. In episode 10, “Holding Hands Can Wait,” a simpleton woman with a pretty low IQ named Shin Hye Young was her client’s victim yet is so in love with him. Their disabilities made them unable to achieve what they aim for in the cases they are involved in unlike the titular character.
In a way, Extraordinary Attorney Woo gives viewers awareness of certain mental disabilities. With how the show is about the lead character having autism, the struggles and prejudice that Young Woo faced could be reminiscent of someone else’s experiences as well. Some people with and without mental disabilities see themselves in her. However, it may do the opposite wherein people similar to Young Woo are more preferred by the norm than people like Kim Jeong Hun or Shin Hye Young. Only then can this be harmful to the positive message the show might want to leave to its viewers.
Expectations
I have very high hopes that this season will end with a satisfactory ending. They might start shying away from having cases every episode to focus more on the drama part of the show. That is, focusing more on Young Woo’s past and her relationship with Tae Soo Mi. Hopefully, that would not be the case and we still get to see her grow as an attorney as she handles more difficult cases going forward.
Watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix and root for our current favorite attorney, Woo to the Young to the Woo!
