Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

Breaking down so much stigma

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is an easy 10 in my books. A legal drama with a hint of romance and comedy, the show also manages to break down so much stigma not only surrounding autism but also in relation to other issues (won't say more as this may be considered a minor spoiler).

I absolutely loved Park Eun Bin's portrayal of Woo Young Woo ("whether it is read straight or flipped. Woo Young Woo. Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young Woo."). Her research and dedication to the role is outstanding - from minor details like avoiding eye contact, to hand movements and ways of speech.

The supporting cast was also outstanding, although I wouldn't call it much a supporting cast when I think they 100% deserve to be called the main cast. I appreciate that they each had their own story, that was not directly tied to Woo Young Woo, their own character development and drama. Relationships were formed (or at least we are led to believe ) and many were mended.

The ending was left open to interpretation with a lot of unsolved issues popping up, however, now that I know the show was renewed for a second season I am really hoping these issues will be brought up.

I also wanted to say that I really liked Kang Tae Oh's portrayal of Lee Joon Ho, a young lawyer on the litigation team who was fascinated by Woo Young Woo from the moment he laid eyes on her in ep1. Kang Tae Oh has a knack for playing young likable characters (like his role in Run On) and it makes the audience root for him and swoon even more! Also, I love dramas where the male lead swoons for the female lead from the very first few episodes.

I knew this would be a good show as soon as I saw a cast I enjoyed watching in other shows (like Kang Tae Oh - was so excited to see him get a lead role too and Kang Ki Young who plays Attorney Jung Myung Seok, although I can't wait to see a drama where he is the lead romantic interest - finally).

Overall a great binge - a little tough when it comes to legal jargon, but if you enjoy watching legal k-drama's you get used to it quite quickly.

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Drama is not about autism

I'm no autistic and I have no full grasp about it. So I really can't dwell much on the autism coverage of the series but trust the people behind had done their research.

What interest me in the drama is the characters, how each characters contributes/challenges Atty Woo. I admire how the characters were incorporated in the story, in the cases that I must say its a masterpiece so kudos to the writers, director, the people behind it. The actors/actresses didn't disappoint, well portrayed.

My only indifference is toward the development of the love story, it was cringy by the latter part.

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Successfully Woo-ed me

This was a drama that when watching really grabbed me by offering sth different to most of other Kdramas on offer. Woo Young Woo reminded me of Han Geu Roo (of Moving) in many different ways. Gifted, poorly understood by masses, loved by their dads, fixated on things, socially awkward but have so much to give.

I was a champion of WYW even when I don't always agree with her decision and thought making process. I come to love her for who she is, faults and all, I attributed to Park Eun Bin's ability to make the awkward WYW so adorkable.

Society and its trials are present for every working person but more so for those special ones like WYW. They dont get the same opportunity and are expected to proof themselves even more. It's rather unfair but also the sad truth. We get that in the Good doctor too. I love that it's shown realistically in this aspect in the drama. Then there's Kang Ki Young's Jung Myung Seok, a fairy like character for WYW. He was more than just a comedic character, I love all the times he supported her and give her the leeway even when the stakes were against them. He was my 2nd fav character, on par with the ML.

ML, Lee Joon Ho, is characterised as a green flag character. He's so smitten and interested with WYW. He has a very open, and unjudgmental personality. Their scenes were all so fluttering, cute and romantic. And this is actually rather difficult, given that WYW is so awkward and clueless and has alot of restrictions. Case in point, girl hates hand holding. So she's not the easiest person to date.

The friendships were beautiful. WYW and her bestie and also the unexpected friendship with colleague Choi Soo Yeon. The episodic nature is nice, different cases based on different clients and their trials. We have a lot of range in their clients which was nice.

Lastly if I had rated and reviewed this earlier like immediately after watching, the rating probably would have been higher (but also more bias). Now in hindsight, this rating is more fitting. There are some issues with the plot. I dislike Kwon Min Woo's character and felt the last arc of him and Choi Soo Yeon was not believable nor acceptable. I also find WYW's mum hard to digest. There were just a lot of bits and pieces in the last quarter of the drama that didnt seem as good as the first three quarters.

I'm happy we have dramas like this. And I'm happy too for the recognition for Park Eun Bin, it was very well deserved.

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How to NOT love a drama like this ?

One must not watch this drama thinking that it's just another drama revolving around an autistic lawyer or autism. This drama is so much more than that.

Let me first acknowledge that I do find this drama overly romanticize autism by featuring a highly functioning autistic person as the female lead. We know this is far from the truth in real life. But let me just share with you why this drama is so great in our times.

I love how this drama made me reflect about very difficult issues in our society today.

1. The case where the female client's wedding dress slipped from her body during the wedding ceremony . It turned out that she is a lesbian who didn't want to marry her husband because she already has a longtime partner. She is forced to marry into a chaebol family because her father said so. Haven't we all heard stories like this in our life? Isn't it amazing to see this story in a drama that is so mainstream?

2. The judge who kept questioning other's family root. It incredibly patriarchal to have a male judge asking you about your family roots to check out which clan/ tribe/ lineage you are from. Yet, this is so common in our times. In our life, we often meet ppl who wants to know what family we come from so that they can decide if we are worth their time or not. This has become so common in our life that dramas don't even bother to talk about it anymore. It's that banal. Hence, I am so appreciative of the efforts the script writers to put small details like this so that we can reflect on how patriarchal our society has become.

3. Nepotism. Allegedly, WYW got her job at Hanbada be cause her father knew the CEO of Hanbada, Madam Han. She is accused of joining the company using "connections". Again, I am speechless at how the script writers made this into an issue. In our times, isn't this very common? We don't think about ppl like Attorney Kwon who has to work so hard to get into a lawyer firm like Hanbada (sometimes, they don't even get in because they don't have connections). The script writers really want us to think about the nepotism we see on a daily basis.

4. The "unindependence" of autistic person. This is probably one of the issue I spent a lot of time reflecting on. Very often, as members of the society, we hope that autistic people can be independent, ie have a job, be with the people they love, be fulfilled, not hidden from society. Unfortunately, we can see from one of the episodes, autistic people can hardly be independent because we don't allow them to be. Parents/ doctors/ organisations are so protective of autistic person that they don't have the right to say what they want and don't have the right to say what's best for them. It's like their feelings don't count because they are not able to articulate it. It's so difficult to find a balance between wanting to protect them and robbing them of their rights to love/ to do what they want . It's amazing that we are able to see this in this drama.

5. The position of women in society and family. Literary , women are asked to leave the job to protect their husband's ricebowl or face. It's so straightforward here. I am sure it's happening everyday in our life but no one wants to feature this in their drama coz it's not nice to be letting the worm out of the can like this. Well, it's here.

6. Social mobility. We see it in Attorney Kwon ; he is trapped and can't move upwards. Maybe that's why he hated WYW. No matter how brilliant you are, the only way to move up social mobility is probably to marry up.


How to NOT love a drama like this when the script writers give us an opportunity to reflect on so many issues in our society?

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Extraordinary, in every sense of the word

As time moves forward, the quality of Korean dramas seems to only increase, and this series is culmination of all that progress. From writing to acting, cinematography to the original score, it's hard to find a single flaw in this show. Add all these achievements to an engaging premise with an unusually inclusive message and you have something truly special. Extraordinary Attorney Woo has accomplished something even greatest minds in Hollywood tend to struggle with: respectful and engaging coverage of a character with autism, acknowledging their differences while highlighting their humanity. Even better, this detail (while important) does not occupy the entire breadth of conflict in the show, encouraging a type of inclusivity based not solely on the story potential of characters, but on their regular existence in our world. In general, being inclusive of those with disabilities can be a risky endeavor, inviting harsh criticism with every mistake, which makes it all the more commendable what has been done here.

Of course, a show must be judged in quality not by its efforts to be inclusive, but by the actual entertainment value the show provides. In this area, too, Extraordinary Attorney Woo excels. Like most good television, the show at its core is people and their journey- learning and changing- wrapping into an engaging plot to move us forward. The brilliant legal cases are used as a backdrop to support the moving arcs and emotions that the characters experience, bring the audience right along for the ride. Honestly, the sheer number of character arcs that exists in the show is incredible, not to mention the quality of their execution. And all this impeccable writing is beautifully portrayed by a simply stunning performance by every actor, all captured within gorgeous cinematography and played over a delightful score. The show expertly weaves between tones of lighthearted fun, nail-biting tension, and emotional confrontation, until the end, where every plot line is masterfully resolved in an exciting and fulfilling final episode. Everything is simply outstanding.

This is one of those shows that changes your perspective on media as a whole, a show so good you have to take a bit of time to mourn its ending afterwards. And likely, the kind of show which will induce heavy feelings of nostalgia with just a few notes of the open theme. This is what TV should strive to be. This is extraordinary. I emphatically recommend this show.

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Having tolerance towards other

Loved this series especially the main actress Park Eun Bin she is just amazing. i have seen her in other series and her acting is outstanding. Looking forward to seeing her what other characters she can impersonate because she very versatile. I also enjoyed the cast as well and how they worked together, especially Kang Ki Yeong he was a good mentor and very patient . We need to have perseverance, tolerance and empathy towards our co-workers and people around us. Also we have to have a better understanding that not all people are the same, and not to judge. Congratulations again and i look forward to season 2

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What a comfort drama !!

Sure this drama has its pros and cons but yes better than many other dramas
Pros:
1)Great acting by every actor in this drama
2)Every episode has new case
3)FL is hella strong ❤️
4)The bond fl has with her dad, ml , her bestf , her colleagues is so special and unique in their own way
5)Story ain't something very new but the portryal of the story is great !
6)The whale ? talks are so special and whale animations are so on point and cute
7)No second fl , ml thing which is so good
8) ML is very soft hearted , calm and understanding and not like those usual cold and arrogant mls .

Cons:
1)Scenes many a times are not in flow , many scenes get cut without proper ending especially the scenes with fl and ml together
2) The romance was too little , could have been a bit more but its still okay for those wjo don't love romance
3) last episode doesn't really feel like a proper ending , was more of the case than a good ending for every one .... many things were uncovered


But this cons will get repaired in the season 2 as per I think .... really excited for season 2 !

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Was "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" extraordinary or really quite ordinary?

First I'd like you say I enjoyed this k-drama in spite of my hook title. This is a spoiler free, relatively quick review of "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" to give the curious k-drama fan an idea of what they are getting into when it comes to this show. I hope you find this helpful in your decision to watch, or if your trying to process your thoughts after watching it yourself. Now lets get into the review :)

Story(7.5): This k-drama is an episodic show, bringing new ideas and mini stories to light with each episode as Woo Young Woo navigates life as an attorney with autism. with each episode there is an exciting new element that presses the characters to grow and express themselves in different ways to help the viewer feel progression. I found the narrative to be quite good early on, but as it progressed to the ladder half, it started to become a little predictable with the same story structure being recycled for most of the episodes. don't get me wrong the second half was still very good, just lacked a bit of the surprise you find in the earlier episodes. To be extra critical ill say, with the episodic nature of this show there are moments where you want more, and either the episode ends, or it cuts ahead without explanation(sometimes the answer comes later). I will say this was mainly an issue for me when a specific someone wasn't introduced to someone's father.. But I digress, with the main negatives out of the way, This story is so special. This is because of how it approaches misunderstood people, and discriminations of those not excepted. You will find that this show almost makes you be a judge or a moral compass in the back seat. Through this position you can see how people are treated in situations whether its a side character or Woo Young herself and without spoiling, this show is about giving the misunderstood a voice and does so beautify. Also you will gain a new found passion for whales lol.

Acting/Characters(9.5): I mainly like to think of this part more so for characters than for the acting itself. This is mainly because in my experience you'd be hard pressed to find bad acting in a k-drama. But good characters? Good relationships? now that's a more rare commodity. That being said I cant move on to characters without recognizing the amazing job Park Eun Bin did as Woo Young. Literally the highlight of the show, and her friendship with Geurami was chefs kiss. Aside from these two the main and side characters were great. Both interactions inside the Attorneys office and in adventures outside the lawful narrative were great without missing a beat. This is most notable when you see characters from different sides of the story brought together by peculiar circumstances and their interactions are both exciting and hilarious to watch.

Music(9):This K-drama while not having note worthy music that you might want to listen on your phone afterwards, Had amazing tracks to be played in the background throughout. I noticed this show constantly hit me in the feels, whether it was sad, heartfelt, or funny. I found this was most attributed to the effect the music has from scene to scene. Its connected beautifully to the dialog and you have to watch the show to really get what I mean.

Rewatch Value(7.5): In this category Extraordinary Attorney Woo has in my opinion, has one main pro and one main con. The pro would be, with the stories episodic nature its easy to go back to most episodes individually and watch them as a stand alone to rehash your perspective. The con would be that like I mentioned in the story portion, the second portion of the story starts to become a little predictable. This might make the ladder part of the show a bit less compelling than the first time around.

Overall(8.5):Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a great series. If you are a sucker for heartfelt comedic stories or moments that catch you getting emotional, I'd highly recommend you this show. There are a few things that keep it from being perfect, but I promise, you will enjoy the ride it takes you on. Thank you for reading my review of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, I hope you found my thoughts helpful. Have a great day and I hope you find this show as special as I did.

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Absolutely Loved it

This was an amazing series that I am disappointed in myself for not starting it earlies. It was perfect. The plot is so good. I loved how it is centered around only one character. That one characters has some problems and she faces it on her own but also sometimes with someone's help. She faces them and learns from them. I also loved that they don't dismiss the problem so quickly and show it throughout the entire series. I love how the love interest is just the love interest. He doesn't solve all her problems with the snap of his finger. He is there for her when it is needed but not all the time. Sometimes she gotta be the only one to solve her own problems. I love how she doesn't win every case. Also even if the case is not morally good, she still solves it as she is an attorney. I love how the characters aren't evil but just bad people. They are just selfish human beings that want to achieve something they want. It is more realistic. I hate it when series become so overly dramatic and kill anyone who apposes them. So I really love the plot, the writing, the characters and the pacing and all. Really amazed. A wonderful series.

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Not a perfectly written drama, but my enjoyment was extraordinary.

Attorney Woo is delightful, and the characters and cases were all interesting, which is saying a lot since I'm typically not a fan of legal dramas or shows that follow a case-of-the-week format. Park Eun Bin's acting was amazing; she embodied the role. I also enjoyed all of the side characters, but especially Ha Yoon Kyung as Choi Soo Yeon.

Two points of dissatisfaction:

I struggled with the romance storyline from the beginning and felt dissatisfied with it in the end. Jun Ho's crush on her started with the cliche scene of seeing her in a wedding dress, and it seemed to grow from his delight in watching her talk about whales and solving cases. But they didn't seem to have anything in common or any moment of real connection. Why couldn't they have given them some common interests? He could have been a whale fanatic too. Or loved gimbap. It's like he kept insisting, "I really do like her," as if he needed to convince the audience as well as everyone around them because nothing in their interactions made it make sense why he would like her. In my opinion, what he liked about her was taking care of her (their very first interaction was him helping her through the revolving doors, for instance), and I really disliked that because both people in a relationship should feel like equals.

I also felt that the story dragged in the episodes on Jeju, followed by some underwhelming character development in the final two episodes. My theory is that they knew by then that they had been picked up for a second season, so at that point, they were trying to follow two playbooks. Standard Korean Drama conventions say they need to resolve the story threads by the end of the season, but a second season means they need to leave some things open. Trying to meet both endgoals, the show ended up making the motivations of the characters feel whiplashy. They didn't spend enough time teasing out Min Woo and Soo Yeon's relationship (probably so they have romantic tension to work with in the next season), so Min Woo's final decision seemed out of character. Similarly, they left Tae Soo Mi a villain until the last 15 minutes (probably so they can develop her relationship with Young Woo in season 2), which made her decision feel too sudden. They brought the story to the end - season 1 could reasonably stand alone if a viewer didn't want to continue with season 2 - but it was somewhat dissatisfying.

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Woo to the Young to the Woo

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

Likes
1. Woo to the Young to the Woo! She's so cute and fierce no wonder she has a lot of support from friends and her dad. But of course she wouldnt prolly be treated so nicely if this was real life.
2. It's a role reversal where the male lead is the candy girl, meant to be the support for the female lead and he doesnt need to do much but look pretty and support WYW. I hope they give Junho a meatier storyline in S2.
3. Spring sunshine Suyeon is always nice to WYW. I hope she is also able to show her legal brilliance and win cases too. Her only fault is liking Minwoo.
4. Jung Myeongsuk is one of the nicest and most supportive bosses in kdramaland. I hope he gets better!
5. Dong Geurami and Hairy guy. WYW's dad. The entire cast was wonderful!

Dislikes
1. The last episode was a little underwhelming maybe because there's going to be season 2. Hoping that Atty Tae Sumi will have a better r'ship with WYW, including the genius brother.
2. Minwoo was so bad throughout most of the show but suddenly became nice in the end, without getting any "punishment" for his bad deeds. And don't understand why 2 girls are fighting over him.but i dont mind if he continues to be nice in s2 and introduce a new villain attorney.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Quirky & Sweet

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO (2022) was a wonderful Kdrama, filled with memorable characters, as well as having a beautiful, moving and inspiring story (and sub stories). The Autistic heroine Attorney (Woo Young Woo) is really such a memorable character, and one of the few representations of autism in females that I've seen.

This series was such a heartfelt drama depicting a brilliant young woman with autism whose passion for justice and upholding the law, is not held back in the least by her limitations. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's wonderful to watch her overcome any and all obstacles, grow as a person and ultimately thrive.

This Kdrama was really sweet and so full of heart. It's so endearing and entertaining, unforgettable. A wonderful, heart-warming watch!

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