Terry Tsurugi
California
This review may contain spoilers
Lived up to the hype
Usually, I'm disappointed when I watch super popular shows (like Squid Game, Crash Landing on You, It's Okay Not to Be Okay, etc.) because I can't understand why everyone loves them so much. However, Woo is an exception. I loved it just as much as anybody else, and more than many
The best thing for me was the fantastic performance by Park Eun-bin. She wasn't high on my radar because I've only seen her as the lead in a couple of shows, Age of Youth 1 & 2 and Hot Stove League. In the former, she played a character that got on my nerves, although in the latter she was fine, though not particularly memorable. So I wasn't sure what to expect from her when I started Woo. But she hooked me right from the beginning. I'm not going to get into any debates about how realistic her performance was and whether it's some kind of neurotypical appropriation, etc., because I know nothing about all that. All I know is that she flat out beat Dustin Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance. Hoffman to me was artificial and hard to relate to, whereas Park did a great job drawing you into her character and getting you to empathize with her, even while at the same time credibly performing some of the behaviors that I in my ignorance associate with autistic people I've encountered in my life.
The second best thing for me was the directing, editing, etc. I think the overall production was better than average, but not overly flashy. They kept everything going at a nice clip, with never a single boring moment, and kept you entertained all the way. I wasn't a huge fan of the whale CGI stuff, but it wasn't bad either. I could take it or leave it.
The third best thing was the writing. Most of the legal stuff was interesting and intelligently written. Of course, it had lots of flaws, including the idea that this same group of attorneys at a prestigious law firm would take on such a huge variety of cases rather than specializing in a narrow range of corporate law, and the unrealistic way some of the cases played out. But I'm not going to nitpick, because, compared to almost every other depiction of the legal profession I've seen in Kdramas, Woo was like a documentary. The only other example that was at this level of realism in my experience was Diary of a Prosecutor. However, I must say, the final 2 cases were the weakest, so that took a little bit away from the overall impact of the show.
The plotting of the other stuff, like the Jun-ho romance, Tae Su-mi, Min-wu's treachery and redemption, were okay, although they were rushed and superficial. They should have cut out some of the sub-plots and romances so they could delve more deeply into fewer sub-plots. Speaking of romance, if by season 2, Gu-rami and the hairy boss aren't a couple yet, I'll be very surprised. And aside from Min-wu's split personality and the head attorney Jang's implausible incompetence and groveling, almost all the supporting characters were really likable.
So right now, this is the main gateway show I'm recommending to my friends who aren't into Kdrama.
The best thing for me was the fantastic performance by Park Eun-bin. She wasn't high on my radar because I've only seen her as the lead in a couple of shows, Age of Youth 1 & 2 and Hot Stove League. In the former, she played a character that got on my nerves, although in the latter she was fine, though not particularly memorable. So I wasn't sure what to expect from her when I started Woo. But she hooked me right from the beginning. I'm not going to get into any debates about how realistic her performance was and whether it's some kind of neurotypical appropriation, etc., because I know nothing about all that. All I know is that she flat out beat Dustin Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance. Hoffman to me was artificial and hard to relate to, whereas Park did a great job drawing you into her character and getting you to empathize with her, even while at the same time credibly performing some of the behaviors that I in my ignorance associate with autistic people I've encountered in my life.
The second best thing for me was the directing, editing, etc. I think the overall production was better than average, but not overly flashy. They kept everything going at a nice clip, with never a single boring moment, and kept you entertained all the way. I wasn't a huge fan of the whale CGI stuff, but it wasn't bad either. I could take it or leave it.
The third best thing was the writing. Most of the legal stuff was interesting and intelligently written. Of course, it had lots of flaws, including the idea that this same group of attorneys at a prestigious law firm would take on such a huge variety of cases rather than specializing in a narrow range of corporate law, and the unrealistic way some of the cases played out. But I'm not going to nitpick, because, compared to almost every other depiction of the legal profession I've seen in Kdramas, Woo was like a documentary. The only other example that was at this level of realism in my experience was Diary of a Prosecutor. However, I must say, the final 2 cases were the weakest, so that took a little bit away from the overall impact of the show.
The plotting of the other stuff, like the Jun-ho romance, Tae Su-mi, Min-wu's treachery and redemption, were okay, although they were rushed and superficial. They should have cut out some of the sub-plots and romances so they could delve more deeply into fewer sub-plots. Speaking of romance, if by season 2, Gu-rami and the hairy boss aren't a couple yet, I'll be very surprised. And aside from Min-wu's split personality and the head attorney Jang's implausible incompetence and groveling, almost all the supporting characters were really likable.
So right now, this is the main gateway show I'm recommending to my friends who aren't into Kdrama.
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