Anyone who is around me on a regular basis knows that I’m a big fan of the subtitled content on Netflix – especially the Korean dramas. I’ve watched a number of these now, but most recently, I finished watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

A Netflix Original

This is a very sweet story about a young lady on the Autism spectrum that becomes an attorney. Woo Young-woo is a very kind person. She’s brilliant and a bit socially awkward. Her eidetic memory makes her a force to be reckoned with in her workplace and in the courtroom. Young-woo doesn’t understand social cues very well, and her love of whales is a little obsessive, but she always tries to help others.

My Thoughts

I am not around very many autistic people. The ones that I do interact with are children, so it is difficult for me to understand the daily difficulties that adults with autism must face. For that reason, I was glad that this show helped to shed a glimmer of light on what life is like for those with autism. Seeing Young-woo navigate daily life helped me to feel compassion for those for whom this life is a very real part of their experience.

Episode three, This is Pengsoo, was probably one of my favorites but also the most heartbreaking. In this episode, Young-woo defends a young man who lives with a very severe form of autism. The young man, Jeong-hun, is accused of murdering his brother due to circumstantial evidence. Young-woo and her colleagues go to great lengths to communicate with Jeong-hun since convincing him to talk with strangers is no small task. It was difficult to see the prejudice toward Jeong-hun due to his inability to communicate, as well as toward Young-woo since she is seen as also having a disability.

I’m trying hard to express how deeply moving this show is without giving away anything! It’s hard! I definitely recommend Extraordinary Attorney Woo to young adults and adult viewers. As with nearly all of the Korean dramas I’ve watched, this show will take you through the full range of emotions. The plot of each episode is understandably predictable. As you can imagine, with some twists and turns along the way, the story usually ends in Young-woo’s favor. There is also an interesting secondary storyline that ties all of the episodes together and leaves you wondering when season two will be released.

If you are already a fan of Korean dramas, this is a must-watch. If you’re new to Korean dramas, then this might be a great show to cut your teeth on. Give it a watch, and then let me know what you think in the comments below.

I’ve made the move to Substack.

Come check out my two publications on Substack:

https://davidsheley.substack.com

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The first is a post-for-post replacement of this blog. The second is a brand-new publication where I publish short stories.